Revelation 3:18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.
Friday we looked at the need for eye salve. Today, let's look at our need for white clothes. What's that all about? Revelation 19:7, 8 gives us a clue. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear." (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Note first of all that the garment was given her to wear. Isaiah shows us what our own righteousness looks like. All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away (Isaiah 64:6). 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us where we can get true righteousness. God made him who had no sin to be sin (Or be a sin offering) for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Only in Christ can we find the righteousness we need. In Philippians 3, Paul speaks of this, What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. . . . Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us, You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Chapter 5, verses 8-10 go on to tell us, For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 6 reminds us to Put on the full armor of God. . . which includes the breastplate of righteousness.
Luke's account of Jesus' transfiguration is found in his gospel, chapter 9. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lighting. . . a cloud appeared and enveloped them. . . A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him." Romans 8 says, The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. This is a call for us as God's children to mature into the fullness of sonship, to begin to actually live out who we are in Him. Here again, Christ in you, the hope of glory (Colossian 1:27). So we've been given the garments. Let's wear them!