Do You Need to Change Clothes – Part 2

As Christian men we all know about the importance of putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). But what you may not know or understand all that well is that we must “change our clothes” (spiritual clothes), as well. Last time I confessed my tendency to not change my clothes as often as I should. Now, I hope that didn’t cause you to lose all respect for me because I have more to say on that subject. 

What are you and I wearing today? I don’t mean jeans or slacks, a pullover sweater or sweatshirt, I mean what kind of character clothes are we wearing? I’m talking about things like a short temper, dishonesty, lust, unfaithfulness etc. If you and I want to be men of God, these things must go. But how do we get rid of them is the question. 

Ephesians 4:22-24 tells us to put off our old man (the man we used to be before Christ) and put on the new man (the man we ARE since Christ came to live inside us). When we came to believe on Christ, we became a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). But that does not mean we are automatically perfect. Old habits can still control us if we let them. But the great news is that we do not have to let them keep us in bondage! 

Do you believe that? Do I?It is critical that we do because it is the truth! It does not matter how long we have been enslaved to that sinful habit; Christ has the power to set us free! And He will set us free once we learn to, by faith, put off the old man and put on the new man. This is what Paul means that we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). By faith we “see” the new man God sees us to be and we live that way.  

This often goes against the way we feel. That is why we must decide to believe we are a new creation in Christ Jesus based on what God says about us not the way we feel. More on that next time. For now, let’s trust God that we are a new creation, because it is the truth!