"Clothed with Christ"

In my last blog entry I gave a brief overview of the closing chapters of the book of Acts. The letter to the church in Colosse was written by the apostle Paul while he lived under house arrest in Rome. Historians place him there between A.D. 61-63. What I really hope you and I see clearly is Paul's attitude during this time. Take 15 minutes and reread the short letter, taking note of his focus as he sits with his guard, in prison in his house. It is well worth the time.

In Colossians 3, verses 12-17, Paul gives us instructions for life, the abundant life. Jesus said "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) So Paul gives us the recipe for that life. He begins by reminding us of all the great blessings we have in Christ Jesus. He says we are "God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved". Discussing those few words could take several days worth of a blog, so let's keep it short and sweet. In Christ, we are His chosen people. Just like the Jews were under the covenant with Moses, all who place their trust in Jesus under His new covenant are His chosen people. (to see how to place your trust in Jesus, read Col 2:9-15)
As His chosen people we are to be holy. Holy here is the Greek word hagios, which carries the idea of pure, blameless, consecrated and sanctified. Our lives, once they become His are to be different. The word saint used throughout the scriptures comes from this same word. A saint isn't a dead person that is declared to be so. A saint is a Christian and a Christian is a saint. (Col 1:2, 4, 12, 26) If you are a Christian, you are now a saint. So there you go... as His disciples our lives are to reflect purity. We are to live in such a way before others that we are blameless. We are consecrated and sanctified; we are set apart for service to God.
And we are dearly loved. That one I can really settle into. I can feel God's gentle arms around me. I can hear His voice telling me that he loved me so much that He sent His Son. God loves us! The idea here is that we have become loved and we continue to be loved. We are the beloved of God. Three terms that surely lifts our faith: chosen, holy and beloved. That is who you are, that is who I am in Christ.
Paul gives us the pep talk and then tells us what is expected of us. Because of who we are, whose we are, we are expected to be different. We are to clothe ourselves "with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Vv 12-14) It is our job, we are to clothe ourselves. Living rightly requires effort; living honorably takes focus and living noble demands self-discipline. So what are our garments?
He tells us to put on compassion. That means that we are to be aware of other's problems. We are to be a people filled with sympathy for others; we are to demonstrate mercy and pity. He tells us to put on kindness. Kindness is helpfulness, generosity, tenderness and goodness. Next we are to pull on some humility. Humility calls on us to view ourselves modestly in relation to others and we are to recognize that all people are of equal value in God's eyes. Gentleness is the next garment that Paul instructs us to wear. A gentle person is humane, amiable and tenderhearted. Courtesy and consideration are also part of the fabric. The next piece of clothing is patience. A person that has this kind of patience is able to deal rightly under provocation. They are willing to suffer wrong and are steadfast under difficult situations.
Paul is telling us the elements of Christian character. After we become Christians, we are expected to change, to grow... to become like our Master. A disciple is to become like his teacher. (Matthew 10:25) All these things that we are to "put on" are really Jesus' traits. He is perfectly compassionate. (Matthew 9:35, 36) He is perfectly kind. (Luke 6:35) He is perfectly humble. (Philippians 2:8, 9) He is perfectly gentle. (Matthew 11:29) He is perfectly patient. (1 Timothy 1:16)
Paul concludes the list with love. "And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (V 14) He calls love the glue, the cement that holds all the other traits together. Without love, we might be able to act like Jesus for a while, but it will not last. Without the glue, soon the pieces begin to fall apart. My prayer for each of you is that you will, through love, grow in your discipleship. Jesus is the greatest lover of man that ever lived. He gave up everything because he loved you. (Phil 2:1-11) May God richly bless each of us as we clothe ourselves with Christ.