What to wear? There are many great virtues with which we may clothe ourselves, but how do we put them on? Hear from Dr. Marty Baker as he brings the words of the Apostle Paul to life as we continue in Colossians chapter three.
I might be old-school, but I thought pajamas were only to be worn at home while you slept. Anymore, I can’t believe how many people apparently roll out of bed, grab some breakfast, comb their hair, brush their teeth (I hope), and then head to the airport in their pajamas and comfy slippers or Crocs. Seriously, is this appropriate? Maybe for a four-year-old, but not for a grown adult.
It has become such a problem that airports like the Tampa International Airport are seeking to institute a dress code for flying and summarily outlaw pajamas. Finally, someone with a spine who isn’t afraid to say, “Hey, that’s not appropriate attire to wear in public. It looks sloppy, and it’s not becoming.” Some have said this is a joke, but from what I’ve read, it appears legit, and rightly so. The farthest distance from your home you should wear pajamas is from your front door to your mailbox. Other than that, I’d agree it’s time for people to start dressing civilly.
Obviously, pushback came instantly. One remarked, “When airplane seats get comfortable enough to sit in, I’ll start dressing up to fly. Til then it’s slippers and pjs, baby.” It is funny how, back in the 1960s, when seats were not as comfortable as the ones we have now, people flew on planes like they were dressed up for church. Remember those days? I say this to underscore how lame this person’s argument is. Look at it this way. Seats in courtrooms are far from comfortable, but you’d never dream of showing up in court with pjs and your favorite Crocs. Comfort has nothing to do with civility or taste. But still, some folks can’t stop wearing all the wrong clothes in the wrong places.
All of this sounds like a spiritual metaphor in the making. Just as some people wear all the wrong clothing in all the wrong places, we learn from the Apostle Paul’s teaching in Colossians 3 that many Christians do the same. How so? By wearing godless garments instead of godly ones. According to Paul, the ultimate spiritual fashion coach in my estimation, this should not be the case in light of our faith relationship to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. What we should focus on daily is taking off the wrong spiritual clothes and putting on the right ones, ones that not only honor God but also reflect the character of Christ. The latter half of his letter to the believers in Colossae addresses this point in detail (Col. 3:5-4:6).
As we’ve learned, the overarching theme of this practical question is clear:
Your Christian Life Should Always Be Moving From The Old Life To the New Life (Col. 3:5-4:6)
This statement really details what practical sanctification is all about. Positionally, believers have Christ’s holiness (1 Cor. 1:30), but practically, we need to remove sinful clothing/behavior and replace them with righteous clothing and behavior to evidence greater levels of holiness. To motivate believers to give up the carnal Crocs, Paul skillfully develops his commands in this vacillating fashion:
As you can see, in chapter 3, verses 12 through 17, Paul moves from the negative to the positive, from the sinful clothing saints need to get rid of and the holy clothing they need to wear instead.
The Identification of the Right Clothing (Col. 3:12-17)
To develop this refreshing and enlightening point, Paul moves in a two-fold fashion. First, he gives us The Next Command (Col. 3:12a), and then he follows this up with a description of the spiritual clothes or characteristics we should wear more often than not (Col. 3:12b-17). We will follow Paul’s method as we consider these powerful verses. As we do this, be listening to the Spirit’s voice. I’m sure He will tap you on the spiritual shoulder as we move through these positive types of spiritual clothes you should wear, letting you know whether they are present in your life.
