Everyday it’s the same routine. We get out of bed, remove whatever we slept in, jump into the shower and then get dressed. Women probably spend more time choosing their wardrobe than men. Women not only carefully choose their wardrobe but also their accessories (i.e. earrings, necklace, scarf, shoes, etc.). If we don’t spend a lot of time pondering outer adornments, at the very least, we think about what we’ll be doing for the day and dress for that. We dress appropriately for the task at hand. Since God clothed Adam and Eve in the Garden we have been putting on something to cover the body.
One can easily recognize a person’s vocation or who that person represents by the way he or she is dressed. Police officers are identified by their uniforms. Healthcare professionals are known by their scrubs. A firefighter is recognized by his/her PPE. I know the difference between the FedEx driver and the UPS man not by his face but by his uniform.
They are dressed to be known and recognized before they ever utter a word.
While we may be attentive to clothing the outer person, God is most concerned with the dressing of the inner person.
Colossians 3:12-13 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
The Word of God uses the same language for physical dressing as for spiritual dressing. Everyday we cover the body with outer garments that are determined by the activities of the day. Not so for spiritual dressing. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing for the day. The spiritual dressing is for every day, every activity, every moment. God calls us to dress according to our identity not our activity.
He reminds us the we are:
- Salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16)
- Image Bearers (Genesis 1:27; Colossians 3:9)
- Individual members of the body of Christ (1 Cor .12:27)
- Chosen (1 Peter 2:9)
- Adopted as Sons, Children of God (Ephesians 1:6; 1 John 3:1-2)
- New Creations (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- Debtors (Romans 8:12-13)
- Ambassadors-One who represents the sender in character and authority. (2 Corinthians 5:20)
And in Christ we: Ephesians 1
- Are blessed with every spiritual blessing
- Have redemption through the Blood
- Have forgiveness of trespasses according to the riches of His grace
- Have wisdom and insight
- Have obtained an inheritance
- Have been sealed with the promised Holy Spirit
Who we are in Christ determines what we put on! That identity establishes our wardrobe. It looks nothing like the self-centered garments of the old man (Ephesians 4:22). We, who are in Christ, must chose to live and dress like the One we represent. We must, with great thought and intention, put on our new garments. We are not the same. We were bought with a price and covered by the blood of Jesus. We are a new creation. Our behaviors, responses and pursuits should match our identity.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with the beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Everyday you choose what spiritual garments you will wear. Remind yourself who you are in Christ. The new man, holy and beloved, puts on garments of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience. Wear them with joy, as they are a gift from the one who covered you with the garments of salvation and the robe of righteousness.
Get dressed!
Walk the Upward Path 