Colossians 3:12 “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,”
Colossians 3, for me, is at the top of the list for how to live the Christian life. Along with Romans 12, Colossians 3 gets straight to the point of what is not to be a part of our lives and what actions are part of our lives. As the Apostle Paul calls for us to have our minds set on things above and to think like heaven thinks (Col. 3:1-4 ) he instructs the believer in Colossians 3:5-14 to take three actions. The believer is to 1. PUT TO DEATH 2. PUT OFF and 3. PUT ON. Notice Colossians 3:5-14.
Colossian 3:5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, 7 in which you yourselves once walked when you lived in them.
8 But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, 10 and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, 11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
To teach this I have asked a person to picture having on a filthy shirt that it is so filthy it has to be taken off and thrown away. Based on Col. 3:5-7 there are things that we put to death. They are no longer something we do. Then there is the undershirt that is also stained. It must be put off as well. Then one puts on a clean new shirt.
What does Paul want the believers to PUT ON? We are to put on compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
Where are you in the process? Have you put to death those things that DO NOT BELONG in your new life? Have you PUT OFF actions that are unbecoming to a believer? Are you putting on the virtues of the Christian life?
Continue Strong putting on (living out) the Christian virtues,
And remember to DATE the Word