“God has given in His word a mirror into which the sinner may look and discover the defects of his moral character. That mirror is the royal law of God, the ten commandments. We are to compare our character with the law of God, and if that law condemns us, if we are breaking any of its requirements, then our garments are defiled by sin; and all the efforts we may make in our own strength will not efface one stain, one spot of sin. We must go to Jesus, humble the heart before Him, and confessing our sins, forsake them. We must cease to transgress the law of God, but exercise repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”—The Youth’s Instructor, August 18, 1886. [Emphasis added.]

What causes our spiritual garments to get dirty? We see here it’s the breaking of the Ten Commandments. But are we supposed to do something about this or can we just sit back, relax, and let it be done for us? We read above that our efforts—even our most vigorous scrubbing—can’t clean the stain. But there is nonetheless something we are supposed to do about it. There’s a whole list in the inspired passage cited above:

1. Go to Jesus.

2. Humble our heart before Him.

3. Confess our sins.

4. Forsake our sins.

5. Stop breaking God’s law.

6. Exercise (and that can sometimes take exertion) repentance toward God.

7. Exercise faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Does this sound like salvation by works? No. Our works cannot save us, but neither can we be saved by doing nothing in this process. Let’s see the balance, as the passage continues:

“Jesus is the only one who can remove these defiled garments of sin, and clothe us in the robe of Christ’s righteousness.

“But there is something for you to do, in seeking the Lord with an earnest purpose of heart and forsaking your sins; for Jesus will not save you if you continue to transgress the law. You must, through faith in Christ, overcome sin. Through the strength Jesus gives you, you must day by day be engaged in washing the garments of your character and making them white in the blood of the Lamb. How thankful we should be to God that we do not have to make these efforts in our own finite strength! Jesus brings us divine help to aid our human efforts.”—Ibid. [Emphasis added.]

Here it shows that, yes, we definitely need to overcome sin. All by ourselves? No, Jesus is there to help us with His strength. But we just read, “you must day by day be engaged in washing the garments of your character and making them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Those who do this are victorious, as John the Revelator was shown in a vision of Heaven:

“One of the elders answered, saying unto me [John], What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:13, 14).

Their robes were not washed for them—they washed them. But they could never have accomplished this if it weren’t for the blood of the Lamb. The spiritual application shows the miracle of the red blood of Christ making the robe white. How? Because this is isn’t just about something becoming white in color. The garment is actually a robe of light:

“By the wedding garment in the parable is represented the pure, spotless character which Christ’s true followers will possess. . . .

“The white robe of innocence was worn by our first parents when they were placed by God in holy Eden. They lived in perfect conformity to the will of God. All the strength of their affections was given to their heavenly Father. A beautiful soft light, the light of God, enshrouded the holy pair. This robe of light was a symbol of their spiritual garments of heavenly innocence.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 310, 311. [Emphasis added.]

“God has a law, and men must keep it. If they disregard these rules, they will not have that perfection of character that will give them an entrance into the mansions above. . . .

“The only hope of any man lies through Jesus Christ who brought the robe of His righteousness to put upon the sinner who would lay off his filthy garments. . . . All who enter will have on the robe of Christ’s righteousness and the name of God will be seen in their foreheads. This name is the symbol which the apostle saw in vision, and signifies the yielding of the mind to intelligent and loyal obedience to all of God’s commandments. There will be no covering up of sins and faults to hide the deformity of character; no robes will be half washed; but all will be pure and spotless.”—The Youth's Instructor, August 18, 1886. [Emphasis added.]

We see here the key: “The yielding of the mind to intelligent and loyal obedience to all of God’s commandments.” If we don’t continually yield to God’s ways as revealed in His law, we’ll never overcome our wrong ways—and we won’t be in His kingdom!

But the Lord promises, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (Revelation 3:5).

The same passage concludes:

"Now in these hours of probation I hope that our youth will receive the truth in the heart, that they may be sanctified through it. . . .

“More zeal, greater devotion, and more steady, earnest faith is needed. You must do much watching and praying, as well as searching of the Scriptures if you learn the precious lessons of faith.” —Ibid. [Emphasis added.]

So here is something else for us to do: Be zealous, be devoted, have steady (full-time, not part-time) faith, watch, pray, and search the Scriptures. Doing all this won’t save us; only Jesus can save us. But how can He say He knows us if we rarely bother to learn much about Him or listen to and obey Him? We need to be actively preparing—notice those who receive this garment:

“The marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints” (Revelation 19:7, 8).

“Let the youth and the little children be taught to choose for themselves that royal robe woven in heaven’s loom—the ‘fine linen, clean and white’ (Revelation 19:8), which all the holy ones of earth will wear. This robe, Christ’s own spotless character, is freely offered to every human being. But all who receive it will receive and wear it here.

“Let the children be taught that as they open their minds to pure, loving thoughts and do loving and helpful deeds, they are clothing themselves with His beautiful garment of character. This apparel will make them beautiful and beloved here, and will hereafter be their title of admission to the palace of the King. His promise is:

“ ‘They shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy’ (Revelation 3:4).”—Education, p. 249. [Emphasis added.] May the Lord strengthen us for the final victory through His power! Amen.