I always love the Apostle Paul’s honesty regarding his self-evaluations in the scriptures. The more that the beauty and holiness of Christ is revealed to him, the more he realizes how weak, wretched, and lacking he is. BUT…he does not at all despair in his self-evaluation because it merely causes the “glory of God” to be revealed all the more.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9
We all have weaknesses and areas that we battle for greater victory. Some days end in great triumph, as Christ’s beauty and power are made manifest in you, and other days you lay down more aware of your weaknesses than ever before. It is in those times that, like Paul, that you can boast in your weakness because it is His power that will be seen and His glory that will manifest. On those hard days, before your Father, all that is seen is “Christ in you and His righteousness covering you.”
You are clothed in Christ. When you approach your Heavenly Father, He does not see your shortcomings, your weaknesses, or flaws— He sees His Son! There is no stain upon Him and therefore— no stain is seen upon those who have been “baptized into Christ.”
“For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Galatians 3:27
Of course, this does not mean that you make concessions for sin or that you do not fight against the temptation that comes but it does mean that He covers your nakedness in garments of righteousness and salvation. You need to continually put on “the new self” and yet know that when you fall short that you are still “Clothed in Christ.”
“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.” Isaiah 61:10
What a beautiful truth that you can cling to! This gives you great cause to rejoice and be joyful. Yet, the enemy desires to steal this promise and truth from you. He sends his demons to watch for your areas of weakness, to provoke you in that area, and to mock you in regards to that weakness. They whisper accusations to bring you shame and to cause you to hide from God. And yet, you must remember that you are not naked and exposed but clothed in robes of righteousness— the righteousness of Christ. There is no need to hide for a garment has been provided for you.
Once again, though you are clothed in Christ— daily remember to wear His righteousness in a manner that displays His worth and faithfulness. Just as you take up the armor of God each day, so you can train your soul to get dressed each morning in garments of righteousness.
When I became a Christian at 18 years old— I drastically changed the way that I had previously dressed. My nakedness had been exploited and even used for my advantage to gain what I desired. But when I was baptized into Christ, I was not only spiritually clothed and covered with His robe of righteousness but I also had to learn how to outwardly dress different and how to live differently. Now, 38 years later, I am still pressing in, through the help of the Holy Spirit, to see my life match and align with the garments that He has placed upon me. I do not want to be a stumbling block for those who see me therefore I deeply desire and fight to see Christ revealed in every part of me.
You are on a journey into maturity. It is so important to know that while you are journeying— “He has you covered!” Otherwise, you would be utterly defeated even before you began. You also must know that the pathway to purity never ends. We will always fall short of His glory but His righteousness is a robe that covers all of our unrighteousness. You are left never left naked and ashamed before your Heavenly Father.
So today get up and say to your soul, “You are clothed in the righteousness of Christ.” Then put your spiritual armor on and go out in victory, boldness, purity, and His strength. It’s time to take down some giants by wearing His name!
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Inscribe Ministries
Featured Image by Tory Bishop on Unsplash
