As a father of seven children, there are certain expenses that are necessary in maintaining the care for my family’s well being. Although Jesus stated in Matthew 6 that we should not be concerned with “what we wear,” as a good parent, it is my obligation that I provide appropriate clothing for my children. Among my offspring are three boys, ages three to five years old, which are now fully capable of dressing themselves. They need not worry about the provision for their wardrobe; they only need to be concerned with wearing what I have provided for them. The problem, however, is their constant attempt to dress themselves in clothing which no longer fits. Shirts decorated with icons of their past and worn out undersized pants are among their favorite choices which become the catalysts of the daily struggle between their independence and my authority.
In Colossians 3, the Apostle Paul was faced with a similar situation. The church of Colosse was facing the temptation of living out their faith in an earthly “fashion” rather than in a heavenly “fashion” which had been given to them by their Father in heaven. For the believer, the garments of our earthly fashion no longer fits because we have been given new clothing which has been fashioned for our new image. Paul’s admonition to “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Col. 3:2), provides the context for the struggle which those in Colosse faced and consequently, the same struggle in which all believers face on a daily basis: what should I wear?
All men have been clothed in the wardrobe of the human nature. In Colossians 3:5-9, Paul describes those things which are inherently a part of each individual’s humanity. As he reminds the Colossians that “You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived” (v. 7), he expresses the idea that within one’s humanity, one has the tendency to live life clothed in sin that encompasses all of man’s desires and thoughts. Paul cites “idolatry” as being the sin in which unrestrained humanity is found guilty of their indulgence of the earthly nature. Whenever one exercises the attitude of satisfying one’s needs by “manipulating the elements of creation,” they “succumb to idolatry.”[i] Paul is emphatic on the idea that those who have been given a “new nature” in Christ Jesus can no longer “put on” the wardrobe of the flesh. Instead, Paul gives three “imperatives” that must happen in the life of a believer if he is to “take off” the clothing of the earthly nature. [ii]
The strongest of the imperatives is to “Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature…” (v.5). More literally, Paul is inserting the idea that because the believer has been given a “new life, hidden in Christ,” (v.3), one must “mortify, exterminate, slay utterly” with a great sense of urgency, the sinful nature.[iii] There is the idea of an exchange that must take place in order for “life” to be evident in the believer. The believer must be willing to deny the natural desires, impulses, and cravings that accompany the self-serving life and choose a life that exercises the self-denial of the natural choices prone to humanity. Paul adds to this idea in a second imperative that inserts that one must “rid yourself” of the things that dominate the attitudes and speech that is rooted in the flesh (v.8). He then includes the imperative, “do not lie…”(v. 9) in which he emphatically condemns the “sin of falsehood” perhaps to emphasize the hypocrisy of having a Christ-like image but living a fleshly existence.
From a practical perspective, the “putting off” of the sinful nature is a necessary discipline for obtaining the life that is clothed in Christ. This discipline, however, is not easily acquired. As Dallas Willard explains, the believer has a difficult time harmonizing the “whole self with the will and personality of God” and the process of doing so is not simply done for us by the grace of God but is something in which “we must act.”[iv] Therefore, the Christian must ever be conscious of the dichotomy that defines his life on earth: death enshrouds him but life engulfs him. The call to “put to death, rid yourself, and do not lie” must be seen as deliberate actions which must be exercised against the “old self.” Paul argues that because the believer has been given a “new self,” he must “take off” the old self. The imagery is one of being a “dirty, worn out garment that is stripped from the body and thrown away” in exchange for a “new suit of clothing.”[v] In reality, one must make the moment by moment choice to deny the idolatrous worship of self-will, self-indulgence, and self-preservation in exchange for the renewed life that is brought about through the self-sacrificing life that seeks to know God (v. 10).
The ability to transform one’s life from being clothed in the garments of death to being dressed in the wardrobe of life is found in the quest of knowing God. Paul offers a solution as to how to change the practices of the former life by putting “on the new self, which is being renewed in the knowledge of its Creator” (v. 10). It is in the quest of knowing God that the “new self” in Christ is able to take predominance over the “old self.” This transformation, in which a “new person pervaded by the positive realities of faith, hope and love---toward God primarily and therefore toward all men and women and creatures,” becomes evident and the “positive transformation of the self, justice, peace and prosperity can result as God’s rule is fulfilled in human life.”[vi] This can only be accomplished, however, in the acceptance of one’s need to once again be fashioned in the image of his Creator and choosing a life that is guided by the knowledge of God.
Because the believer has been given a “new self” in Christ, in a sense, there is now the obligation to wear the proper wardrobe that fits the new life. As Oswald Chambers explains, “Whatever we may be doing—even eating, drinking, or washing disciples’ feet---we have to take the initiative of realizing and recognizing Jesus Christ in it. Every phase of our life has its counterpart in the life of Jesus.”[vii] Just as one can “put on” and “take off” the garments of the flesh, the believer now has the choice to “put on” the garments of the Spirit in every situation of life. Paul cites aspects of the fruit of the Spirit in describing the spiritual clothing as being “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and love” (v.12-14). These are not mere “goals” which one should attempt to attain, but rather, they are realities that can be apprehended by virtue of one’s “new self.”
As one considers the new life that has been given, there must be an understanding of the reality of now having a “new self” and the natural tendencies of the “old self” which still exist in the believer. The reason for putting to death, ridding yourself, and not lying being contrasted with putting on, clothing yourself, and putting on love is for the simple fact that as a believer, it is not possible to wear the garments of both the old self and new self together----a choice must be made. One already has the “old” garments in their possession by virtue of one’s humanity; however, one now has been given “new” garments to wear in place of the clothing of the old life. In order to wear the “new,” one must exercise the disciplines of self-denial and embrace a life of being God-dependent. Again, it is in the quest of knowing God that one comes to gain the necessary discipline, strength, desire, and passion to live the life which forsakes the old garments and wears an entirely new wardrobe.
Like my children, who struggle each day desiring to wear the clothes of their old life that has passed away, I too am faced with the same struggle. As I decide what I should wear, it begins with realizing that I must strive to please the one who has given me new wardrobe. What does He desire that I clothe myself with? The disciplines of prayer and study of the Word of God begin to point me to the heart of my Father and what he desires for my life. The fact that I patiently wait upon Him, to hear His voice and to know His leading, helps me to learn to tune out the voice of my natural tendencies of my flesh. When I am caught dressed in the garments of the old life, I need to be quick to repent, giving Him the old garment so that it can properly be disposed of. I have to come to the realization, which because I am now a “new person,” the wardrobe of my past no longer fits my life properly. I now wear a wardrobe of worship. The old wardrobe should feel awkward and uncomfortable, and in actuality, it should look ridiculous. The importance of disciplining my life in a way that I can strive to know the Lord more will allow me to stay in current “fashion” in wearing the wardrobe of worship---the “new self.” If I can do that, then perhaps, people will one day say, “You look more and more like your Father each day.”
[i] John N. Oswalt, The NIV Application Commentary: Isaiah (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 312.
[ii] Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Colossians (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), 211.
[iii] Ibid., 212.
[iv] Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines (New York: HarperCollins, 1988), 68.
[v] Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Colossians (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1978), 213.
[vi] Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines, 221.
[vii] Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (Grand Rapids: Discovery House, 1992), 196.
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