Articles
The Attire of the Righteous
The people of God have always been different than their worldly counterparts — or at least they were supposed to be different. God commanded the Israelites, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy” (Lev. 19:2). And for those who would serve as priests, they were given an additional admonition that because “they offer the offerings of the Lord made by fire, and the bread of their God; therefore they shall be holy” (Lev. 21:26). They were supposed to be people who were holy, but we know they often fell short of that mark. They failed. They sinned.
In the New Testament, now living under the covenant established by the blood of Jesus Christ, God's people are still required to be holy; in fact, Peter quoted this admonition from the Old Law and applied it to His people of the first century, saying once again, “you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Pet. 1:15, 16). Holiness is certainly a necessity for God's people for, as the writer of Hebrews admonished those disciples of the first century, “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). But, just like those old Israelites, God's people today still fall short of that holiness, too. We fail. We sin. Sometimes, we don't look or act much differently — or in any way differently — than the rest of the world, and that is a shame. It is a shame to us, and it brings shame on the name of the Lord whose name we wear. We should be holy!
One of the most distinctive and visible ways we must stand out from the world is in what we wear, too. I can guarantee the world will know we are not one of them if we are careful to wear these things the Lord has admonished us to wear:
The Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 13:14) Paul admonished the early disciples to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts,” and he said this right after telling them to “walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy” (Rom. 13:13). It is absolutely proper and fitting that the one who claims Jesus as Savior would put on the very character of his Lord as he goes out into the world, rather than allowing the world's character to dictate what he 'wears' as his identifying traits. Putting on Christ means not seeking to fulfill those fleshly desires, but choosing rather to seek spiritual fulfillment in God's word and God's way.
There is a reason Paul also admonished these same brethren [and us], “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2); it is when we conform to the world that Christ is no longer seen in us; how can we influence others to follow Christ if they cannot see Him in us and in our lives? Brethren, make sure before you step out that door into the world, that you “put on the Lord Jesus Christ”!
The New Man. (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10) Paul's admonition to the early disciples was that they “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness,” and, “put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him.” This points, once again, to the need for holiness in the life of God's people, but let us note here that righteousness and holiness are simply the very character traits of our Creator and Lord; we become like Christ!
Since we have already addressed the need for holiness, let us now note that we cannot ‘put on’ this new man without first having ‘put off’ the old man! In fact, Paul wrote it was necessary that these brethren “put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Eph. 4:22), and that these brethren were to have already “put off the old man with his deeds” (Col. 3:9). One cannot continue to be the old man and be a ‘new’ man, at the same time! It is in Christ that we are supposed to be “a new creation; old things have passed away” (2 Cor. 5:17); if we still have the old man hanging around our lives, then we probably haven't become that new creation we were supposed to be! Don't fool yourself; you cannot be both. Brethren, “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness”!
The Whole Armor of God. (Eph. 6:10-17) One of the most obvious differences between the man of the world and the man of God will be this outfit. When fully equipped with God's complete array, we will have “the helmet of salvation” and “the breastplate of righteousness,” our feet shod “with the preparation of the gospel of peace” and our waist “girded…with truth,” holding up for our protection “the shield of faith” and wielding our only offensive weapon, “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” With this as our choice to wear, no one would confuse us with the worldly man!
Don't take this outfit lightly, either. Some don't like the militaristic overtones of this outfit and would rather wear some sort of spiritual camouflage, where they 'blend in' with their surroundings and do not draw attention to themselves but, in all reality, this is not an option for the people of God. We are in a spiritual war, and our enemy is seeking our destruction; why put our very spiritual lives at risk for fear of what the world might think? Brethren, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”!
Mercy and Truth. (Prov. 3:3) The wise writer admonished his son, “Let not mercy and truth forsake you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart”; the picture is one where he wears mercy and truth like a necklace, always with him wherever he goes, and is an admonition worthy of hearing and heeding even today. After all, we know God requires of His people “to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly” with him (Mic. 6:8), and Jesus described “justice and mercy and faith” as the “weightier matters” (Matt. 23:23). Since “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth” (Psa. 25:10), and since God Himself is “Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth” (Psa. 86:15), it only makes sense that His people imitate Him.
Mercy is an attribute we must put on and ‘wear’ daily because God is merciful (cf. Luke 6:36). Mercy is a matter of withholding judgment or even condemnation from one deserving, knowing that God has been ever merciful to us. It is a visible demonstration of love itself, seeking the good of another, though they may have committed wrongs against us. It is something we will all want in Judgment, but something we cannot expect to receive if we have not shown mercy to others while here on earth (cf. Jas. 2:13).
And, of course, there is truth that must go with us everywhere we go, too. Yes, truth is God's word, but it is also a matter of truthfulness in every aspect of our lives. How can we be a positive influence on others, and why would anyone believe anything we say if we are not always truthful? I cannot slip in a lie here and there in daily life and then when I dare try to speak to the lost about the truth of Gods word expect they will listen! Brethren, put on mercy and truth!
As you go out into the world, make sure you wear the right attire. —— Steven Harper
