Thinking you are clothed when you are not can be humiliating. In the story, The Emperor’s New Clothes, by Hans Christian Andersen, we can see how fear and pride can lead to trust in a "covering" which does not exist.

Two rascals, pretending to be weavers (tailors), tricked the king. They convinced him that they could weave new clothes out of the most exquisite stuff imaginable. These clothes had the unusual property of becoming invisible to every person who was unfit for their office, or those who were exceptionally "stupid" (Andersen’s word). They promised that through these clothes the emperor could test the capabilities of his court.

The weavers, working in empty rooms, pretended to weave the invisible cloth all day, day after day. The impatient emperor sent his ministers to check on their progress. Because they did not want others to think they were stupid or unfit for office, all the king’s court feigned that they saw the clothes. Even the prime minister pretended that the clothes were very pretty and of fine coloring, although he knew in his heart he saw nothing at all! Each member of the royal court chimed in with the rest. They all praised the emperor’s new clothes because they neither wanted to be thought stupid by the others, nor did they want to lose their positions.

The day came for the emperor’s procession. He came to the weavers for his clothes. When he saw that there was nothing, he said within himself, "What! I see nothing at all. This is terrible! Am I a fool? Am I not fit to be emperor? Why, nothing more dreadful could happen to me!" With all eyes on him he exclaimed, "Oh it is beautiful." All mouths joined in, "Splendid! Gorgeous! Magnificent!" None dared tell the king what their eyes saw and their heart knew to be the truth.

As the king walked out into the crowd to begin his peregrination, it hushed the people. They could see that he had nothing on. Nevertheless, they feared for their safety. They pretended to see what was not there. Suddenly, a child stepped out and innocently yelled, "But he has nothing on!" The truth alarmed the emperor. Yet, he could not face it because he had too much invested in the pretense. He said, "I must face this out to the end and go on with the procession."

In Genesis 3:7 we read, "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." God warned them that dire consequences would occur if they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. On the other hand, the serpent promised that their eyes would be opened and they would be as gods. Because they disbelieved God (His character and His Word), they disobeyed and their eyes were opened, just as the serpent had said. Yet, unlike the promise of the serpent, they were not like God. What their eyes saw was that they were naked. They did not have the proper covering or clothing to stand before God.

Often in the Bible, "nakedness" represents unrighteousness. It symbolizes the ideas of judgment and humiliation in the biblical world. The Bible pictures the sinner as clothed in ‘filthy rags’ or ‘naked and ashamed.’ The first couple was ashamed because of their unrighteousness. They were not able to stand naked in God’s holy and righteous presence. Their conscience was deformed, their pride was turned to shame, and their relationship with God was corrupted. This happened because sin stripped them of the right standing with which they were created. By His grace, God created them in right standing. Now their unbelief refused this gift of right standing and the result was nakedness or unrighteousness.

Adam and Eve made coverings because the shame of their nakedness and the need to stand before God impelled them. They placed them over their unrighteousness, trusting that self-made clothing would make them acceptable to God. What they attempted is called SELF-JUSTIFICATION. What is self-justification? It is righteousness produced by humans. It is the Emperor’s new clothes. It is a fiction, a dream, and an imagination born in the unbelieving heart of wayward humans. The need was legitimate. The goal was noble: to cover the shame. The desire to be in right relationship with God was good. Nevertheless, GOD DID NOT ACCEPT IT.

All types of fig leaves proliferate today. Performance. Religious duty. Moralism. Spiritual experiences. Power. Fame. Signs and Wonders. Random acts of kindness. Possessions. Political office. Talent. Intelligence. Influence. Humanitarian acts. None of these alone, nor any combination of these, provide an acceptable covering before the Holy and Righteous God, around Whom the holy seraphim cry "Holy, Holy, Holy."

The Old Testament pictures unrighteousness as nakedness in several other instances. The priests under the Tabernacle of Meeting properly clothed themselves in obedience to the Law. (Ex. 20:26). The prophets described the sinful state of the nation of Israel as "nakedness" before God and the world (Isa. 47:3; Lam 1:8; Ezk. 16:36). Isaiah walked naked for three years and a half to illustrate God’s judgment to come. This judgment was on the unrighteous state to which Israel had fallen (Isa. 20:1-4). The most severe judgment of God on Israel was that God would show her unrighteousness or nakedness to all the Gentile nations (Nah. 3:5; Hab. 2:15). This is the ultimate shame and humiliation. Israel thought of herself as righteous, but the prophet said, "all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags"; (Isa. 64:6) It is a profound disgrace to think one is the chosen of God, only to be displayed before the world as in rags or unclothed. How ironic that they call the shame of being unrighteous as being dis-graced.

