Colossians 3:5-14
If you are a soldier, you must dress the part; if you are a cricketer, you must dress the part; if you are a bus driver, you must dress the part; if you are a Christian, you must dress the part. The resurrection life demands a complete change of costume.
What a practical person is this inspired correspondent. He deals in his letters with the highest of themes; but it is never long before he brings them down to the level of the workaday life, and shews how the heavenly doctrine is intimately related to the homely details of everyday living.
Think, for instance, of that great teaching on full surrender, in Romans 12:1-2, and mark how at once, from verse 3 onward, he applies it all to the common round. See, too, in the Epistle to the Ephesians, how in the first part he is in the heavenlies, and in the closing chapters he is in the homelies, speaking of the mutual obligations of wives and husbands, of children and parents, of servants and masters. Like the apostle John, he regards the truth, not merely as something to be held, or to be admired, or to be taught, but as something we are to “do” (1 John 1:6).
Doctrine, is always linked with doing. Paul pursues this same habit here in Colossians. Habit – why, the French use that word to describe clothes – a habit may refer to a coat, a skirt, a suit. It is interesting to observe how often Paul speaks of our personal habits and characteristics under the illustration of clothes. He does so in our present passage.
THE WARDROBE OF THE SOUL
The “old clothes” first claim our attention. What they are – truly a lot of junk, and worse. Look at the moth-eaten garments in verse 5, and that other list of disreputable pieces of apparel in verses 8 and 9. Do you notice that, in the latter list, so many iniquities are those of the mouth? What a power speech is for good will-a bit for control, a helm for guidance, in the one case; in the other, a fire, a beast, a poison (James 3 :2-8). In the first list, it is interesting to note the phrase. ” … covetousness, which is idolatry.” But do Christians worship idols? Yes, alas. The covetous man in the phrase has made an idol of some possession, some position, which he covets, and which, perchance, he will seek to secure by hook or by crook.
What God thinks of such clothes –“For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience.” All too often we play with sin, and trifle with God -we speak of our foibles, our weaknesses, our failures -when God calls them sins. We trade on His mercy, and forget the awful reality of His wrath. Our disobedience incurs His displeasure-and that is gravely serious.
What we all wore once –“In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.” Walking about in rags; for even if we were respectable citizens, in our own and in others’ eyes, we were not so in God’s eyes. He says concerning humanly-well-thought-of people. ” … all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags … ” (Isaiah 64:6). However well-dressed we were in a material sense, we were wholly unattractive in spiritual vesture.
What had we best do with these old clothes? – “… put off all these … ” Discard, and destroy them –“Mortify … ” They are fit for nothing but the rubbish bin and the furnace.
The “new clothes” now come under inspection. What they are-a lovely list, as is to be seen in verses 12-14.
Why should they be worn – ” … as the elect of God … ” The elect should always be select. As we said earlier, if we are Christians, we should dress the part. A believer who is spiritually down-at-heel,and out-at-elbows is a disgrace to his profession; and he could be so well-turned-out. W hen, in our Lord’s parable, the king punished the
” … man which had not on a wedding garment” (Matthew 22:11), it was the fellow’s own fault, for the festive robe was offered at the entrance. Perhaps he said he could not afford one -but they were free to all the guests; perhaps he thought his own clothes were good enough – but that did not satisfy the king; perhaps he was late, and rushed in at the last moment -but he should have allowed nothing to hinder his coming to so important a function. Why I am quoting the incident here is because the right dress was available, and he could have it for the receiving. So we will remember that all these wonderful qualities of Christian demeanour and behaviour can be ours.
What to do with them –“Put on … ” It is not enough to admire them or to covet them. Paul says, in Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the whole armour of God … ” So, then, as you seek to match the new life which you have in Christ, two immensely important things await you “…. put off … ” and “… put on …
But don’t you like that overcoat -” … above all these things put on charity … ” As we go out to face life, cold winds of opposition may come about us, to blow at our allegiance to Christ; dark clouds of disapproval may frown on our Christian stand for Him – don’t let us go out without our overcoat. The love of God will warm our hearts and spirits. What matter the cold looks of men? The saintly Horatius Bonar says, “Men heed thee, love thee, praise thee not; The Master praises, what are men?” We remind ourselves, too, that this very overcoating of the love of God – His for us, and ours for Him -will also kindle within our hearts a love for others, even for those who oppose themselves. So may people admire our overcoat, and seek to enquire where they can get one like it.