At a time when the church is faced with an existential battle with reference to major challenges threatening its mission, fruitfulness, unity, identity, sexuality, and moral authority, the parable of the ten virgins offers a renewing approach. In the parable of the ten virgins, the oil represents the active, continuous presence and power of the Holy Spirit, true salvation, spiritual readiness and expectancy for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ rather than a superficial outward show of faith, leadership, and ministry. Indeed, a picture of a vessel with lamb without oil represents a mere outward religion with no illuminating power. Samuel Chadwick warned against human ‘acting as though the only remedy for decline were method, organisation, and compromise… the resources of the Church within herself are inadequate. In the fullness of the Spirit there is abundance of wisdom, resources, and power; but a man-managed, world-annexing, priest-pretending Church can never save the world or fulfil the mission of Christ.’

The parable of the ten virgins stresses the necessity of spiritual perseverance and preparedness because of the reality of Jesus’ Second Coming at an unforeseeable time and date (Lk 21:19). The parable urges us to remain true to our faith in Jesus Christ no matter what, so that when the day and hour arrive, we will be ready for Him and He will receive us when He returns. Failure to be in a devoted personal relationship with the Lord when He returns will mean being left out of His Kingdom. This points us to the difference between the foolish and the wise virgins.

John Gill provides a practical application of the foolish virgins. He writes, “Now these foolish virgins, though they took up a lamp of a profession, yet were unconcerned for the oil of grace, to fill, maintain, and trim this lamp: they were ignorant of the nature and use of true grace; they saw no need of it, and therefore did not ask for it, or about it; they neglected it, made light of it, and denied it as useless; and being destitute of it, took up their profession without it; and in this lay their folly.” There are many in the church today with a lamp of profession but lacking the oil of grace and personal salvation in Jesus Christ. There are many in the church today so lettered but ignorant of the nature and use of true grace – God’s redemption at Christ’s expense. They deny and make light of the Gospel, the place of hell and heaven, being destitute spiritually.

Sadly, half of the virgins, representing the Christian profession, were foolish, taking lamps but taking no oil. The other half were possessing Christians, true believers. The foolish virgins’ Christian profession did not make them truly saved persons; hence all their church activities and professions were empty, having the form of godliness (the lamps) but denying the power thereof. From the beginning, the foolish virgins “took no oil.” They never accepted Jesus Christ in their hearts; the oil, the Holy Spirit and His power, was lacking. This is the fearful and dangerous condition of the church today. The church is the creation of the Holy Spirit; the Holy Spirit equips the church for fruitful harvest and discipleship. Professional preachers, bodies, social clubs, and organised institutions may flourish without the gift of the Holy Spirit because they ‘do not constitute a Christian Church.’ Using the words of Samuel Chadwick, a preacher or ‘a ministry that is college-trained but not Spirit-filled works no miracles,’ but maintains dry bones, decline, and death.

The foolish virgins failed to recognise that the returning Lord would come unexpectedly, without obvious signs, as the time approached. Sadly, today many preachers, after preaching for many years, and many churches are unprepared for Jesus’ return. However, Jesus makes it clear that He will not wait until all churches and professing believers are prepared for His coming. All the virgins, both faithful and unfaithful, were taken by surprise at the bridegroom’s coming (Matt 25: 5-7).

All true followers of Jesus can enjoy the divine presence. If we want to be ready, like the wise virgins, our lives need to be pure and full of the faith and righteousness that come only from God’s Spirit (oil). A true church with the divine presence is all about the living God. When the divine presence is lacking, ceremonies and entertainment become a substitute for church life support, meant to stimulate an experience with God. A.W. Tozer once made a revealing observation: “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference.”

Truly, if the Holy Spirit were withdrawn from the church, everything would look normal. The preacher would still preach; the organist would still play. The choir would still sing hymns. The committee would still meet. Conference would still hold. The lights would still come on, and the programs would still run, except the power of God would be gone. Tozer saw the future of the church: polished, professional, organised, and self-sufficient. Sadly, the church can be full and still be empty. The question for our reflection is this: when the power runs out, that is, when the Holy Spirit leaves your life, how much of your “95%” would keep running on autopilot? The story of Samson comes to mind: he got up to fight, thinking he still had his strength, but he did not know the Lord had left him. He was already on autopilot. It is possible to program God out of the church, and leadership and most members would not even know the Holy Spirit has left.

Like the Israelites of old, today we have churches and leadership that are running well without God, going through the motions of religion and maintenance without power or movement (Isaiah 1). Just because church is happening does NOT mean the Holy Ghost is present. When the oil runs out, religion is made by men and women adding rules, ceremony, levels of hierarchy, entertainment, and bending the rules as defined in the gospels to entertain members and keep them busy but guilty. The parable of the ten virgins, like other parables of Jesus, points to the internal war going on in the church between the possessing, true Christian and the professing false Christian. Be saved today in Jesus Christ and receive oil, showing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.