FULLY CLOTHED

Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11 NIV

My husband asked me in church this morning if I noticed anything different about his suit. I looked but did not notice anything specific. He pointed out that the jacket no longer had any buttons on it. Burt had struck again. Burt likes clothes as well as furniture to chew. Anything in this hound dog’s vicinity is fair game.

Have you ever showed up anywhere half dressed? Not being clothed properly can leave us feeling vulnerable and totally unworthy. The proper attire gives us confidence and a boldness.

The Bible has a lot to say about being clothed in Christ’s righteousness. We are told to put on the full armor of God so that we are able to stand in battle and know we are protected from the evil one. God’s proper attire fills us with His confidence and the Holy Spirit’s boldness.

We don’t have to be concerned with buying the right clothing as it has already been provided for us. When Christ died on the cross for our redemption, his shed blood is our covering. We will never stand naked before the throne of God.

Isaiah 61:10 tells us, “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 his righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels”. Just as the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve in the garden, he will clothe us. Zechariah 3:4 states, “He spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, ‘Remove the filthy garments from him’ Again he said to him, ‘See, I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes’. In Revelation 3:4, he addresses the church of Sardis saying there were some who had not soiled their garments; and they were worthy and would walk with Christ in white.

We have everything we need in Christ to be fully clothed. Ephesians 6 lists the armor of God that we are to put on daily. The belt of truth for Jesus is the truth. The breastplate of righteousness for Jesus is our righteousness. Our feet are covered with the gospel of peace for Jesus is the good news of peace. The shield of faith covers us as we have faith in Jesus for our salvation and our hope of heaven. On our head is the helmet of salvation protecting us from false and negative thinking and our sword is God’s word, the bible and Jesus Christ, God’s living word. What else could we possibly need or want when in Christ we are fully clothed in His righteousness alone?

You need never fear showing up half dressed when Christ is your righteousness.