Articles
Measured And Fitted
I am guessing that most of you, like I do, buy suits or dresses off the rack and do not have them custom fitted except on special occasions. When I buy a new suit, I will sometimes have the pants measured for length and, occasionally, get measured for tailoring on the jacket, but that is not always the case. When I am able to get the tailoring done, it makes a big difference in how it fits, to say the least.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we might consider that it is a fact that, as Scripture teaches, “as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Gal. 3:27). As His people now, we must “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:22-24). The "new man" is manifested when we “put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving one another,…[and]…put on love, which is the bond of perfection” (Col. 3:12-14). As this new creation, it is required of every disciple that each one “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Rom. 13:14).
You see, it was always in God's plan that those who would be His people “be conformed to the image of His Son” (Rom. 8:29), which should be evident by the characteristics previously noted. We don't automatically become like Him when we come up out of the waters of baptism, but Christ set within the church leaders who would be instrumental in “the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11-13). In other words, putting on Christ means we use Him, His character, and His example as the standard by which each one of us will be measured for the 'perfect fit.'
The characteristics of the “new man” each of us must be are what define us, as Gods people, and, for that reason, we must all conform to the image of Christ; we must all “put on” those characteristics such as noted previously; we must, in effect, wear the "suit" [or "dress"] that fits us who call ourselves Christians. Any other "outfit" is "not fitting" for those who would be called His people, and characteristics of the “old man” simply will not fit with the one who walks with Him. To this point, Paul admonished the early disciples to not let “fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness…even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks” (Eph. 5:3, 4). Some characteristics are simply a "bad fit" for the one who would be called a disciple!
If you've ever seen [or worn] a ill-fitting suit or dress, you know what can happen: others will note its lack of proper fit, and you will be uncomfortable as long as you are wearing it! The same should be true of ill-fitting spiritual attire.
First, others should — and often do — note when we exhibit or manifest character that does not match with who we claim to be. The apostle Paul, for example, noted the hypocritical behavior of the apostle Peter when in Antioch, how he associated with the Gentile brethren up until the Jewish brethren came from James, and then “withdrew and separated himself, fearing those who were of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:12). Paul “withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed” (Gal. 2:11) — he was “not straightforward about the truth of the gospel” (Gal. 2:14) and Paul said he stood condemned for acting in such a way.
We should not be surprised, then, if when we act hypocritically as did Peter, others will call us out on it and remind us that such behavior is "not fitting" for the one who would call himself or herself a follower of Christ! All forms of ungodly behavior are not fitting for the one who has supposedly put on Christ, and when we exhibit such characteristics, others will note it and, whether they say anything to us or not, will mark it down as hypocrisy and we give them cause for blaspheming the name of the Lord.
It is for this reason we must take seriously the admonition of the apostle Peter, who would admonish the early disciples to “abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God” (1 Pet. 2:11, 12). Our spiritual attire will either cause others to condemn us or to praise God. Which will it be?
Second, those ungodly characteristics, if worn by us, should make us uncomfortable as long as they are with us. One who knows he or she should be “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” and living “soberly, righteously, and godly” (Titus 2:12) should feel pangs of spiritual discomfort when not doing that, knowing that such is unacceptable to the Lord. Just like the ill-fitting garment, ill-fitting characteristics will make us uncomfortable, prevent further movement, and restrict us from doing things we might otherwise if we were wearing what was fitting.
Of course, sin in the life of any Christian should make us extremely uncomfortable. Sin is so improper for the child of God that it should cause pains of conscience to the point we feel as did the psalmist when he wrote, “When I kept silent, my bones grew old through my groaning all the day long” (Psa. 32:3), or, “There is no soundness in my flesh because of Your anger, nor any health in my bones because of my sin. For my iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. My wounds are foul and festering because of my foolishness” (Psa. 38:3-5). Sin should cause us to feel uncomfortable, to the point of changing into something that fits who we claim to be.
Worldly behavior, including prejudice, hatred, injustice, indulgence in alcohol and drugs, the acceptance and practice of any and all kinds of sexual immorality, and 'lesser' evils such us unkindness, lying, and filthy speech, should not ever be associated with the people of God, nor the people of God with such behavior. God's demand of His people is that they “Come out from among them and be separate” (2 Cor. 6:17) that He can be our Father. When we exhibit behavior unbecoming of His children, He will not claim us as His!
The proper outfit for the disciple of Jesus Christ is the one that reflects the very character of our Lord; that was what God has always intended. Let us make sure that when we wake every morning, we put on the proper outfit; check yourself, but have someone else check you, too. Sometimes, we may miss an upturned collar or we just don't see the colors don't match on our physical clothing; it may be that we overlook something 'out of place' or 'mismatched' in our spiritual attire, too.
So, what are you putting on as you go out into the world? — Steven Harper