In Exodus 30:15 we read: "The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the LORD, to make an atonement for your souls." (KJV) The idea of atonement is a central subject in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word used for "atonement" is kaphar. Its basic meaning is "to cover." It is translated it in various places of Scripture as "purge," "reconciliation," "forgive," and "pacify." This is word for the pitch that Noah used to cover the Ark. The notion of atonement was rooted in the notion that one had to be covered to be accepted by God.

The image of ‘covering’ occurs frequently in Scripture in connection with atonement. The accusation of Satan against the priest Zechariah was directed against the priest’s soiled garments. God rebuked Satan and clothed the priest in a way that made him acceptable in God’s sight (Zech. 3:1-5). (Notice that Satan stood on Joshua’s right hand to accuse him before God. Later in Acts seven, Christ is on the "right hand of God" interceding for Stephen, after the Sanhedrin condemned him to death.) The Lord interceded and in an act of mercy, commanded the angel to give him a change of clothes to take away his guilt. Upon this event the angel promised that God would take away the guilt of all Israel in a single day through the Branch (Messiah) who was to come. (vv. 8, 9)

In the Old Testament (O.T.), salvation was in the Atonement. They made atonement through the killing of an animal. Just as in the Passover, the blood of the animal "covered" the sins of the people. Because their sins were covered, they could continue to be God’s people. In the New Testament we learn that the sins of the O.T. were never taken away. THEY WERE ONLY COVERED. The writer of Hebrews makes it clear that none of the sacrifices offered throughout the O.T. took away a single sin. They only covered them until the time Jesus would destroy or wipe out sin by His death on the Cross.

Because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. . . Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. (Heb 10:4,11)

In the prophecy of Isaiah, the prophet pictures the work of Israel’s salvation by the imagery of the clothing of righteousness: 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 righteousness, (Isa. 61:10 - NIV) God’s promise to Israel was that He would give them a salvation by which He would clothe or robe them in His own righteousness.

When He was born, Humanity only had swaddling clothes to cover Jesus. Nevertheless, He did not come for our covering. He came to be our covering. As the God of Heaven, He "clothed himself with frail humanity." This veil of humanity clothed the divine glory of the invisible God. This body which was prepared for Him, became the point of contact between the holy God of Eternity and all unclean sinners. We might picture Jesus’ coming among us in His righteousness, as a royal king covered with the most splendid and breathtaking finery imaginable. At the same time, those to whom He appeared, could be imagined as naked and contemptible. Jesus came to spread His royal robes of righteousness over the naked lost souls of men and women who trust in Him.

In John 1:29 John the Baptizer declared, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." Jesus was the only Lamb God would accept. Only His sacrifice would truly and finally cover sin. That is what Paul means in Romans 3:25: God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice. . . Jesus would be sacrificed ONCE to remove the sins of those who "wait for him":

Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Heb. 9:26-28)

In essence, Jesus’ incarnation was for us the garment of salvation. ONLY JESUS CHRIST WAS THE TRUE ATONEMENT OR COVERING FOR THE SINS OF THE WORLD. We can see in one of Jesus’ miracles an illustration of how He extended the covering of the garment of salvation.

The healing of the woman with the issue of blood is a fulfillment of the promise of the garment of salvation. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. (Mark 5:27) She came up secretly because she knew that they would shun and reject her if anyone knew she was unclean. According to the law she had no status, and she was powerless and unclean. Being unclean she could not enter the Temple to offer a sacrifice. She had no hope of salvation because of her condition. She hid in the crowd in an attempt to receive an "anonymous" healing. She thought, "If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed." She knew about the fact that touching Jesus healed others. (3:10) WHY IS THE TOUCHING OF THE FRINGE OF HIS CLOAK SO NOTEWORTHY?

They called these tassels or fringes tzitzit. God required them of all Jewish men, so Jesus would have had them. The tallit was the most important piece of clothing used by orthodox Jewish men. What does the tallit mean in this story? It symbolizes three things in First Century Judaism:

1) IT IS A SYMBOL OF STATUS. The blue was a rare color. Only the more affluent could afford it. The more blue the higher the status. One could tell the status of a Jewish man by the blue in his tallit. The eldest son inherited his father’s tallit and then he would incorporate the father’s blue threads into his own.

