PUT ON CHRIST AND BE BLESSED

"For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." - Galatians 3:27 (KJV)

"And  Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck" - Genesis 27:15-16 (KJV)

"And  he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, ... " - Genesis 27:27 (KJV)

 The Bible says that as many as have been baptized into Christ "have put on Christ" (Gal 3:27). To be baptized into Christ simply stands for one coming into Christ. The beauty of Christianity is that our position in Christ is doubly "insured": for we are not only in Christ (ll Cor 5:17) but Christ is in us (Col 1:27). With this, we are completely sealed by God with the Person of His Son who is His beloved and in Whom the Father is well pleased (Lk 3:22).

 The position of the first born in the Israeli economy is one to be envied. He is not only entitled to the father's blessing but also to a good chunk of his inheritance.

 Christ is not only God's First Begotten Son (Heb 1:6), but by inheritance, He owns all of the Father. In Jn 16:15, Jesus said "All things that the Father hath are mine...".

 In the same vein, Esau as Isaac's first born was entitled to the blessing and a good chunk of inheritance from the father.

The story of how Jacob "stole" Esau's blessing is known to everyone; but there is a deep spiritual implication that l wish to share with us.

 We learn that for Jacob to succeed in his schemes, he had to put on not only the hairy skin of a slain animal but also Esau's clothes (see Gen 27:15-16, above cited). With these, it was easy for Jacob to pass on for Esau so as to be blessed by their father, Isaac. Much as l do not subscribe to falsity and deception, l write to highlight the spiritual connotation of this event, even in relation to our Christian walk.

     The skin of the slain animal which Jacob put on stands for the slain Christ whose sacrificial work on the cross of Calvary must be acknowledged by man before he can receive not only forgiveness of sins but also God's blessings. In the same vein, the clothes of Esau that Jacob had to put on represents the righteousness of Christ which we must possess because our righteousness is of no value before God as they are mere filthy rags (Isa 64:6, 2Cor 5:21).

 So therefore, put on Christ so you can be blessed by the Father.

PRAYER:

Dearest Heavenly Father, I'm grateful for putting me in Christ and blessing me in Him, in Jesus name.