Clothed
with Righteousness
(Exhortation - June 2000)
Paul then introduces a second and a third metaphor, that of clothing and nakedness, skillfully juxtaposed with the first. "For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that, being clothed we shall not be found naked" (II Cor. 5:2).
So great is our struggle against nakedness (the symbol for sin), that we groan in despair wanting desperately to be clothed with the spiritual house from heaven. In the next verse the same ideas are repeated. "For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life" (II Cor. 5:4).
Although we find the weight of this mortal tent unbearable, we do not want it to be removed altogether, i.e. destroyed by death, but we live in the hope of the covering of immortality, i.e. that Christ will come in our lifetime. The conclusion that we draw in this case is that clothing is a symbol for eternal life.
Ultimately if we are among the redeemed, we will be clothed upon with immortality. "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory" (I Cor. 15: 53,54).
The wedding garment
Now let us consider the parable of the wedding garment. In so doing, it will become
apparent our Lord expects us to wear spiritual clothing in this life. The parable is so
familiar we need only to look at the latter part. "And when the king came in to
see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment: And he saith unto
him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was
speechless" (Matt. 22:11-14).
The servants were ordered to invite all and sundry and were obviously successful because the room was full of guests. All had accepted the dress code and had made the necessary preparations with the exception of one man. He was either indifferent, too lazy to be bothered, or else considered his own covering sufficient. (This could be describing the general attitude of our contemporaries in the world toward the overtures of God). Obviously the lesson for us is that the wearing of proper garments is critical for salvation.
With such a vital requirement, it becomes imperative to search the scriptures to ascertain the meaning of the clothing allegory.
In the Old Testament there are three helpful references. Interestingly, Isaiah also uses a wedding feast analogy: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isa. 61:10). Job also speaks of being clothed with righteousness: "I put on righteousness and it clothed me…" (Job 29:14). And the third use of the figure is: "Strength and honor" bedeck the virtuous woman (Prov. 31:25).
The covering of sins
As one would expect, there is amplification of these ideas in the New Testament. "Put
on (NIV ‘clothe’) therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; forbearing one another,
and forgiving one another…and above all these things put on charity, which is the
bond of perfectness" (Col. 3:12-14). Peter shows that the culmination of these
things, love, covers a multitude of sins (I Pet. 4:8), and Paul attributes a state of
blessedness to those whose sins are forgiven. "Blessed are they whose iniquities
are forgiven, and whose sins are covered" (Rom. 4:7).
This leads us to the imperative requirement of putting on Christ in the waters of baptism, thus becoming "a new man" whereby we become children of God and enjoy the blessing of the forgiveness of sins (Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:24). As we all recognize, baptism is but the beginning and it is important that as we continue our walk toward the kingdom, we put on the amour of God: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the word. Only by so doing can we hope to withstand the pressures of the world around us.
The adornment of pride
It is so easy to let our garments become soiled, or to become so complacent and off
guard to the extent that we enter a state of undress. We must be vigilant and take heed to
the Lord’s message: "Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments,
lest he walk naked, and they see his shame" (Rev. 16:15).
In the fairy story about the emperor and the delusion of his fine new clothes, not only was he naked, but it also took the mind of a little child see the truth. To help strip away illusions of self-grandeur and pride that so easily beset us, we must take to heart the teaching: "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3). It is a salutary thought that although we might hide behind self-deception, refusing to recognize our true state, the eyes of the Lord are all seeing. "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do" (Heb. 4:13).
This spirit of delusion had so affected the Laodiceans that they imagined riches and wealth provided an adequate covering. The Lord Jesus, however, saw that they were really naked. "Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:17).
Surrounding ourselves with all of the trappings and finery that this world offers can only emphasise our state of unrighteousness. A costly haute couture outfit is not to be compared with the simple garment of white in which our Lord would have us clothed. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear" (Rev. 3:18).
Soiled garments
The environment in which we live is so polluted with ungodly behaviour that it is
difficult to prevent our spiritual garments from becoming soiled. Nevertheless, it can be
done, as is seen from the example of Sardis: "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis
which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white: for they are
worthy" (Rev. 3:4).
How we long to be so classified, but longing is not enough. As the apostle Paul explains when continuing his reasoning to the Corinthians, there must be effort and dedicated application: "Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him" (II Cor. 5:9). The Greek word used here for "labour" is not the one usually used; in this instance it means "aim or ambition." Paul is saying, in effect, that we must put aside all worldly goals and redirect our efforts to pleasing God.
Clothed with immortality
Paul goes on to show it is a matter of life and death: "For we must all appear
before the judgement seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (II Cor. 5:10).
The context of the judgement warning, as we have seen, is the desire to be clothed with
immortality, which is the ultimate reward for the faithful. Let us put on the armour of
God and follow the way of holiness.
We have been reminded of the instructive blending of scriptural symbols and metaphors, but now we come to the supreme symbols -- the Lord’s body and blood represented by the bread and the wine before us. Our gratitude abounds in the knowledge that through the shedding of his blood, our garments can be washed clean. May it be that in the great day of revelation we will be clothed with immortality.
Andrew Webb