"Everyday Gospel" - Dude, Put Some Clothes On

If you're like me at all, you probably don't do your deepest thinking as you drag yourself out of bed in the morning and put on some clothes. But whether you realize it or not, when you throw something on while trying to break out of the morning haze, you are preaching. Before you can even make it out of the bedroom, you are declaring an incredible truth that deserves serious attention.

When you are getting dressed, there are several factors influence your decision on what to wear. One of the major determinants in choosing what to wear is what you're planning on doing. Where you are going and what you will be doing drastically impact the clothes you choose for the day. A trip to the mall or movie theatre calls for a different attire than an interview for a job or a wedding. What you plan to do matters when putting on clothes.

Along with the plans for the day, who you will see or, even more importantly, who will see you throughout the day greatly influences what you decide to wear when putting on your clothes in the morning. Image and reputation are established and maintained in part by what we wear. You are unlikely to choose the same clothes when heading to lunch with your best friend as you would when accepting a dinner invitation from a distinguished figure in the community. You are sharing a meal with each person; however, who you are meeting influences what you would wear.

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Clothes have come a long way since fig leaves, but they continue to serve the same purpose. According to the book of Genesis, after Adam and Eve sinned, they realized they were naked. This realization brought shame. To deal with the newfound shame, Adam and Eve sewed some leaves together for covering. Sin had stained them and distorted their relationship, and in response, Adam and Even tried to deal with the consequence of their sin on their own by covering it up with a plant.

When you put your foot into that first pant leg and when you pick out a t-shirt for the day, you are preaching. That t-shirt and jean combo points to the truth that just like Adam we have been stained with sin and we need something to cover it up. Walking around butt-naked doesn't just produce shame, but it preaches a false message that you do not have sin and are in no need of cover.

But just like the leaves used by Adam and Eve, cotton and polyester are not going to deal with the deeper problem in sin.

After God had pronounced curses upon Adam and Eve, He did not leave them on their own to survive with their fig leaves. "And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin and clothed them," (Gen 3:21).

This verse reveals two very important truths. First, the clothes Adam and Eve had made for themselves were not sufficient. God, himself, made clothes for Adam and Eve in order to deal with the consequences of their sin. Second, it took death for God to provide the necessary clothes. Adam and Eve had made clothes out of plants. God, however, made clothes out of skin. A sacrifice of some kind was made in order for Adam and Eve to have sufficient clothing.

Likewise, the name-brand jeans and thrift store shirt you're rocking are not sufficient to deal the problem of sin.

In fact, nothing we can devise - no system we develop, no method we follow, no good deeds we perform - can sew a garment pure enough to cover the disgusting stain left by sin. And without a perfectly pure garment, we have no hope of dwelling with God. Like Adam and Eve, we need God, himself, to make a garment for us.

In order to make garments sufficient for Adam and Eve, a sacrifice was made. In a similar manner, God made the ultimate sacrifice by sending his son to die in order to provide the necessary clothing for us to be reunited with him.

When Jesus died on the cross, God offered us a trade. If we put our faith in the work of his son, He will take our sin-stained garments and exchange them for his perfect cloak of righteousness. Adam and Eve sewed together their own fig leaves but were given new garments God made of animal skin. We have built our own garments made of good deeds to cover up our shame, but God has offered to replace them with the perfect garment made up of the righteousness of his son Jesus Christ.

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When you get dressed in the morning, what you are planning on doing, where you are planning on going, and who you are planning on meeting influence your decision on what to wear. It is the same way when we consider our spiritual clothing. We must make a decision on whether we will depend on the clothes we have made for ourselves out of good deeds and hard work or exchange our insufficient clothes for the righteous garments Jesus offers to us. Just as the plans of the day affect our choice in clothing, the choice we make regarding spiritual clothes will have eternal ramifications. If we are planning on going to heaven, living with God forever, and meeting Him face to face, then we are expected to have the clothes to match the occasion.

Before you even make it out of the bedroom in the morning, you preach good news. Just as we all need to put on some clothes to cover up the physical shame of nakedness, we need something to cover up the spiritual shame of sin against God. Tommy Hilfiger and Nike won't deal with the deeper shame. In fact nothing we try will deal with it. Our only option to cover the spiritual shame from sin is to put our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and to be dressed in his garment of righteousness.

So, please, put some clothes on. Just don't depend on the ones we have made for ourselves. Your fig leaves won't do the trick.

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[Note: Next Thursday: "The Good News Behind Your Cavities and Gingivitis" -  A look at what you're preaching each morning when you brush your teeth.]