The parable of the ten virgins
Mt 25:1-13 1 "Then the kingdom of heaven will be comparable to ten virgins, who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 2 "Five of them were foolish, and five were prudent. 3 "For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them, 4 but the prudent took oil in flasks along with their lamps. 5 "Now while the bridegroom was delaying, they all got drowsy and began to sleep. 6 "But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 "Then all those virgins rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 "The foolish said to the prudent, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 "But the prudent answered, ‘No, there will not be enough for us and you too; go instead to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.’ 10 "And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. 11 "Later the other virgins also came, saying, ‘Lord, lord, open up for us.’ 12 "But he answered, ‘Truly I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
This parable creates a lot of problems for those who believe in the doctrine of eternal security, and especially for the Calvinist who believes in both Total Depravity and Eternal Security.
Here is the problem for the Calvinist: If the virgins are believers then how can eternal security be true when those who didn’t get the extra oil ended up excluded from the wedding feast?
On the other hand, if the virgins are unbelievers then how can such totally depraved virgins take their lamps and go out to meet the bridegroom?
Next, those who believe in eternal security have a hard time trying to explain why a virgin (symbolizing the purity of a believer) with oil (symbolizing the Holy Spirit) and having a bridegroom (symbolizing Christ) whom she calls ‘Lord’ ends up excluded from the wedding feast.
Now some of these people try to avoid all these theological difficulties by saying that one shouldn’t take the parable too far and that one should just take the main point of the parable, which they say is that one should be prepared for the coming of Christ.
But then, what’s there to prepare? If a believer cannot lose his salvation, isn’t he already prepared? There is no way he can be excluded from the wedding feast, is there?
Further, why shouldn’t we take the parable as far as we can? If you use a parable or an example to convey something to someone you will not construct it in a way that violates what you believe, will you? Your parable will align with your beliefs. And even if yours doesn’t, Jesus’ will. Why? It is because He is the truth. Everything He says will be fully true, and not just true up to a certain point.
Yes, God does use figures of speech at times, but those are obvious. This parable is not a figure of speech.
My understanding is that the virgins are believers (2 Cor 11:2). My lamp is my spirit (Pr 20:27), and the oil represents me keeping my side of the contract in my covenant with the Lord concerning my salvation. Without the oil I am not saved, and my spirit is dead. The oil is what makes my spirit alive. I have the oil when I meet the requirements for salvation. One person’s oil is not enough for that person and for someone else. You have to get your oil yourself from the dealer (God).
Further, it is possible for the oil to get exhausted with time and tribulation, and it is my responsibility to have the oil at all times because I don’t know when the bridegroom will come.
Once the bridegroom comes (which can either happen when I die, or when I get raptured) it is too late to acquire the oil. If I don’t have it then, then I am lost.
I am foolish if I have allowed my oil to be exhausted.
We have to prepare ourselves for the coming of the bridegroom by loving the truth, recognizing the truth, believing in the truth, and then applying the truth in practice. Those who love the truth will be saved (2 Thess 2:7-12).
The above parable was addressed to believers. Jesus’ point is that after you are saved you need to stay saved. In the next parable, which is also addressed to believers, the point is that you not only need to stay saved but you also need to make yourself useful so that you will receive your full reward.
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