"Because of their faith in the Lamb of God their garments are made white in his blood."
- 1 Nephi 11:10
In a 1977 General Conference Address, Bruce R. McKonkie said:
"The Holy Ghost is the Sanctifier. Those who magnify their callings in the priesthood “are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.” (D&C 84:33.) They are born again; they become new creatures of the Holy Ghost; they are alive in Christ.
"Of such faithful persons among the ancients, Alma says: “They were called after this holy order”—that is, they held the Melchizedek Priesthood—“and [they] were sanctified, and their garments were washed white through the blood of the Lamb. Now they, after being sanctified by the Holy Ghost, having their garments made white, being pure and spotless before God, could not look upon sin save it were with abhorrence; and there were many, exceeding great many, who were made pure and entered into the rest of the Lord their God.” (Alma 13:11–12.)"
The scriptures seem to make it clear that this santification only comes when we can turn our hearts to the Lord and serve him with our mights, constantly exercising faith in Jesus Christ. Indeed we must be truly converted to obtain this santification symbolized by our garments being made white.
Elder Hartman Rector Jr., once taught "Conversion does away with all [ungodly] conduct and thus is the foundation of the society of God. Conversion not only indicates an awareness and acceptance of these growth principles, but also encompasses the principle of endurance. Faith unto repentance, and precise persisting in righteousness, is the saving power of the gospel."
So what does that endurance entail? The Revelation of John provides some great insights into what it takes to be truly converted. In Revlation 7:13-17, we read:
"What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, sir, thouh 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. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them."
I have highlighted two key phrases in this verse.
1- Those who have their garments made white (e.g. are sanctified by the power of the Holy Ghost through their faith in Christ) do not do it without great sacrifice. These who were arrayed in their white robes, the utmost symbol of purity and devotion to God, made it to that point only through "great tribulation." It is easy to know that the gospel is true. The true measure of our character is the degree to which we are able to translate what we know into what we do, and indeed who we are. The key determinant of how white our garments are is based on the degree to which we live what we know to be true in the face of tribulation, hard times, trials, and perhaps in the more difficult circumstance of when everything in life is going smoothly. Do we want our garments to be pure white or do we settle for a beige-like devotion to living the principles of the gospel and exercising faith in Christ?
2- Those who John spoke of served the Lord "day and night in his temple." Clearly in this mortal state it is not possible to be in the temple 24 hours a day. But, it is possible to make our homes a holy sanctuary focused on serving the Lord. It is possible, to take the fundamental message of the temple, that is dilligently striving to walk back to the presence of the Father and helping those around us do the same, and apply it to every facet of our lives.
