“I’m sorry, sir, you must have proper attire to enter the dining room.” My husband explained to the host that we were on our honeymoon and inadvertently left our garment bag, containing our dressy clothes, at home. The heat of embarrassment crept up my face. The host motioned for my husband to follow him behind a room divider screen. Doug emerged wearing a black dress jacket and tie—and a smile. Now we could enter the swanky dining room. We were seated at our table and enjoyed our fancy dinner. I couldn’t help but look around to see how many other men were wearing black jackets and ties.
Have you ever shown up for an event woefully underdressed? Maybe you didn’t know there was a dress code. Or maybe you just ignored the “black tie” part of the invitation. Did you stay? Were you asked to leave? Did embarrassment keep you from going through the doors?
The most important entrance you could ever make is into Heaven. Have you ever considered there is a dress code for entering Heaven? Will you show up underdressed? We like to think that God, in his love and mercy, will allow anyone to enter Heaven, even if they are dressed in filthy rags. But the truth is, once we get to Heaven’s entrance, we need to be dressed properly, or we will be turned away.
The robe of righteousness in Isaiah 61:10 is a picture of the beauty of salvation offered by God. It is a divine covering of our sinfulness, an exchange of our filthy rags for Jesus’s perfect robe of righteousness. It’s the only attire we can wear to gain entrance into Heaven. Thank goodness it’s free and meets the standard for entering God’s presence.
This robe is also a symbol of joy—the kind of joy a bride experiences dressed in her wedding gown as she is joined to her groom. Jesus is our bridegroom, and like Isaiah, we will greatly rejoice in the Lord because Jesus has dressed us in a beautiful robe of righteousness, our salvation.
Heaven isn’t for the underdressed. The host doesn’t have a screen at Heaven’s entrance to scoot behind and exchange old clothes for a robe. We must put it on before we arrive. If we show up without it, woefully underdressed, it will be too late. But those who arrive wearing Jesus’s extravagant, beautiful, perfect robe of righteousness will overflow with joy as they are welcomed into Heaven for all eternity.
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. Isaiah 61:10 ESV
Lisa J Radcliff ~ Finding Freedom from the Past 