Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! ~Psalm 96:9
As I was reading this verse, I noticed a footnote: an alternate translation is “Worship the LORD in holy attire;”
What holy attire? Revelation 19:8, in talking of the Bride of the Lamb, says, “it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”
But our righteousness isn’t of ourselves. It comes from Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he [God the Father] made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
And 1 Corinthians 1:30: “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,”
Logically speaking then, when we worship the LORD in holy attire, we are putting on Jesus Christ. That sounds very much like putting on the whole armor of God. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the
belt of truth --
(Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6)
and having put on the breastplate of righteousness --
(Jesus is our righteousness. 1 Corinthians 1:30)
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace --
(Jesus is our peace. Ephesians 2:14)
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, --
(Jesus is the source of our faith; He optimizes faithfulness. Revelations 19:11;
2 Peter 1:1) with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and
take the helmet of salvation, -- (Jesus is our salvation. Psalm 27:1, Acts 4:12)
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, --
(Jesus is the Word. John 1:1, Hebrews 4:12)
The full armor of God, as expressed in Ephesians 6:13-17, certainly fits Jesus Christ! Romans 13:14 solidifies this idea: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
We’ve come back, full circle, to where we started. If we truly want to worship God, we must put on Jesus Christ. We must not seek our own agendas and desires, but we must desire and seek God first. Here’s where Deuteronomy 6:4-5 becomes evident in our lives. . . . “The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This isn’t talking about God being one in number. It’s talking about being first. God must be first in our lives, in our hearts, in our souls, and first in our priorities - our might and strength, the things we do. If He’s our focus, then we will walk worthy of the calling we have received. (Ephesians 4:1) God will be glorified in our lives. (1 Corinthians 6:20)
Who among us doesn’t desire to worship God?
As I was reading this verse, I noticed a footnote: an alternate translation is “Worship the LORD in holy attire;”
What holy attire? Revelation 19:8, in talking of the Bride of the Lamb, says, “it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”
But our righteousness isn’t of ourselves. It comes from Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he [God the Father] made him [Jesus Christ] to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
And 1 Corinthians 1:30: “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption,”
Logically speaking then, when we worship the LORD in holy attire, we are putting on Jesus Christ. That sounds very much like putting on the whole armor of God. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the
belt of truth --
(Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. John 14:6)
and having put on the breastplate of righteousness --
(Jesus is our righteousness. 1 Corinthians 1:30)
and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace --
(Jesus is our peace. Ephesians 2:14)
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, --
(Jesus is the source of our faith; He optimizes faithfulness. Revelations 19:11;
2 Peter 1:1) with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and
take the helmet of salvation, -- (Jesus is our salvation. Psalm 27:1, Acts 4:12)
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, --
(Jesus is the Word. John 1:1, Hebrews 4:12)
The full armor of God, as expressed in Ephesians 6:13-17, certainly fits Jesus Christ! Romans 13:14 solidifies this idea: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
We’ve come back, full circle, to where we started. If we truly want to worship God, we must put on Jesus Christ. We must not seek our own agendas and desires, but we must desire and seek God first. Here’s where Deuteronomy 6:4-5 becomes evident in our lives. . . . “The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” This isn’t talking about God being one in number. It’s talking about being first. God must be first in our lives, in our hearts, in our souls, and first in our priorities - our might and strength, the things we do. If He’s our focus, then we will walk worthy of the calling we have received. (Ephesians 4:1) God will be glorified in our lives. (1 Corinthians 6:20)
Who among us doesn’t desire to worship God?
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