"Enrobed"

     Our native tendency leads us to hide from God rather than seek Him.

     "Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself" (Genesis 3:8-10).

    In essence, Adam confessed, "I heard... I feared... I hid."  Moreover, he declared his reason for such response involved being unclothed, a state of undress that Adam and Eve didn't know existed until they partook of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:25).  Distrust and disobedience led to more than the first man and woman needed to know, and thus to alienation from God. 

    "As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Galatians 3:27).  In order to overcome our alienation tendency, God clothes us in the Lord Jesus when we believe by spiritually immersing us in His Son.  "Of God are ye in Christ Jesus" (I Corinthians 1:30).  Thus, we approach our Heavenly Father fully dressed, as it were,with no need to be afraid because we are no longer naked in God's sight.  We come by Christ, through Christ, and in Christ, and we come in no other way.   "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand" (Romans 5:1-2).

    This truth especially blesses us in times when, like Adam and Eve, we distrust and disobey our Lord.  Indeed, in the very time when we  most need to come to Him, strong devilish and fleshly temptation screams or whispers to us, "You can't come to God like that!  You're not dressed, and your sin proves how unworthy and inappropriate it is that you should approach God!"  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Again, we come always by Christ, through Christ, and in Christ.  In times of our greatest faith and faithfulness, we no more come by our own merits and works than in times of our greatest sin and failure.  We approach God as spiritually enrobed in the righteousness of His Son, that is, the person and work of the Lord Jesus grants us entree to God, as opposed to our own person and work.  "I am the way" declared the Lord Jesus to His disciples, and He declares it to us (John 14:6).

     Few Biblical truths are more important to remember and affirm.  We do well to begin our prayers with remembrance of the One who paved our way to the throne of God.  It is a Blood-stained path, and one that bears the prints of marred Feet, wounded on our behalf.  Yes, in direct proportion to the degree that the Lord Jesus suffered, died, and was forsaken on the cross of Calvary, we are forgiven, clothed, and accepted forevermore as the freest gift of the freest grace. 

Holy Father, we come to Thee.
By the grace of Your Son and His blood,
we come to Thee.

And our hearts are amazed, and filled with the praise
of Your glory.
Yes, our hearts are amazed...

Blessed Savior, we come by Thee.
By the power of Your life and Your love,
we come by Thee.

And our hearts are amazed, and filled with the praise 
of Your glory.
Yes, our hearts are amazed...

Holy Spirit, we come through Thee,
in the grace of Your presence and peace,
we come through Thee.

And our hearts are amazed, and filled with the praise
of Your glory.
Yes, our hearts are amazed...
amazed.

"Through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father."
(Ephesians 2:18)