Most, if not all, Christians are aware of the ‘full armor of God” that the Apostle Paul describes in Ephesians 6 – ““Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”
While that is vitally important, we must not neglect our spiritual wardrobe. Paul says, in Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”
In Paul’s time, I can imagine that getting dressed was a lot simpler for the average person than it is for us today in the 21st century. The apostle Paul more than likely wore a knee-length tunic, perhaps some sort of an undergarment, a robe or cloak, and sandals for his feet—and possibly a belt around his waist. Still, that small number of clothing items was enough to motivate his thinking when it came to describing the Christian’s spiritual wardrobe.
In Colossians 3:12-14, Paul described at least eight different articles of spiritual clothing that the Christian should “put on” each and every day: tender mercies (compassion), kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, patience, forgiveness, and love which is “the bond of perfection” (that which ties the others together in unity).
In a world where many people go all-out to be up-to-date, clad in the latest fashion forward clothing, imagine the impact if a person (Christian) dressed in Paul’s eight spiritual qualities. Take a moment and think about this. Which do you think would change the world more—being dressed in the latest designer fashions of today or being dressed in the likeness of Christ?
In a very real sense, the Christian life is a “put on.” In Romans 13:14, the apostle Paul instructs believers to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (ESV). The phrase put on Christ means to figuratively clothe oneself with the Lord Jesus Christ to reveal the glory of God to the world.
Putting on Christ means abiding in Jesus and living to please Him. John Wesley described it as “a strong and beautiful expression for the most intimate union with Him, and being clothed with all the graces which were in Him.” We are clothed in Christ when we become so closely united with Jesus that others see Him and not us.
As you get dressed each morning, take a moment and imagine putting on love, kindness and the other traits that Paul mentions. Being dressed in Christlikeness will truly set you apart in the world.
- ALAN MURPHY
