We are clothed with righteousness

When we accept Christ and become part of God's family, we are made kings and priests to our God and we shall reign on the earth (Revelation 5:10). We all have the same standing before God. As such, it behooves us to find out more about our priesthood.

Jesus is our High Priest. He is at our Father's right hand, never to suffer again, making intercessions for us. Jesus is enthroned, crowned with all glory and honour.

God commanded Moses to make garments for the High Priests. Exodus 28:40-43 says "For Aaron’s sons you shall make tunics, and you shall make sashes for them. And you shall make hats for them, for glory and beauty. So you shall put them on Aaron your brother and on his sons with him. You shall anoint them, consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to Me as priests. And you shall make for them linen trousers to cover their nakedness; they shall reach from the waist to the thighs. They shall be on Aaron and on his sons when they come into the tabernacle of meeting, or when they come near the altar to minister in the holy place, that they do not incur iniquity and die. It shall be a statute forever to him and his descendants after him.".

We too are clothed in the same fine linen garment today. What is the significance of the garment being made of fine linen? Fine linen symbolises righteousness (Revelation 19:8). We cannot get blessings through trying to earn the blessings (that is, the law). We get the blessings through Grace. It comes through the righteousness of faith.

Whenever the priests enter the gates of the inner court, they are required to put on linen garments and not wool garments (Ezekiel 44:17). The white linen garment is long-sleeved, a symbol of nobility.

Just like the priest is clothed with righteousness (Psalm 132:9), we too are clothed with righteousness through Jesus Christ today. When Adam and Eve fell in the Garden of Eden and they realised their nakedness, God killed innocent blood of an animal and clothed them (Genesis 3:21). In the same way, the innocent blood of Jesus has been shed so that today, we are clothed with His righteousness. When God sees us today, He sees us covered in white linen, that is, righteousness. When He sees us, He does not see what we used to be. He sees Jesus. Our efforts cannot cover our sins. Only the blood of the innocent (that is, Jesus) can. His death has provided us a garment of nobility and royalty.

The linen garments do not just represent righteousness. Whenever the priests enter the gates of the inner court, they shall not clothe themselves with anything that causes sweat (Ezekiel 44:18). When we are in Christ, the Lord wants us to enter into rest. This does not mean that we do not have to work for a living. What it means is that we should not work for our salvation, prosperity, blessing, healing and redemption as these have already been provided and paid for by the broken body and shed blood of God's precious Son, Jesus. We should rest on the finished work of Calvary. Jesus sweat blood that redeemed us from human sweat. The more we rest, the more He works in us.

Jesus did not come to condemn. He came to save. His work was to save. When we are righteous, all the blessings of God are ours and our prayers avail much. As He is righteous, so are we in this world.

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. The tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. The soldiers said among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be.” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says: “ They divided My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots.” (John 19:23-24). When Jesus died on the Cross, His ministry spread to the four corners of the world. Just like a seamless tunic, intrinsically, Jesus is righteous and nothing is added on and righteousness cannot be broken. Prosperity and assurance are found in Jesus. Many people today are gambling ("casting lots") for righteousness. However, righteousness cannot be earned through own effort; it is a gift from the Lord.

When we accept Christ, we have already been washed clean by the precious blood of Jesus. Every time we go to church and listen to the gospel, our feet (that is, our daily walk) are being washed by the Word and wiped dry with righteousness. A grace-filled church is one whose leaders interpret the Word in the light of righteousness (John 13:3-5) instead of leaving the flock's feet dripping wet after washing them with the Word. It is only when we know who we are that we can serve. Proud people are often insecure.

God has clothed us with the garments of salvation and wrapped us with a robe of righteousness. Nothing that we do, in and of ourselves, can earn us salvation or righteousness. All our own righteousness are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Only God can take our iniquity away from us and cause us to be truly blameless and righteous (Zechariah 3:4).

Let us walk in such a way as to be completely clothed by the Lord's attributes. As He is, so are we in this world. Greater is He that is in us than he who is in this world. Our sins have already been punished in the body of Jesus. Riches and honour come from Jesus.

At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow. We are no longer under the law. We are under Grace and favour. We will be a testimony in the midst of darkness. The more we depend on Grace, the more we see blessings in our lives.