The Next Command (Col. 3:12a). Here is how the NAS translates this verse:
12 And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; (Col. 3).
This translation is built off of the Greek:
12 Ἐνδύσασθε οὖν, ὡς ἐκλεκτοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγιοι καὶ ἠγαπημένοι, σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ χρηστότητα ταπεινοφροσύνην πραΰτητα μακροθυμίαν, (Col. 3)
The verse begins with the imperatival verb “you be clothed” (Paul uses this command in two other places: Romans 13:14 and Ephesians 6:11), followed by the coordinating conjunction “therefore,” or oun (οὖν). There is no coordinating conjunction “and” (kai) here, so the NIV gives us a better translation:
12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Col. 3:12 NIV)
The NIV is preferred because it more effectively sets up the transition between sinful clothing a believer shouldn’t wear and the holy clothing/virtues he should wear. The aorist, or past tense, imperative can be classified as an ingressive. As such, it denotes the beginning of an action, and could be translated, “Begin putting on the spiritual clothing I’m going to present now.”
How does Paul describe saints? He uses three special words to tell believers who they are. They are “chosen people, “holy ‘people’” (implied), and “dearly beloved ‘people’ (implied). All three Greek nouns have a similar ending: ἐκλεκτοὶ (eklectoi); ἅγιοι (hagioi); and ἠγαπημένοι (agapamenoi). According to Bullinger’s Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, this is an instance of paronomasia. This type of figure uses similar ending words to underscore or highlight their meaning and importance.
Who are believers? They are “God’s chosen people.” Does the Bible teach election whereby God chooses certain people to be saved? Yes. Several NT texts support this conclusion:
48 And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. (Acts 13)
4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. (Eph. 1)
I could give more texts, but these two should suffice to underscore the doctrine of election.
Does election mean we don’t have a freewill? No. The call of the gospel goes out to all mankind, and each person is responsible to make a choice to receive or reject Christ as Savior and Lord.
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John)
If God’s call weren’t real and viable because we didn’t have free will, then His judgment of hellfire would be capricious and unjust. His judgment is just because the call to believe or not is left for us to decide. Hence, the doctrine of election and the notion of human free will are taught in the NT. Yes, it is a mystery how the two work together, but I will leave that for God to sort out in His dimension, which is far beyond our limited ones.
What is important to realize in this passage from Paul is that God chooses believers for salvation. He chose us, as Paul says in Romans 5:10 (10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life) when we were His avowed enemies. What mercy. What undeserved grace, wouldn’t you say? In light of this wonderful new standing with God, a pertinent conclusion follows: If you are chosen by God to be saved, then live like it by embodying Christian, or Christlike, virtues.
Further, Paul says believers are holy. As I stated earlier, Jesus shares His holiness with us at the moment of conversion. Instantly, He forgave our sins and gave us His holiness (1 Cor. 1:30). Several key NT verses validate this point:
10 By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. (Heb. 10)
14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. (Heb. 10)
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Cor. 6)
This positional truth should, by definition, impact our practical spiritual clothing. Put differently, since believers are clothed positionally with Christ’s holiness, they should practically clothe themselves with holy virtues that reflect that lofty standing before the all-seeing eyes of Christ, our High Priest.
Lastly, Paul says that Christians are “beloved.” The Gnostics erroneously taught that God was so far removed from mankind that He was virtually inaccessible except through angelic mediators. That doesn’t sound very loving. This is not the true God Paul has revealed to us. He loved us when we were sinners. That love for the unlovely moved Him to send His only Son to bear our sin, die on a cruel cross, and rise the third day from the grave. Love doesn’t get any better or more profound than this. Again, John 3:16 drives this truth home:
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. (John 3)
That was worth repeating. God’s love for us is off the hook and over-the-top. The old hymn, The Love of God, puts God’s love in perspective with these powerful, instructive words:
Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.
O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
The saints’ and angels’ song.
Author: Frederick M. Lehman (1917)
In light of this, we are left with a challenge: Since God’s love moved Him to do what He did to redeem us at such a high price, how can we not love Him back by choosing to wear spiritual clothing that honors Him? Are you honoring Him, or are you wearing some carnal Crocs and some putrid spiritual PJs?
With the last part of verse 12 through verse 17, Paul lists the type of spiritual clothing we should be striving to wear every chance we get. Once again, I challenge you to ask the Spirit to show you if LS����
