by J. A. Davidson (Northern Ireland)
"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ," Gal.3.26-27. Christ is said passively to be put on by believers when He dwells in their hearts by faith. That is at conversion we become indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are thus put into vital union with Christ. "Put on Christ" means that He is the expression of our standing as in Christ before God. This is positional in dignity and character as sons, v26, by salvation, v27. Our new garments declare: "for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found," Lk.15.24.
We are to be clothed in the new man; what God has created in us. God never patches up an old garment. God is continually bringing this new creation into a full knowledge of Himself where there is no national, religious or social distinctions: "But Christ is all in all. Put on 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," Col.3.11-13. This is our spiritual apparel, the wardrobe of the new man, the practical sevenfold beauty of those who are chosen, sanctified and loved. "Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness," Eph.4.24.
Clothing is the outward index of the inward life. How we dress outwardly expresses the inward. Character finds expression in the nature of our attire. The proud adorn conspicuously, the lewd dress indelicately, the casual tend to appear shabbily but the spiritual are attired with modesty. Clothing and covering:-
Manifests commitment: For example at the Wedding, "When the King came in to see the guests, He saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment," Matt.22.11.
Shows readiness: In holy living. "Gird up (as a loose flowing garment) the loins of your mind," 1Pet.1.13.
Reveals character: Paul described modest apparel. "Which becometh women professing godliness with good works," 1Tim.2.10.
Reflects occasion: In the coming together of the Church, Paul says of the woman: "Let her be covered," 1Cor.11.6.
Brings conformity: At the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, "To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: For the fine linen is the righteousness of saints," Rev.19.8.
Declares consummation: "The Holy City, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband," Rev.21.2.
The fruit of the Spirit in the believer's life will be manifest in the translation of what is represented in imputed righteousness (unseen) into an imparted holiness (seen) in life and conduct.
These pages will be read by the Lord's people from the cold regions of the earth to the heat of the tropics. As we claim the solemnity of the Presence of God wherever we meet, it is imperative that the company of saints in whatever society, be marked by dignity and godliness. This applies to the man as well as the woman. To dress down in modern lightsome casual dress is not in keeping with reverence in the Lord's presence. "Let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire," Heb.12.28-29. "I will that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array," 1Tim.2.8-9. Thus Paul considers the literal outward adornment to be a manifestation of ‘shamefacedness’ which is translated ‘reverence’ in Heb.12.28. ‘Modest’ means ‘well arranged, seemly, decent, proper, becoming or orderly.’ The word ‘apparel’ refers to ‘a garment let down’ and ‘loose.’ The emphasis is on a garment that does not accentuate the precise figure of a woman's body.
"Be not conformed (fashioned) to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God," Rom.12.2. We cannot serve God with this world (age) as our model. The renewed mind had a new way of thinking so that these things which appealed to our unregenerate mind no longer attract. The catwalk's scant attire of the modern fashion world should have no appeal to the child of God. We are to shun every appearance of evil. The styles of women partially uncovered stir base desires and make provision for the lusts of the flesh. Adam forfeited his distinguished garment of innocency and became unclothed. Sin brought death and nakedness, mankind became undraped, blushingly self-conscious, left in a state of shame and confusion.
Artificial clothing began with fig leaf aprons of the sin stained garden and mankind ever since, has struggled with an inadequate remedy. Even coats of animal skin indicate a decline to a lower order of clothing than God's ideal. Fallen mankind has turned the evidence of our humiliation to a manifestation of human pride. Outrageous plume, feathered headwear, rich woolliness, fur skins and the hide of the beast have been used to manifest sinful depravity. The climax of man's rebellion will be the worship of the Beast and the blasphemy of the Woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, Rev.17.3-4.
The godly and saintly will avoid the modern with becoming unostentatiousness, choosing sobriety rather than the costly. We also avoid the extreme of distasteful appearance or shabby dowdiness. God forbade garments fabricated from the mixture of wool and linen. This mixture in a hot climate causes inflammation of the flesh and the draining of strength. Wool is an animal product for the comfort of the flesh but linen speaks of the righteousness of saints and the promotion of the spiritual.
Find the virtuous woman of Proverbs: "Strength and honour are her clothing," Prov.31.25. We live in a world of camouflage and counterfeit. Human parade should never be seen in the assembly. Nature itself is usually very sparing of glaring colours. Loveliness needs not the aid of foreign adornment and the grace of God is the beauty of Heaven. The fashions of earthlings change. Have we ever looked at an old photograph and exclaimed "Such a sight!" God's fashions never change; in the next section we shall consider apparel which is incorruptible.
We have seen in the Pauline writing that we are to "put on the Lord Jesus Christ," Rom.13.14. Put on Christ-likeness, Col.3.12. "Put on the new man," Col.3.10; Eph.4.24. "Put on the armour of light," Rom.13.12. How blessed the prospect of the Lord's return. we shall put on immortality, 1Cor.15.53. "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. 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," 2Cor.5.2-5. The present state of departed saints is the unclothed state. They await the rapture of the saints when with the living: "We shall be changed," 1Cor.15.51. "When this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality," 1Cor.15.33. The consummating gain will be to be alive at His Coming. We groan being burdened by the frailties and limitations of this body. Paul's metaphor is that of putting one garment over another not to cover it but to absorb and transfigure it. "Who shall change our vile body (body of limitations), that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body," Phil.3.21.
Let us presently be adorned in the beautiful garments of practical santification, the white raiment of the overcomer, the adornment of a meek and quiet spirit, the elegant comeliness of a Christ-like life. What we weave down here is intimately associated with what we shall wear up there.
The supreme example is Christ: "The Altogether Lovely." In birth He knew the wrapping around of swaddling clothes, for He became poor; in sacrifice, they parted His seamless raiment among them; on the Mount, He was transfigured before them; "His raiment was white as the light," Matt.17.2. Paul says we shall be fashioned like unto His glorious body, Phil.3.21. As we have put on Christ, let us put on the Christ likeness of the new man, for the night is far spent, the day is at hand. R. Murray McCheyne penned the words:-
"When I stand before Thy Throne
Dressed in beauty not mine own;
When I see Thee as Thou art -
Love Thee with unsinning heart;
Then Lord, shall I fully know,
Not till then, how much I owe."
—to be continued (D.V.)