Topical Bible: Righteousness: Garment of

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The concept of righteousness as a garment is a profound biblical metaphor that illustrates the transformative and covering nature of righteousness in the life of a believer. This imagery is woven throughout Scripture, emphasizing the divine provision and the believer's new identity in Christ.

Old Testament Foundations

The metaphor of righteousness as a garment finds its roots in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 61:10 , the prophet declares, "I will rejoice greatly in the LORD, my soul will exult in my God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation and wrapped me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom wears a priestly headdress, as a bride adorns herself with her jewels." Here, righteousness is depicted as a robe, symbolizing the beauty and honor bestowed upon the believer by God. This garment is not self-made but is a divine gift, highlighting the grace and mercy of God in covering the believer's sin and shame.

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, the imagery of righteousness as a garment is further developed through the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, writes, "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ" (Galatians 3:27). This passage underscores the believer's new identity in Christ, where righteousness is not merely an external covering but an intrinsic part of the believer's being, achieved through union with Christ.

The Apostle John, in the book of Revelation, also uses this imagery to describe the redeemed. In Revelation 19:8 , it is said of the bride of Christ, "She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure." The fine linen represents "the righteous acts of the saints," indicating that the garment of righteousness is both a gift and a call to live out that righteousness in practical ways.

Theological Implications

The garment of righteousness signifies several key theological truths. Firstly, it represents justification, the act by which God declares a sinner to be righteous on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ. This is a legal standing before God, where the believer is clothed in the righteousness of Christ, as articulated in 2 Corinthians 5:21 : "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

Secondly, the garment of righteousness implies sanctification, the process by which the believer is progressively conformed to the image of Christ. This ongoing transformation is a work of the Holy Spirit, who empowers the believer to live in accordance with their new identity.

Practical Application

The metaphor of righteousness as a garment calls believers to live in a manner worthy of their calling. It is a reminder that, having been clothed with Christ, they are to "put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:24). This involves a daily commitment to reject the deeds of the flesh and to walk in the Spirit, manifesting the character of Christ in every aspect of life.

In summary, the garment of righteousness is a rich biblical metaphor that encapsulates the believer's justification and sanctification. It is a divine provision that covers sin, transforms identity, and calls for a life of holiness and obedience.

Nave's Topical Index

Job 29:14
I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my judgment was as a robe and a diadem.
Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 22:11-14
And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
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Library

"Grief, Like a Garment, Cloth'd Me Round, "And Sackcloth was My ...
... 7 "Grief, like a garment, cloth'd me round, "And sackcloth was my dress,
"While I procur'd for naked souls "A robe of righteousness. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/watts/the psalms of david/7 grief like a garment.htm

On the Wedding Garment
... 10. Does not that expression, "the righteousness of the saints," point out
what is the "wedding garment" in the parable? It is the ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 120 on the wedding.htm

The Wedding Garment
... Spirit. They refuse to put on the garment of obedience, they reject the
white linen which is the righteousness of saints. They thus ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 17 1871/the wedding garment.htm

Peace on Earth through Righteousness
... You could get that without selling your garment. ... It means the power of arms dedicated
to the service of righteousness without which the world can never be safe ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/van dyke/what peace means/ii peace on earth through.htm

Ephesians iv. 17-19
... Our part then is, never to put off the garment of righteousness, which also the
Prophet calls, "the garment of salvation" (Isaiah 61:10.), that so we may be ...
/.../homily xiii ephesians iv 17-19.htm

Jehovah Tsidkenu: the Lord Our Righteousness
... He had a human righteousness; your garments are divine. He had a robe complete,
it is true, but the earth had woven it. You have a garment as complete, but ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/jehovah tsidkenu the lord our.htm

Of the Kingdom of the Soul
... The left side of the garment should be a cardinal virtue called moral force ... king,
free-will, should also appoint in his kingdom a judge: that is, righteousness. ...
/.../john/the adornment of the spritual marriage/chapter xxiv of the kingdom.htm

"That the Righteousness of the Law Might be Fulfilled in Us,"
... He came not only to spread his garment over our nakedness and deformity, but really ...
The gospel is not only a doctrine of a righteousness without us, but of a ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xv that the righteousness.htm

The Lord Our Righteousness
... think you, O sinner, that you will be able to stand in the day of judgment, if Christ
be not your righteousness? No, that alone is the wedding garment in which ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/the lord our righteousness.htm

Two Ways of Despising God's Feast
... and lives in sin, not putting off 'the old man with his deeds,' nor putting on
'the new man, which is created in righteousness.' How that garment was to be ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/two ways of despising gods.htm