2) IT IS A SYMBOL OF AUTHORITY. We can see this well in the story of David and Saul. The men of David said to him, "Here is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good to you.' " Then David went and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul's cloak. ( 1 Sam. 24:4 - NRS) David cut off the fringe (tzitzit) of Saul’s tallit (cloak). This symbolized the shift of authority taking place from Saul to David. David gave his tassels or fringe back, rejecting the authority that Saul could give. The garment or tallit of Jesus represented his supreme authority above any king, priest or power of humanity. He has the power and authority to do what he chooses. His will is supreme in the universe.

3) IT IS A SYMBOL OF HOLINESS. The tallit was worn to remind the men of Israel of the Law. By remembering the Law they would keep God’s covenant. They would remain chosen. Because they kept the covenant, they would be holy. The tallit became a symbol of personal holiness accomplished through personal obedience or performance. In the case of Jesus it represented God’s own holiness.

When the woman touched his tallit, she tapped his status, his authority, and his holiness. We tend to see this miracle as only physical healing. But it was more than healing. It was her salvation. A woman with a hemorrhage was unclean. No unclean person could receive atonement. Why? Because they were unacceptable, according to the Law, to offer a sacrifice at the Temple.

Still, she was not too low, weak or unclean for Jesus. Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. (Mark 5:29) God released His power through Jesus. His healing power was sufficient for her calamity. The power of God comes to all of us through Jesus and Him alone! He is sufficient for all and any condition or person. Although she was not clean or holy enough for the Law, or the Temple, she was not too unclean for Jesus. He allowed her to touch His holiness and be cleansed BY FAITH. "Daughter, your faith has healed you." (V. 34) By just the touch of Jesus’ prayer shawl, she tasted the beginning of the out breaking of the promise written in Isaiah. She touched the garment of salvation.

The "garment of salvation" is an analogy for the biblical teaching of justification by faith. The clothing Jesus gives us is His righteousness. Because we are covered with it, God accepts us. We receive it by faith because it is the gift of God.

In the story of the prodigal son, Jesus taught us a wonderful picture of justification by faith. The prodigal sinned, and after being ravaged by life, he realized his sin. He went to his father and confessed his sin. His father received him, even ran to meet him. He ran not only because he loved him, but because the son was in imminent danger of attack by the towns people. They were to stone a rebellious son because of the requirement of the Law.

I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. "The son said to him, `Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' "But the father said to his servants, `Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate. (Lk 15:18-24)

The Father placed the "best" robe on his wayward son. Students of Near Eastern practices and customs readily know what this "best robe" is. It is the father’s robe, worn on the most special of occasions. As Mordecai was honored through the wearing of the king’s robe, being worthy (Esther 6:9), this undeserving son was greatly honored with the clothing of his father. Strangely, the father did not command the son to bathe or change his rags, although it was and is the custom among these people. In a rare, unheard of act of compassion, the father placed his robe over the rags and filthy body of his recovered son. By this act of clothing his sinful son, the father gave him a covering of acceptance and salvation.

The robe was also a sign to the village that the father’s protection was over him. The elders would not need to stone him (according to the Law). They were now, because of the father’s act, to accept him back into their society. This was their charge, because the father had covered his son’s rebellion with the gift of his robe of acceptance. The robe symbolized to the prodigal’s family that the father had restored him to their home. They were to accept him just as the father had accepted him - including the elder brother.

We are all just as this young man. We through sin have nothing but rags with which to stand before our Father. Nevertheless, our Heavenly Father has provided his robe to cover us. It is the white robe washed in the blood of the Lamb. We did not deserve, earn, or ask for it. We are in such a humble state that we can only receive it. Because the Father is gracious, He covers us with righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ.

To be right with God we must put on Christ. Like Adam we, in our fallen condition, have only fig leaves. Like the prodigal, we have only rags. God does not accept these. All our sacrifices and offerings do not take away sin. We need Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice, the complete covering, the perfect righteousness. Paul urged the Roman Christians, But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. (Rom. 13:14 - KJV) In Ephesians Paul states, "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. (Ephesians 4:24 - KJV). This theme recurs in Colossians, "And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:" (Colossians 3:10 - KJV)

Most everyone that has read this article has agreed with me that Christ is the only covering for sinful Humanity. But the real question is "How do you put on Christ?" This is where the differences surface. Nothing is more crucial to a sinner than knowing how to be covered with Christ. IT IS THE ISSUE AROUND WHICH ALL OTHER TRUTHS TURN. If one has trusted in the wrong answer to this question, then one is still in "rags." One is yet "naked" and unable to stand before God.

