When I get to Heaven, I actually sort of hope that there’s a way of reviewing our life and see what happened to us “behind the scenes.” There’s so much going on in the spiritual realm that we don’t know anything about. This side of the Great Divide, that’s probably a good thing. If I had any clue about the angelic/demonic struggles going on around me all the time, I’d probably hide under the bed.
But the one thing I desperately want to see is what happens in the spiritual realm when someone receives Christ for salvation. Think about it, imagine it with me for a moment.
Elsewhere Isaiah tells us that we’re filthy in God’s sight in our own righteousness. Not just misguided or mistaken. In fact, the verse above says that our “righteous acts” are filthy in his sight. Never mind all the sins in which we participate. The best part of you is filthy in his sight.
But then that person believes in Jesus. In some mysterious way, the blood which Christ shed on the cross is applied to that person, and he’s forgiven.
But there’s more to it than that. He does more.
That’s where today’s passage comes in. Isaiah tells us that he is rejoicing in the Lord because of something God had done for him. The Almighty had come along and “clothed [him] with garments of salvation and arrayed [him] in a robe of his righteousness.”
See that’s the difference between all the religions of the world and what the Bible presents to us as the Good News. Our first parents sinned, and they tried to cover their nakedness with something that they came up with themselves—fig leaves. Ever since then, everyone has been trying to cover themselves up from the shame. But to God they’re not beautiful garments—we’ve already seen what he thinks of our own righteousness.
We need an “alien” righteousness, a foreign righteousness, an outside righteousness that doesn’t come from us. That’s what Isaiah is talking about: A “robe of his righteousness.”
You see, our salvation is more than just forgiveness. I'm clothed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When angels look at me, I suspect they have trouble seeing through the blinding glare. Because I'm covered in the perfect righteousness of Christ.
Do you see why I’d like to view someone experiencing the moment of belief from the “other side” one day? One moment, the person is covered in filthy, stinking, rotten sinfulness. The next moment, all that is wiped away and the person is covered in head to toe in the glorious righteousness of Christ.
If you’re reading this and you haven’t experienced this, what are you waiting for? Check this out.
If you’re reading this and you’re a redeemed child of God, I want you to bask in this glorious truth for a few moments. You're covered in the righteousness of Christ. Forever. All the sins that you’ve ever committed and all that you ever will commit are gone. Forever. When the Father sees you, he sees you through the “rose-colored glasses” of his perfect Son.
Wow.
Lord Jesus, to say I’m not worthy of this is. . . well, that’s really the point, isn’t it? Now that I’m covered, I want to please you more and more. By your grace, change me please to be what I am.
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