A Look Into Colossians 3 and Putting on the New Self
To the believers in Corinth, Paul wrote: “The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:47-48 ESV).
To the believers at Colossae, Paul wrote: “Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry…Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” (Colossians 3:5, 12 ESV).
What do these passages mean to believers today?
Once we come to Christ we should be different in word, thought, and deed than how we were before.
While the born-again experience is instantaneous and our sin has been forgiven, it takes time to be “dusted off;” it takes time to have all our old influences and practices swept away. In Paul’s analogy of clothing, he is saying this: since you have put off the clothes of dust and put on the new ones in Christ, don’t let that dirt back on your clothes and affect how you act.
How do we keep from letting the dust of our old life settle on our new clothes? In being renewed by the knowledge of Christ (see Colossians 3:10). “Renewed” here means “is being renewed” and indicates that our dusting is more than a one-time action. We are not cleaned and returned to the shelf. As we continue to submit ourselves to the Lord, He persists in washing us. He goes about brushing away even that deep-seated dust through the knowledge of Him.
After “laying out clean clothes” for the believers, Paul then begins with the first place the new clothes need to be seen—the home (see Colossians 3:18-21). Regrettably, there are many Christians who only wear their new clothes as their “Sunday best,” so to speak. They live one way at church and another way the other six days of the week.
However, Paul encourages the Colossian faithful to let their new life in Christ start at home.
It is a picture of today when we dress to leave the house. We look in the mirror to make sure everything is straight, asking others before we leave, “How do I look?” This is what Paul is saying to believers today: “How do you look?” That is, “How is your new life at home?” For when it is good at home, it will be good when we step outside.
