Spiritual Dressing
Paul tells them, as new people in Christ, to make a conscience effort, to commit to a consistent action to put on the clothing of the new man each day. In the same way a person is conscience of putting on fresh clothes in the morning we must be conscience of putting on these renewed attitudes.
Bowels of mercies (tender mercies) this was the seat of the emotions to the people of the new testament. They were to be clothed with a compassionate heart on the inside.
Kindness: clothed with that compassion on the outside that reaches out to others
Humbleness of mind: clothed with humility, no pride in self, no ego or power trips
Meekness: clothed with the gentleness of real strength
Longsuffering: clothed with the patience through the events of my life
Forbearance: clothed with the patience towards the people in my life
Forgiveness: clothed with the true character of Christ
And above all put on charity (agape, self-sacrificing, Christian love) which binds everything perfectly together: and shows us as mature and complete.
Paul ends with two submissions.
Let the peace of God rule in your hearts: this is unity, the outward uniform of a child of God that the world can see.
And then, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly: this is inward guidance of the Lord that leads us daily in all wisdom.
Paul goes on in vs. 15 and tells us when we have put on the clothing of the new man and submitted to unity and the word of God, then we act wisely, by teaching and admonish one another is psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.
This is corporate worship, all of us together. In other words the new man, dresses in new clothes, the new spiritual attributes and actions. This new person submits to the peace of God and is led by the word of Christ. And you know where that submission and that guidance leads them? To church to be with the people of God. The wisdom that is now ours as new ones in Christ, won’t let us miss church or make excuses for being absent from the Lord’s house, because then you can’t teach and admonish one another if you are not with one another in God’s house.
Final admonition
Finally, Paul says in Colossians 3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Everything you do, in speech or in actions, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Jesus.
If only we could apply that principle to every action we take, every word we say or every decision we make, what a God honoring, spiritual difference it would make.
If we stopped and thought, “If I do this, am I acting in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ? Am I expressing my thankfulness to God the Father by Jesus Christ the Son, in what I am doing, saying or choosing, right now?
My life, my family, my church would so change for the better and we would better glorify our Savior if we just applied the guidelines of this chapter to our daily living.
