Read: Colossians 3:12-14
And above all these put on love. (v. 14)
Colossians 3:12-16 is the very heart of this letter. That’s why we will be spending four days unpacking the riches Paul managed to tamp down into these five verses. We could actually spend much longer savoring this passage!
Paul began by introducing a new metaphor: getting dressed. He suggested that the traits of Jesus that we should want to display in our own lives are a little like the socks and shirts and sweaters and skirts we put on our bodies before heading off to work, to school, or to the store.
There is a reason why globally the clothing industry is one of the largest: we all wear clothing and often we are particular about what we put on. “You’re not really going out in public looking like that, are you?” many parents have asked their teenaged children. “Wow, you look really nice tonight,” we might say to someone who got “dressed up” for a night at the opera. We notice what others wear. We want to be noticed for what we wear.
Paul wanted us to put on the garments of Christ every day. We dress up to look like Jesus. And just as we are attentive to our physical clothing—we check to make sure our shirt doesn’t have holes or stains—so Paul said we need to check our spiritual attire if we are to display Christ to our watching world. So let’s pay attention to our spiritual wardrobe. Because others will notice what we’re wearing. —Scott Hoezee
As you pray, thank God for providing us the very wardrobe of Christ.
About the Author
Scott Hoezee is an ordained pastor in the Christian Reformed Church of North America. He served two Michigan congregations from 1990-2005 and since 2005 has been a faculty member at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he serves chiefly as the Director of The Center for Excellence in Preaching. He is the author of several books, including most recently Why We Listen to Sermons (Calvin Press 2019) and is the co-host of the “Groundwork” radio program.
