All Christians are wearing spiritual garments. In fact, everyone in the world is wearing a spiritual garment of some sort, whether he is a believer or an unbeliever. These clothes reflect our spiritual condition, but they are invisible and can only be seen in the spiritual realm. God can see these garments, angels and demons can see these garments, and believers can see them when they are in the Spirit. When we are wearing garments that are according to God, then we will be blessed, but when we are wearing dirty garments or garments with holes in them, we will face challenges.
Adam and Eve were clothed with the glory of God before they sinned. But when they sinned, they lost this spiritual covering and became naked. Their physical nakedness reflected their spiritual nakedness, and they were sinful, guilty, and under God’s judgment. They tried to run away from God and hide.
This is the condition of all people in the world apart from Christ. They are in bondage to their sins, exposed, shameful, and vulnerable. So they try to make garments for themselves to cover their spiritual nakedness. Adam and Eve tried to solve the problem of their nakedness by sewing leaves together and wearing them. This feeble attempt failed, and they were still spiritually naked.
The fig leaf shirts of Adam and Eve represent the different ways that people try to cover over their spiritual nakedness. Some people try to cover over their spiritual nakedness with pride – “I don’t have a problem, I’m perfectly fine.” Others may be hypocrites, pretending to be someone they’re actually not. They may be self-righteous, thinking they’re good in and of themselves. Others may try to cover their spiritual nakedness with righteous works. But the Bible says that all our righteous works are like filthy garments (Isaiah 64:6).
These garments that people use to try to cover their spiritual nakedness are all inadequate and filthy. These garments do not cover us spiritually but leave us naked. It’s like trying to cover yourself from the cold with a blanket that is too small (Isaiah 28:20). Even Christians may be spiritually naked, covered over with a garment that really doesn’t cover them (Rev. 3:17).
To be clothed spiritually, we need clean garments from God. Only God can give us the spiritual garments that can cover over our sin.
After Adam and Eve sinned, God provided them with the skin of an animal as clothing. This implies that blood must be shed, and someone must die, in order to atone for sin. Without the right sacrifice, there is no real spiritual covering.
Jesus is the true lamb of God, slain on the cross to take away our sin. He took our sins, so that we can take his righteousness. Now he lovingly offers us the gift of his righteousness as the only covering for our spiritual nakedness.
The soldiers gambled to see who would get Jesus’ shirt while he was being killed on the cross. But we can receive Jesus’ cloak of righteousness freely through faith. On the cross, he took our cloak of sin, and we can take his cloak of righteousness.
When we first trust in Christ, we are born again, and our sins are taken away. We “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). He is our spiritual clothing that we are supposed to wear, that will protect us. When we are clothed in the righteousness of Christ, when God looks at us, and he sees Jesus instead of our sins. We are clothed with righteousness (Psalm 132:9).
We are commanded to put off the old man and put on the new man (Eph. 4:24). This is like taking off the old, dirty shirt and putting on a clean, new shirt. The old man is corrupt because of the flesh and sin, and the new man is who are in Christ. We are to live and walk in Christ, and not in the flesh.
We are to wear the garment of salvation (Isaiah 61:10). We are to wear the garment of praise. We don’t need to walk around wearing the clothes of depression and oppression, but we can be clothed in God. We are no longer lost and aimless. We are found by God and have a purpose for our lives. This is because we are clothed in Jesus Christ. Let’s praise him for his goodness.
We are also to put on the clothing of compassion, kindness, and humility (Colossians 3:12). We don’t need to be clothed in greed, rudeness, and hatred like the world. We can be clothed in the spiritual garments of Christ.
When we wear clean garments, we will walk according to the Spirit, confess our sins, bear the fruit of the Spirit, and be humble.
Clothing serves many purposes besides covering our nakedness. It protects us from cold, heat, rain, and wind. The right clothes enable us to do work— hard hats for construction, gloves for gardening, heat shields for welding.
Spiritual clothing protects us in the spiritual realm. It protects us from guilt and shame, and also from demonic attack (Revelation 16:15). Spiritual clothing enables us to accomplish things for God. Spiritual clothing is essential for us to live in Christ in this broken world. Our spiritual garments reveal our identity as children of God. We belong to Christ, not to the world.
Even after we trust in Christ and have clean garments, our garments can become defiled (Rev. 3:3). Sometimes Christians defile their spiritual garments through sin or walking in the flesh (Jude 23).
When Christians defile their spiritual garments, we need to clean them. Only Jesus can clean our spiritual garments. He can remove their stains and spots. We need to confess our sins, tell God specifically what we did wrong, repent, and turn away from those sins. We may need to seek accountability and make restitution wherever possible. Then the blood of Jesus Christ will cleanse us from all sin.
We must keep our spiritual garments clean by reading the Scripture, maintaining accountability in relationships, being in a healthy community, encouraging each other, and breaking bread together.
Even if your garments are dirty, there is always hope. Unbelievers can turn to Christ and they will receive a garment of righteousness. For Christians, if our garments become defiled, we can clean them again in the blood of Jesus. There is no stain or spot that the blood of Jesus cannot remove, because he died to take away all of our sins.
Lincoln House Churches 