Easter is the time of new garments.  Fifth Avenue in New York has its Easter Parade: Los Angeles has a similar show of new finery and spring array.  Every church building on Easter will offer its display of new hats and coats and other things.

Garment, new garments!  Many of them.  Thousands upon thousands.  Ad nauseam.

But there is and remains only one Easter garment.  Ever old and ever new.  Never going out of fashion, never coming into fashion.  Always it is the only one, besides which there is none.

And this Easter garment is the righteousness of Christ.  With this garment of righteousness, Christ arose.  Yes, it was because He had by the suffering of the cross atoned for the sins of His people, had established perfect righteousness that He could be and was raised from the dead.  Romans 4:25.

That righteousness of Christ alone can cover our nakedness before God.  No cloak of man-made worship, no array of man-made garments of whatever hue or color can cover the sin and iniquity that is ours by nature.  The blood of Christ alone cleanseth from all sin.  And His finished work is the righteousness that God bestows upon us and with which He clothes His people.

No, new spring apparel is no sin in itself.  Of course not.  But to focus our attention upon it and to forget the robes of righteousness which Christ fashioned for us is fatal.

As Christian young men and women, let us not forget the one and only robe of righteousness, the Easter garment that never grows old, that endureth unto all eternity.

Let the world prate of its finery and set its heart upon that which perisheth.  They are fools.  But let us not be fools, but wise.  For we are clothed with garments of salvation.