Colossians 3: Putting on the New Self

Verse 8: Now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Verse 9: Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices

Verse 10: and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

My son has a habit of changing his clothes as soon as he comes home. He then washes his hands and feet. When I come in from playing with him at the playground, I wash my hands first and sit on the sofa. Playing with him at the playground is not play, but labor. When that happens, my son gets upset. He asks why I don't change into my house clothes and tells me to change quickly. Eventually, I change my clothes.

The reason for changing clothes is that they are covered in dust and pollen. If I don't change, I will spread the dust and pollen throughout the house. This is like spreading poison for my son and me, who have pollen allergies. Therefore, we must take off our outside clothes, which are contaminated with harmful dust, and change into our house clothes.

Paul tells the Colossian believers that they have taken off their old self and put on the new self, which is in the image of God. Through their union with Christ, they have become new people, Christians. However, they were still living their old lives even though they had become new people. They had changed into new clothes as Christians, but they were still wearing the evil clothes of their old selves.

So, instead of the fragrance of Christ coming from them, there was the poisonous stench of anger, rage, malice, slander, and shameful speech. If they had put on the new clothes of being a Christian, shouldn't they take off the dirty, smelly clothes of their old selves? Then they could feel the freshness and cleanliness of the new clothes, couldn't they? A fragrant smell would come forth, right? The fragrance of Christ would be present, right?

We are the people who have put on the new clothes of being Christians.

♧ God, help us to completely take off the clothes of our old selves and put on the new clothes of being Christians! Make us Christians who emit a fragrant smell! Holy Spirit, lead us in truth!