9:16Matthew 9:16

The verse pictures a piece of new, unshrunk cloth sewn onto an old worn garment, which then shrinks and pulls away from the weak fabric and leaves the tear larger and worse than before.DA 272+2
The new cloth is the truth, life and light of true godliness, Christ's teaching, principles and righteousness, and the devoted message borne by John the Baptist.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+4
The old garment is the manufactured religion of outward ceremony, human traditions and forms in which ritual had taken the place of righteousness, and it is also self-righteousness, corrupt principles and a life still governed by old unbroken habits.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+4
The two cannot be united or harmonized, for Christ did not come to repair or remodel that false system but to make the separation between it and the new truth clear, and every attempt to blend them only makes the breach more evident and worse.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+4
God makes no compromise with sin and will accept no patch-work character of mostly self with a little of Christ, so self-righteousness must be discarded altogether, the heart made wholly new to receive sanctifying truth, and hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong changed by falling on the Rock and learning Christ's meekness.STB 365.2+4

The picture is of new cloth sewn onto an old, worn garment, where the new patch shrinks and pulls against the flimsy, worn-out fabric, strains and tears away from it, and leaves the rent larger and worse than before.DA 272+4 The image shows why new teaching and life cannot simply be fitted into an old, incompatible form, why self-righteousness must be discarded rather than patched with something new, and why adding a new outward practice or principle to a life still governed by old, unbroken habits cannot produce righteousness but worsens the conflict.DA 272+4

The new cloth is the truth, the life, and the light that should characterize true godliness.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+1 It cannot be united or joined with the manufactured religion of the Pharisees, a religion of outward ceremony, exactions, and traditions in which form and ceremony are made to take the place of righteousness.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+1 Everything in the Jewish service had been misinterpreted and misapplied, and lack of true heart service had blinded the people, so that fasting and worship were outward pretension while hearts remained full of wickedness and righteousness and true service were neglected.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+1

The new cloth is also Christ's teaching, His religion, His new principles and His righteousness, and John the Baptist's devoted message.DA 278.3–4+3 Those new principles would not harmonize with human traditions and man-made outward forms that had corrupted the true service of God, and they cannot be joined to false religion or used to remodel it.DA 278.3–4+2 When truth takes root in the heart it cleanses and reshapes the life according to its principles, rather than being joined as Christ's righteousness to a threadbare life.ST Nov 29, 1899

The old garment is the Pharisees' manufactured religion of outward ceremony, exactions, human traditions, man-made forms and outward pretension, in which ritual took the place of righteousness.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+4 Trying to blend Pharisaic pretense with John's devotion, or to patch Christ's teaching and John's message into that system of human traditions and outward forms, would only make the breach and division more evident and worse.DA 278.3–4+2 Their dependence on ritual while neglecting righteousness and true service made the two incompatible, like new cloth joined to an old garment.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+1

The old garment also represents self-righteousness, the old Pharisaical garment and condition, a threadbare life, corrupt principles, and a life still governed by old, unbroken habits with an old, unchanged heart.MWISDAP 22.2–23.1+4 Trying to patch it with new cloth represents retaining it while adding outward reform, adding repentance or a new outward practice or principle, and making only partial changes while excusing or defending wrong actions.MWISDAP 22.2–23.1+2 Genuine repentance instead brings a changed heart, confession and reformation and discards self-righteousness, and the needed change is to fall on the Rock, let self be broken and learn Christ's meekness, so that a person may receive God's mind, spirit and will and the heart be made new before it can receive the truth that sanctifies.MWISDAP 22.2–23.1+3

The truth, the life and the light that should characterize true godliness cannot be united with, joined to, or harmonized with the manufactured religion of the Pharisees.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+2 The new cloth is that true godliness, and the old garment is a religion of outward ceremony, exactions, human traditions and man-made forms in which form and ceremony are made to take the place of righteousness.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+2 Everything in the Jewish service had been misinterpreted and misapplied, and the lack of true heart service had blinded the Jews, so their fasting and worship were outward pretension while their hearts remained full of wickedness and while they neglected righteousness and true service.Ms 3, 1898, par. 30–33+1 The new principles Christ brought would not harmonize with those traditions and forms that had corrupted the true service of God, and corrupt principles cannot blend with Christ, as with those who join the church without joining Christ.ST Dec 16, 1897+2 The heart must be made new before it can receive the truth that sanctifies the receiver, just as a new patch tears away from an old garment and makes the rent worse.Lt 48, 1897, par. 12–23

Christ did not come to repair that religious system or to remodel false religion, but to make the separation between it and the new truth clear.DA 278.3–4+1 Neither His teaching nor John the Baptist's devoted message could be patched into the Pharisees' religion of human traditions and outward forms.DA 278.3–4 Trying to blend Pharisaic pretense with John's devotion, or to combine the new principles with the old corrupted principles, does not unite them but only makes the breach more evident and the division worse.DA 278.3–4+1

God makes no compromise with sin and will not accept a patch-work character made up mostly of self with a little of Christ.Lt 105, 1893, par. 10–13 Putting new cloth on an old garment does not help, because the old flimsy material breaks away from the new and leaves the rent much larger than before.Lt 105, 1893, par. 10–13

Self-righteousness must be discarded rather than patched, for the new cloth cannot properly repair the old garment but makes the tear worse.STB 365.2+2 To retain the old Pharisaical condition while adding outward reform is to try to preserve self-righteousness by partial changes, and such patching leaves the old condition unchanged.MWISDAP 22.2–23.1+1 Genuine repentance does not excuse or defend wrong actions but brings a changed heart with confession and reformation, casting self-righteousness aside.STB 365.2+2

Adding a new outward practice or principle to a life still governed by old, unbroken habits cannot produce righteousness, because the strain of the new piece tears away from the old and makes the rent worse and the conflict sharper.Ms 88, 1900, par. 18–19 What is needed instead is to fall on the Rock and let self be broken.Ms 88, 1900, par. 18–19 In that brokenness a person learns the meekness of Christ and so receives God's mind and spirit and will.Ms 88, 1900, par. 18–19

The heart must be made new before it can receive the truth that sanctifies the receiver, just as the new patch tears away from the old garment.Lt 48, 1897, par. 12–23 Joining the church without joining Christ therefore fails, since corrupt principles cannot blend with Christ.Lt 48, 1897, par. 12–23 Christ's righteousness is not joined to a threadbare life, for the patch pulls away and worsens the tear.ST Nov 29, 1899 When truth takes root in the heart it cleanses the life and reshapes it according to its own principles.ST Nov 29, 1899

Patching the old life will not do, for the old flimsy material breaks away from the new and leaves the rent much larger than before.Lt 105, 1893, par. 10–13 Genuine conversion changes hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong, discards the old garment altogether, and procures one entirely new.Lt 105, 1893, par. 10–13 True religion is a firm fabric woven together with the wisdom that comes from God and able to stand trial, unlike cheap cloth that looks fine at first but washes out, fades in summer heat, and cannot endure rough handling.Lt 105, 1893, par. 10–13 The patched religion that at first seems part self and part Christ soon becomes all self and none of Christ, as the root of selfishness grows deeper until covered with objectionable fruit.Lt 105, 1893, par. 10–13 That is the condition of the Laodicean church, whose frail connection with Christ is utterly worthless.Lt 105, 1893, par. 10–13

Trying to correct others by humbling them, rather than humbling one's own heart and confessing one's own sins, is like putting the new patch on the old garment and only makes the damage worse.STB 59.5+1 Each person must humble the heart, confess personal sin, and place himself where God can bless him.STB 59.5 God turns away from work done in the opposite way.STB 59.5+1