How do we put on Christ? Christ is put on by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Paul calls this justification. It is the only way anyone ever puts on Christ. Even after justification, one puts on Christ in sanctification by faith. There is no other way possible.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: (Rom. 3:22)

This is how the first Christians put on the righteousness of Christ. That is why Paul told the Colossians, "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him" (Col. 2:6).

The protective armor of Christ with which the Christian is covered is His justifying righteousness. "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." ( Ephesians 6:11 - KJV) Notice that this armor is composed of "the helmet of salvation," "the breastplate of righteousness," "shoes of the gospel," et. al. When we understand that we are covered with the righteousness of Christ by faith, we realize why Paul described the armor in these terms. Our mind is clothed with the knowledge that Jesus is our salvation. Our "vital organs" are covered with the righteousness of Christ. We stand only on the "gospel." It is the armor or covering of salvation given to us by faith by which we fight the wars of the Christian life. When we have the armor or righteousness of Christ we will stand!

Many of the great Christians have recognized this wonderful covering of Christ through their hymns of praise. The songwriter (Edward Mote) rejoiced: "When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found, Dressed in His Righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne" (The Solid Rock). Charles Wesley understood what being clothed with Christ’s righteousness meant, "No condemnation now I dread, Jesus, and all in Him, is mine! Alive in him, my living head, And clothed in righteousness divine." In the timeless classic hymn, "Rock of Ages" the songwriter (Augustus Toplady) prays, "Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to Thy cross I cling; Naked, come to Thee for dress, Helpless, look to Thee for grace; Foul, I to the fountain fly, Wash me, Savior, or I die!"

The church of Laodicea was a church that had a false estimate of its own righteousness. It was like the Emperor with no clothes. They believed themselves to be full, clothed and increased with goods. They had need of NOTHING. [I find it strange that all church groups believe this applies to another church group other than themselves.] However, in God’s eyes, they were wretched, miserable, naked, poor and blind. Christ warns them to return to their first love. He tells them to obtain white robes to cover the "shame" of their "nakedness."

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm— neither hot nor cold-- I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, `I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.' But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 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. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. (Rev. 3:14-19 - NIV)

In God’s eyes, the Laodiceans were walking around naked. Yet they were so blind to their own condition that they did not sense their humiliation, nor their need for white robes of righteousness. They thought they already had plenty of righteousness. Nevertheless, they misplaced their trust. They had no hope for the covering of the white robes until their blindness was healed. God’s rebuke was necessary to awaken them to their misplaced trust.

WHITE ROBES

John the Revelator mentions "white robes" seven times in the Book of Revelation. What do they represent? What made the robes white? However one may interpret this book, it is plain that the white robes are made white by being washed in the Lamb’s blood. (Rev. 7:13,14) That alone is what makes them white. They are not righteous because they shed their own blood for the Gospel (as martyrs in the tribulation). John clearly states that it is God who washes (or looses) us from our sins by His blood (Rev. 1:5 verb is aorist - past action, completed). The reason is that He loves us with an incomprehensible love. The washing involves us, for we must present our robes to be washed by faith. We must in faith repent, turn from our own righteousness and trust in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Christ is involved because it is His blood that washes our robes. This is a perfect figure of our salvation. We must receive the washing of our robes or the righteousness of Christ by faith, nevertheless, it is Christ who does the giving of righteousness or washing. How? It is by the sacrifice of Himself on the Cross and the presenting of Himself for us before God in Heaven. He ever lives to make intercession for us!

We are washed in the blood of the Lamb. The robes are given and not purchased by us. The Lamb purchased them. We did not obtain them, but God gave them to us as a gift. They are not kept clean by human cleansing, but they are washed in precious blood, the Lamb’s blood. They do not shine their snowy, radiant white as a reflection of our goodness, but they reflect the glory of the risen Christ who is exalted and given the name which is above every name - the name of Jesus!

The relationship between Humanity and Christ has been the same for two thousand years. We give Him our swaddling clothes, and He give us His righteousness!

These are the true Emperor’s righteous clothes, and for those who trust in them, they are far more than a mere imagination.