Last week I attended a middle school basketball game. I didn’t realize until I got to the game that the shirt I was wearing was maroon, the color of the opposing team. I took some good-natured ribbing from our fans for not being dressed appropriately.

Of course, that wasn’t a big deal, but in the Bible you could get into trouble for not wearing the right clothes.

Jesus tells a story in Matthew 22 about a man who showed up at a wedding without wearing wedding clothes. The man was thrown out “Into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (v.13).

This sounds like a harsh punishment for being dressed inappropriately, but apparently the proper clothing had been made available; the offender simply chose not to put the clothing on.

The Bible says that when we become Christians we take off the filthy rags of sin and become clothed in Christ. He gives us the proper spiritual apparel to wear; we simply have to put it on.

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”—Galatians 3:26-27.