Do Clothes make the man?
There is an Italian folktale that talks of a man called Giufà. Giufà was half a simpleton, so no one showed him any kindness, such as to invite him to his house or give him anything to eat. Once Giufà went to a farmhouse for something, and the farmers, when they saw him looking so ragged and poor, came near setting the dogs on him, and made him leave in a hurry.
When his mother heard it she procured for him a fine coat, a pair of breeches, and a velvet vest.
Giufà dressed up like an overseer, went to the same farmhouse, and then you should see what great ceremonies they made! They invited him to dine with them. While at the table all were very attentive to him. Giufà, on the one hand, filled his stomach, and on the other, put into the pockets, coat, and hat whatever was left over, saying: "Eat, my clothes, for you were invited!"
The same man dressed differently was treated differently. Nothing had changed, but the clothes. Sadly, people do look on the surface and determine by what they see how they believe the inside should be. They probably assume that the inside and the outside should be consistent. An old Puerto Rican expression comes to mind: dress a monkey with silk, it is still a monkey. However, when people dress differently they tend to behave and carry themselves differently; which could explain, at least partly, why they are treated differently. But, behaving a certain why does not mean you are that certain way. To use another popular expression, just because you look like a duck, quack like a duck or walk like a duck does not mean you are a duck.
The Bible speaks of : wolves in sheep clothing, many claiming to work in His name and knowing Him, many having a form of Godliness but denying then power thereof, and many claiming having work for Jesus while Jesus says I know you not. These do works that seem Godly and righteous but are not. So, there can be distinction between what we do and what we are. God is looking to make it consistent. He wants righteous people to do righteous works.
So what is righteousness? It is the condition and result of being righteous. Righteous in turn is a word to describe someone that is and does right. Righteous is acting in accord with divine or moral law. It is to be or act free from guilt or sin. But, only God is like this. As Paul says, "there is none righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10). Most of us are unaware that we are either naked or our garments are nothing but filthy rags (Revelation 3: 17; Isaiah 64:6). For us to be righteous we must be made righteous. So how does God make us righteous? There are many ways the Bible explains this, but let us continue with the garment symbol. Revelation 3:18 gives us the answer: "I counsel thee to buy of … and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear…" Buy from God His robe of righteousness and wear it.
By connecting the process of us becoming righteous to Christ's own righteousness Ellen White explains what wearing the robe is,
"By His perfect obedience He has made it possible for every human being to obey God's commandments. When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness" (Christ's Object Lessons, p. 312).
This garment or robe is His character. "This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising. Christ in His humanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us" (Christ's Object Lessons, p. 311). Ellen White explains in Desire of Ages,
"The law requires righteousness,—a righteous life, a perfect character; and this man has not to give. He cannot meet the claims of God's holy law. But Christ, coming to the earth as man, lived a holy life, and developed a perfect character. These He offers as a free gift to all who will receive them. His life stands for the life of men. Thus they have remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God. More than this, Christ imbues men with the attributes of God. He builds up the human character after the similitude of the divine character, a goodly fabric of spiritual strength and beauty. Thus the very righteousness of the law is fulfilled in the believer in Christ. God can 'be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.' Rom. 3:26."—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 762.
So, character makes a man, not the clothes. Godly character makes Godly men. Will we allow Christ to clothe us with His robe? Will we allow Him to give us His righteousness?
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Raul Diaz
www.wolfsoath.com
