Revelation of John 3:4
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But you do have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments, and because they are worthy, they will walk with Me in white.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
The three oldest manuscripts prefix "but," or "nevertheless" (notwithstanding thy spiritual deadness), and omit "even." names--persons named in the book of life (Rev 3:5) known by name by the Lord as His own. These had the reality corresponding to their name; not a mere name among men as living, while really dead (Rev 3:1). The gracious Lord does not overlook any exceptional cases of real saints in the midst of unreal professors. not defiled their garments--namely, the garments of their Christian profession, of which baptism is the initiatory seal, whence the candidates for baptism used in the ancient Church to be arrayed in white. Compare also Eph 5:27, as to the spotlessness of the Church when she shall be presented to Christ; and Rev 19:8, as to the "fine linen, clean and white, the righteousness of the saints," in which it shall be granted to her to be arrayed; and "the wedding garment." Meanwhile she is not to sully her Christian profession with any defilement of flesh or spirit, but to "keep her garments." For no defilement shall enter the heavenly city. Not that any keep themselves here wholly free from defilement; but, as compared with hollow professors, the godly keep themselves unspotted from the world; and when they do contract it, they wash it away, so as to have their "robes white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev 7:14). The Greek is not "to stain" (Greek, "miainein"), but to "defile," or besmear (Greek, "molunein"), Sol 5:3. they shall walk with me in white--The promised reward accords with the character of those to be rewarded: keeping their garments undefiled and white through the blood of the Lamb now, they shall walk with Him in while hereafter. On "with me," compare the very same words, Luk 23:43; Joh 17:24. "Walk" implies spiritual life, for only the li…
Open source ↗Here we have three more of the epistles of Christ to the churches: I. To Sardis (Rev 3:1-6). II. To Philadelphia (Rev 3:7-13). III. To Laodicea (Rev 3:14 to the end).
Open source ↗3:4 Soiled . . . clothes represent an impure life (Zech 3:4), while white clothes depict purity (see Rev 6:11; 7:13-14; 22:14). • Walk expresses how a person lives (see Gen 17:1; Pss 81:13; 82:5; Rom 8:4; Gal 5:16).
Open source ↗Cross-references
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Like them, he who overcomes will be dressed in white. And I will never blot out his name from the Book of Life, but I will confess his name before My Father and His angels.
After this I looked and saw a multitude too large to count, from every nation and tribe and people and tongue, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head.
Then each of them was given a white robe and told to rest a little while longer, until the full number of their fellow servants, their brothers, were killed, just as they had been killed.
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and on these thrones sat twenty-four elders dressed in white, with golden crowns on their heads.
The armies of heaven, dressed in fine linen, white and pure, follow Him on white horses.
She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.
save others by snatching them from the fire; and to still others show mercy tempered with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.
So keep watch at all times, and pray that you may have the strength to escape all that is about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.”