Saturday, December 22, 2018

day no. 14,670: the Gospel according to... CLOTHES


The Bible contains motifs and symbols that help to tell the story and to remember the story.

Today, I want to look at: CLOTHES

You can use clothes to tell the story of God.

In the beginning, Adam was naked. Eve was naked. They were both naked and they were unashamed about it (Gen 2:25). But the first thing Adam and Eve did after sinning was sow together fig leaves in order to make clothes for themselves (Gen 3:7). Their instinct was to cover sin up. But God provided a better covering and sent Adam and Eve out of the Garden (Gen 3:21).

As a result, nakedness no longer was shameless: to be exposed was now a shameful experienced (Gen 9:22-23). To be naked was now to be laid bare. Clothes were required to cover our shame, becoming an outward symbol of an inward reality: we need a covering (Ex 20:26). Nakedness was now synonymous with helplessness. To be reduced to absolutely humility (Job 1:21).

Repentance became synonymous with tearing one's clothes (Gen 44:13). Rending one's garments physically displayed what was spiritually true: your shame was made manifest and you were laid bare before God (Heb 4:13).

Yet God provided coverings and garments meant to cover our nakedness and to cover our sinful shame (Ex 28:2). Our sins were likened to filthy rags, but His righteousness was likened to white linens (Zech 3:3-5). What we wore before Him was dirty, but what He provided was fresh and clean.

The principle remained: sin required a covering. Jesus told a story of a wedding feast where the filthy and poor were invited. When one refused to change into the appropriate garments, he was cast out of the wedding and out into utter darkness (Matt 22:11-13). What covers you matters. And when our sinfulness is exposed to God's holiness, we run for cover (Luke 23:30). Sin requires a covering, but not just any covering will do.

Our nakedness before a holy God can only be covered by finding ourselves clothed in Christ (Gal 3:27). His life covers our death. His death covers our lives. In Him, clothed in His righteousness, we are made right with God (Rom 4:7). We are encouraged as Christians to put off our sins like dirty old digs and put on Christ like fresh, new clothes (Eph 4:22-24, Col 3:10).

In the end, those who are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone will be granted the privilege of wearing white just like a bride on her wedding day (Rev 19:8). What we wear matters and how we try to cover ourselves counts for something. We all instinctually know that our sins require a covering. That's why we lie about them or hide them or provide cover stories for why what we're being accused of is not really what we did (Pr 28:13). But only Christ covers sins in God's sight. In Him, they are covered completely.

There is more, of course, but that is a Cook's Tour of the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to: CLOTHES

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