Robes Of Righteousness

[dave c]

HEALING SHELTER MINISTRIES #131aab Re-Written 23MAY09

Save Me Today—Part Fifty Four: Robes Of Righteousness

by rev dave c

The moment Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the loss of their innocence brought about a change in their perception of each other: 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid. 11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" (Ge 3; NIV). Like all people since, the first couple made a feeble attempt to hide the results of their sin from each other and from their Creator. In Genesis 3:21 God demonstrated for the first time the very great mercy that He has extended to humanity throughout our history—even in the face of our direct and repeated disobedience: The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them (NIV). All our attempts to cover ourselves are futile; for our sins to be covered there must be a sacrifice of flesh and blood. From the beginning God has shown us that He alone is able to both make that garment and to clothe us. Only His righteousness is sufficient.

Isaiah was keenly aware of fallen mankind’s pitiful self-efforts to overcome the plight of a sin nature. Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. ....5 [The unrighteous] hatch the eggs of vipers and spin a spider's web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, and when one is broken, an adder is hatched. 6 Their cobwebs are useless for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make (Is 59:1-6; NIV). In 64:6 the prophet extends his lamentations to the entirety of our race, All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away (NIV).

Blessedly, Isaiah had earlier offered us this word of hope: A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. ...5 Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist (Is 11:1-5; NIV). Almost 400 years later, Paul, having encountered the Messiah of prophecy, tells us, ...clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Ro 13:14). The apostle instructs Believers in Colossians 3:12, ...as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity (NIV).

In Revelation 3:18 Jesus exhorts us, You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see (NIV). The Lord continues in Revelation 16:15, "Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed" (NIV). While this passage refers to Christ’s second coming at some undisclosed point in time, it behooves us to take its message to heart in the right here and the right now, because we do not know the hour that our lives will be required of us (Lu 12:20). The occasion of my physical death marks the end of my opportunity to choose obedience to God’s Word, and so choose eternity in the rewards of His presence.

As demonstrated in Genesis 3:21, Isaiah 61:10 recognizes that it is by God’s hand that the nakedness of our sins is covered, and through His mercy and grace are we forgiven—it is through the surrender, the suffering, and the sacrifice of the body and the blood of Jesus Christ alone that the cost of our eternal salvation is met: I delight greatly in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels (NIV). Continuing this theme of the Church of Jesus Christ as His Bride and Body, Revelation 19:7 encourages us, Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) 9 Then the angel said to me, "Write: `Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'" And he added, "These are the true words of God" (NIV). Amen.

Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Could Scripture be any more clear concerning the relationship between saving faith and the good works that are to result from that salvation? The New Testament tells us that if we are saved through faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, then we are the saints of God. Revelation 19:8 tells us that it is the job of the saints to weave the eternal fabric for the Bride of Christ’s wedding dress by performing righteous acts today for the Father, in the Son, and through the Holy Spirit. This is an awesome responsibility that we should be approaching with loving, but fearful, conscientiousness. “God, please save my today. Amen.”