Robes of Righteousness

After Adam and Eve partook of the fruit in the Garden of Eden, “the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” They attempted to cover themselves with fig leaves, but the Lord had something better for them. As He was sending Adam and Eve, out of the Garden of Eden the book of Genesis records, “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:7, 21). Replacing their meager attempt at clothing, the Lord gave them real clothes. Where did the materials for these “coats of skins” come from? As far as I understand it must have been from some animal—where else would “skins” have been obtained? That means that the innocent life of an animal was taken and the skin was removed so that Adam and Eve could be properly clothed. I believe that this is symbolic of the great and last sacrifice of the Savior who also was innocent and who died to cover us up spiritually. Just as physical clothes cover our bodies, so His atonement covers our sins. As President Nelson pointed out, “In Hebrew, the basic word for atonement is kaphar, a verb that means ‘to cover’ or ‘to forgive.’” The Psalmist wrote, “Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people, thou hast covered all their sin” (Psalm 85:2). When we, like Adam and Eve, seek to “cover our sins” it does not work; but when the Lord covers them through His atonement we can be truly cleansed and forgiven (Doctrine and Covenants 121:37). From the beginning, innocent life was used to clothe and cover and prepare us to be worthy to return to our Father in Heaven.

                In the Church today those who make covenants at the temple also receive clothing to cover them. The Church website summarizes, “Many faithful Latter-day Saints wear a garment under their clothing that has deep religious significance. This modest underclothing comes in two pieces and is usually referred to as the ‘temple garment.’… Temple garments are worn by adult members of the Church who have made sacred promises in the temple to keep God’s commandments and live the gospel of Jesus Christ.” This clothing symbolizes “a sacred and personal aspect of their relationship with God and their commitment to live good, honorable lives.” Like the clothing that the Lord gave to Adam and Eve as they departed this garden, this clothing too covers us and is a reminder of the sacrifice of the Savior who died to cover our sins and prepares us to come back into the presence of the Father. Ultimately we want to be “clothed with purity, yea, even with the robe of righteousness” (2 Nephi 9:14). Or as the prayer for the dedication of the Kirtland Temple states, we should strive so that “our garments may be pure, that we may be clothed upon with robes of righteousness, with palms in our hands, and crowns of glory upon our heads, and reap eternal joy for all our sufferings” (Doctrine and Covenants 109:76). We give thanks that we have a Savior who gave His life to take away our guilt and cover our sins if we will come to Him and repent. He will prepare our spiritual clothing—the figurative “wedding garment” He spoke of in His teachings—to bring us back to dwell in His kingdom (Matthew 22:11).