Useful Bible Studies > Revelation Commentary > chapter 3
We often say that people should invite Christ into their lives.
Here, Christ himself explains what that means.
Christ offers many wonderful things to people (verse 18). He offers to forgive their evil deeds. He offers to show them the truth about God. He wants to help them during their troubles in this life. He wants to give them a home in heaven and the New Jerusalem, where he will always live with them. A person receives all these things when that person begins a right relationship with Christ.
Here, Christ describes that relationship as a simple friendship. He wants to be your friend, like the friend with whom you share a meal.
Christ does not force anyone to accept his friendship. Friendship should be a relationship that depends on love. Therefore, we have a choice. We can accept or we can refuse friendship. If we do nothing, we have not accepted Christ’s friendship.
It is like when a person comes to someone’s house, in order to visit that other person. The visitor does not force his way into the house. He knocks at the door and he asks politely to come in. If the person inside accepts, then he and his visitor have become friends. They will talk together, perhaps they will even eat together.
1 John 4:19 tells us that Christ first loved us. He loved us so much that he gave his own life for us (John 15:12-13).
He died on the cross so that we could have a right relationship with him. He urges us to accept that friendship. In other words, we should invite him into our lives. John 1:12 describes the result if we do that. We become not just his friends, but members of his family, children of God. The difference is that a family relationship is permanent. He is offering a friendship that is also a family relationship. That friendship with Christ will never end.
Next part: Christ’s special guest (Revelation 3:21)
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© 2016, Keith Simons.