Isaiah 61:10
What do you suppose we look like to Father God? Because of Jesus’ great sacrifice, we have been given the garments of salvation and the robes of righteousness.
II Corinthians 5:21“For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness]. To further describe our garment of righteousness, Isaiah likens it to a bride dressed in an exquisite wedding gown complete with jewels. Imagine with me what we look like to our Father.
Salvation means that we have died to the old way of life and have been born again into a new life—centered in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom. Everything in our life revolves around loving and serving Him. Our identity lies in the Person of Jesus Christ. Our response to His great gift is, Isaiah 61:10“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels”.
Before we knew Jesus as Savior, we wallowed helplessly in the slimy quagmire of sin, prey to every kind of evil, crippled by hopelessness and despair. Soiled rags of our own righteousness barely covered our disease-ridden bodies. A lifetime of sin had pockmarked our sallow complexion while bitterness and unforgiveness became like a greasy net entangling and encrusting the strands our matted, grimy hair. Weary and rejected, we sought relief but found none.
Lifting us out of the muck and mire of this world, Jesus saved us! Discarding our filthy rags, we were washed clean in His Own Blood and tenderly Jesus placed His Precious Holy Spirit within our hearts. Clean from the inside out. Fitting us in bridal attire, our Beloved clothed us in the stunning white linen raiment of righteousness with an elegant border of silver bells representing the gifts of the Spirit alternating with golden pomegranates indicating the fruits of the Spirit, gracing the hem. A pair of white satin slippers--the Gospel of Peace--was lovingly placed onto our feet by our Beloved Bridegroom.
Then, to further accentuate our beauty, an exquisitely crafted, bejeweled necklace, delicately fitted with shimmering diamonds of submission, and glistening emeralds of a gentle spirit, was lovingly fastened around our neck, while a knotted rope of iridescent pearls of Truth encircled our waist, extending to the hem of our garment. A loosely-braided laurel of purest gold studded with fiery opals of everlasting love rested on our head, while silken strands of purity intertwined our softly styled hair. Finally, enveloped in a starry gossamer veil of light, we took our place beside our Lord.
Then our Betrothed placed a two-edged Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God in our hand, giving us the power and authority -in the Name of Jesus- to overcome all enemies. As a safeguard against the fiery arrows of the Evil One the shield of faith, making our bridal ensemble complete. With glorious, unspeakable joy we exchanged our filthy rags and marred complexion for exquisite garments of righteousness and flawless beauty. Significantly, because of our Savior’s magnificent gift, we were made worthy of an eternal love relationship with the King of kings and Lord of lords. In God’s sight we became more magnificent than the stars in the heavens—we became His Warrior Bride.
When we saw the magnificent reward that Jesus gave us at the expense of His own life, we fell down before Him, laying our crowns at His feet, and cried out, “What can we do but give You our lives in complete love and gratitude for all eternity. Use us. Spend us in Your service. Pour us out like a drink offering. We die to ourselves and live for Jesus!”
Conclusion: Our Heavenly Father has given us the most exquisite garments of all-the Bridal Gown of Righteousness. Take a few minutes before you start your day to thank the Lord for His great sacrifice and how beautiful you look robed in Righteousness.
