The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Lorraine Hannaford of Ontario, Canada from the tape, GC 1301-L, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 14."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1980. All Rights Reserved.

Question

Coming back to Matthew 25, there’s a passage here that’s really been troubling me. Because it speaks of ten virgins, and it says that they went to meet the Lord. And they were together. And then they got drowsy and they fell asleep. But then there was a great shout. But then it speaks of the five wise virgins and the five foolish virgins, and the wise had oil and the others didn’t. But what puzzles me is, that then the Lord came, so the other five that didn’t have the extra oil went to the other five that had the oil and asked them to give them some. And then they told them, we don’t have enough for you--we have for ourselves--we can’t give it to you. So they went the feast and the other five missed the feast. Then the Lord came. But then later on it seems like they got the oil, but when they went back to the Lord the Lord told them, "I never knew you." Please explain.

Answer

Well the point is this: there are plenty of people who are religious but they’re not saved. These are the people who procrastinate and procrastinate and put it off, put it off, put it off, put it off and they’re religious. They’re just like Matthew 7, "Many will say unto me, 'Lord, Lord, (Matthew 7:21-23) we did many wonderful works in Your name and we prophesied and we cast out demons...' and the Lord says unto them, 'Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you!'" In other words, again you’re right back to the broad road, which people think is the road to heaven but it isn’t.

So you’ve got ten virgins symbolizing spiritual purity, symbolizing religious vows. I mean a virgin devoted to God. You might liken this to a priest, or a nun in a Roman Catholic system or to a monk, a Tibetan monk, in some mystical part of Hinduism or something, who’s whole life is prescribed religiously. But the problem is they don’t have the oil. Now the oil is probably a good symbol of the Holy Spirit. And the presence of the Holy Spirit--is that not the affirmation of our salvation? Do we not know we are redeemed because of the presence of the Spirit? Hasn’t He given us the earnest of the Spirit that we may know we belong to Him?

So here are these they’re religious; they are circumscribed, they’ve got their religious activities, and the Lord comes, but they’re not really ready. Because all their religious activities are outside and there is no oil in their lamps. And then they go running and they want somebody to give them their oil. But salvation isn’t like that. You receive your oil from God and God alone, not from anybody else.

I have a little thing I do with kids. I can’t show you because I don’t have any scissors, but I take a 8 1/2 x 11 paper and fold it all over and I tell kids this is my ticket to heaven. And I say to them, "Do you have a ticket to heaven?" "No, we don’t have a ticket to heaven." "Well," I said, "then I’ll share my ticket with you." So I just cut it up one side and I cut it up the other side and I’ve got a pile of pieces that just fall out and I organize all those little pieces and they spell "HELL." And then I say, "You see you can’t get to heaven on anybody else’s ticket." And then I unfold what’s remaining and it’s a cross. And that’s the only way you get there. And that’s the picture you see, you can’t go and buy somebody else’s religion or say, "Hey, share with me your virtue, share with me the Holy Spirit." You get it directly from God. And so at that point the Lord says, "I’m sorry I have no relationship with you." And they’re shut out.

I think the point that He’s making there is, there is a time when it is too late. Back to the pre-flood people, the Antediluvians, God said, "My Spirit will not always strive with man." Constant rejection means you come to the point where you can’t receive. So that’s another tremendously powerful statement by Christ that you can be religious and be lost.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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