The Best Robe vs. The Fatted Calf (Based on Luke 15:22-23)

 

The Best Robe vs. The Fatted Calf (Based on Luke 15:22-23)

Luke 15:22 "Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him"

Luke 15:23 "And bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and be merry"

 

Item	The Best Robe	The Fatted Calf
Basic Meaning	External covering and protection	Internal supply and nourishment
Typology	Christ as the righteousness God gives to believers to cover them outwardly before God	Christ as the righteousness God gives to believers as their life supply
Functional Nature	Objective righteousness	Subjective righteousness
Position of Function	External covering	Internal supply
Purpose	To make believers justified before God	To make believers live out God in Christ
Temporal Aspect	One-time putting on	Continuous enjoyment and digestion
Effect	External beauty and dignity	Internal transformation and renewal
Related Scriptures	• Isa. 61:10 "He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness" • Gal. 3:27 "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" • 2 Cor. 5:21 "Him who knew no sin He made sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him"	• John 6:53 "Jesus therefore said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you do not have life in yourselves" • John 6:57 "As the living Father has sent Me and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me" • 1 Cor. 10:17 "Seeing that there is one bread, we who are many are one Body"
Practical Example	When the prodigal son returned home, the father immediately put the best robe on him, replacing his rags, completely changing his external appearance to match the father's dignity	Though the prodigal son was clothed with the robe, he was still hungry and needed the nourishment of the fatted calf, causing his countenance to change from pale to glowing and ruddy
Spiritual Application	• When believers repent and turn to God, Christ becomes our righteousness, making us objectively justified before God • This is the starting point of salvation, a once-for-all positional change • We put on Christ and become a new creation	• Believers need to daily enjoy Christ as life supply • Through living in the Spirit, Christ lives out from within us • This is a continuous sanctification process, producing subjective righteousness
Connection to Revelation 19	Corresponds to the external covering aspect of "bright and clean fine linen"	Corresponds to the internal realization aspect of "the righteous acts of the saints"
Daily Practice	• Accept Christ as our righteousness by faith • Be assured of our changed position before God • No longer condemn ourselves	• Daily walk according to the Spirit of life • Live the life of the Spirit • Enjoy Christ as daily supply
Ultimate Goal	To give believers the correct position before God	To make believers live out God's nature and become God's expression
Key Distinction	One-time, positional, external	Continuous, experiential, internal

  

This table compares the different spiritual aspects of the “best robe” and the “fatted calf.” From the parable in Luke 15, we can see the Father’s complete provision for the prodigal son:

 * The best robe represents Christ as our objective righteousness, which is a one-time, positional change that solves our position before God.

* The fatted calf represents Christ as our subjective righteousness, which is a continuous, experiential provision that enables us to live out God’s nature.

 Both of them point to the “bright, clean linen” of the bride in Revelation 19, which has both an external covering (the robe) and an internal realization (the righteousness of the saints). In our daily lives, believers need to be sure of our position in Christ and continue to enjoy Christ as the life supply so that we can be ready to welcome the marriage feast of the Lamb.

  

*Please refer to the 2025 Memorial Day Blending Conference. General Topic: Preparation of the Bride. Chapter 5: Righteousness of the Bride.