Genesis 3:6-11 When
the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the
eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from
its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of
both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed
fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the
cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of
the Lord God among the trees of
the garden. Then the Lord God called to
the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the
garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who
told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded
you not to eat?”
Adam knew He had sinned against God, and not only did he try
to hide himself from God, he also tried to dress up his nakedness. But God saw
through it even with all of the blame-shifting, and our just God passed
judgment. But even after His judgment God considered it important enough they not
continue to be found naked that He made clothing for both Adam and Eve prior to
sending them out of the garden.
Genesis 3:21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam
and his wife, and clothed them.
Since then man
has continued to live in bodies that need covering and are subject to pain,
disease, and all sorts of struggle. But God, He knew that we needed something
more than external clothing, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, He provided for that
need. Speaking of women Peter said in 1 Peter 3:3-4, “Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding
the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;
but let it be the
hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet
spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.” And speaking to men he said in
1 Peter 5:5, “You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and
all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Paul gets even more specific about how
we are to be clothed in Galatians 3:27 where we read, “For all of you who were
baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”
It is our “in the
meantime clothing” that is the focus of our daily living. This daily focus is a
process of making scripturally informed choices and doing what Scripture refers
to as “putting on” as we purpose to “put off” that which is not consistent with
who we are in Christ. There are several primary passages I think of when I
think about this process (Proverbs 3:5-6; Romans 12:1-2; Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians
3:1-17; and 2 Timothy 3:16-17).
In Ephesians 4:22-24 we read, “that, in reference to your former manner of life,
you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the
lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the
likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the
truth.” We read here that we have been (past action with continuing present
reality) “created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.” This speaks of the
new spiritual reality of who we are in Christ and our calling to live
consistent with who we are. We are no longer slaves to sin (Romans 6:1-13), and as such we
are called to set aside those sins which entangle us (Hebrews 12:1-3) as we see
them revealed in our lives through the illumination of the Holy Spirit and the understanding
of the Word of God.
Today Sarah
writes about fighting a desire to throw off our robes of righteousness, and if
our spiritual condition were merely an external one that would be so easy to
do. But our condition has been changed at our very core—our identity. We are new creations in Christ, and as such we are to live that way. And when we sin—confess
it, thank God for our new identities, and walk forward in righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old
things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God,
who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not
counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of
reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an
appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew
no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.
Today in “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young (8/9)
Wear My robe of righteousness with ease. I custom-made it
for you, to cover you from head to toe. The price I paid for this covering was
astronomical—My own blood. You could never purchase such a royal garment, no
matter how hard you worked. Sometimes you forget that My righteousness is a
gift, and you feel ill at ease in your regal robe.... I want you to trust Me enough
to realize your privileged position in My kingdom. Relax in the luxuriant folds
of your magnificent robe. Keep your eyes on Me, as you practice walking in this
garment of righteousness. When your behavior is unfitting for one in My
kingdom, do not try to throw off your royal robe. Instead, throw off the
unrighteous behavior. Then you will be able to feel at ease in this glorious
garment, enjoying the gift I fashioned for you before the foundation of the
world.
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. Isaiah 61:10
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him
we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to
put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be
made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to
be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Ephesians 4:22-24
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