Colossians, Pt7: Dressed for Success

October 13, 2019    NOTES NOT EDITED

"DRESS FOR SUCCESS"

PT7, Colossians 3:12-17

SIS -- A person's relationship with Christ with be reflected in the attitudes he or she takes off and the attitudes he or she puts on.

A common mantra you will read in business books about how to make your way to the top is this:  "You must dress for success."  This implies that clothing makes a man (or woman).  There is no doubt that "clothing and fashion" is a big deal, especially in Western Society.  It is true that people will draw many opinions based upon what they see a person wearing.  How we dress is important.  Even the Bible speaks about what is "proper dress and attire," and what is not -- especially for women:

Deu. 22:5 tells us that men and women should not wear clothing that is "unisex" or look like male clothing.  Isaiah in describing, in part, how Israel had become ungodly had something to say about how Jewish women were dressing:

Isa 3:16  Moreover, the Lord said, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps and tinkle the bangles on their feet.

Isaiah pointed out that fashion accessories can be a symbol of pride and seductiveness -- women should not be "tinkling their bangles" (NAS).  No decent Christian woman would “tinkle her bangles.” Now, I’m not against women dressing nice or wearing make-up.  I had a good preacher friend that held the view that make up and flattering dress were a sin.  I heard another preacher say in regard to women wearing make-up:  “If the barn needs painting, paint it!”  But, we should be careful to understand, both women and men, that our outward appearance can say much about our inner adornment.  Paul deals with this in 1Tim 2:9 says:

9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, 10 but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.

The issue is not really, fashion, but faithfulness.  Our outward deportment and dress should reflect an inner holiness, whether make-up on women or mustaches on men.  By the way, in regard to make-up, do you know why the teen-age girl showed up to class with a tube of lipstick in one hand and eye-shadow in the other?  She had a “make-up” exam!

As I said, the “Dress For Success” that Paul speaks of in Colossians 3 has more to do with how we look on the inside, than how we look on the outside.  In verses 1-11, Paul talked about some “items” we should “put away, or take off” as believers.  In verses 12-17, Paul speaks about some items, or virtues, that should adorn the life of a believer.  Let’s read what Paul says about “Dressing for Spiritual Success.”

¹² Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved,  put on heartfelt compassion, kindness,  humility,  gentleness,  and patience,  ¹³ accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.  ¹⁴ Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. ¹⁵ And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called  in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name  of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Recall last week that I mentioned how chapters 1 and 2 dealt with correct doctrine and chapters 3-4 deal with the correct application of that doctrine in our everyday lives.  One common trait of Oriental religion and the Roman religion of Paul's day (and true of religion in general even to our day) is that the religions of the day said almost nothing about "practical and personal application of a set of beliefs."

All that most religions are concerned about is that you "do the rituals, buy the penances, accept the absolution offered" and go live your life any way you please.   This was especially true of the gnostic heresy that was developing in the area of Colossae.  Gnostics believed that the material body was evil and incapable of any kind of redemption, so it didn't matter what you did in your personal life, as long as you practiced the secret rituals.  Christianity is 180 degrees opposite of that idea.  Paul is teaching in this chapter that to be a "Properly Dressed" believer you must have a Christ-like attitude reflected in every area of your life.  Christianity that is not personally applied is foreign to the teaching of the Bible.    Paul is going to use the analogy of changing one's clothes to describe what it means to live as a believer.  He is going to admonish us to "take off the old attitudes and put on some new ones." 

Now, changing anything takes some effort, and this is especially true of changing ones habits.  It is hard work, not like changing a light bulb.  But, since you mentioned changing a light bulb, I have a few questions for you -- I've added as many to my list as I could find in order to insult as many groups as possible:

Q: How many lawyers . . . ?
     A: I don’t know, how many can you afford?
Q: How many evolutionists . . . ?
     A: Just one but it will take a million years.
Q: How many ‘Real Men’ . . . ?
     A: None: ‘Real Men’ aren’t afraid of the dark.

Q: How many ‘Real Women’ . . . ?
     A: None: A ‘Real Woman’ would have plenty of real men around
          to do it for them.
Q: How many jugglers does it take to change a light bulb?
     A: One, but it takes at least three light bulbs.

Holiness requires change, and it is the kind of change that is much more difficult than changing a light bulb -- it involves both changing your "mind” to a heavenly perspective and then changing your behavior to conform to heavenly practices.  Paul uses the analogy of taking off an old set of clothes, as we saw last week, and putting on a new set of clothes.  Paul outlines what it means to Dress for Spiritual Success by describing it in three distinct ways.

Our text begins with the word, “therefore.”  Let’s take a minute to examine what it is there, “for.”  It is actually the second word, because of Greek sentence construction.  This word is a conjunction.  It joins two thoughts together.  It is like a road sign that says, “Look back.”  Paul wants us to connect what he is going to say about “putting on” a new way of life with what we saw last week in “putting off” the old habits of the old life:  sexual immorality, evil thinking, etc. (vv. 1-11).

The rationale, or the justification for Paul to call us to live distinctively different lives, holy lives, is the fact that we have been uniquely “chosen” to become children of God.  Verse 1 says,

¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and loved . . . The KJV gives a more theological expression of this verse, ¹² Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved.

This is one of many places that the Bible speaks of the doctrine of election. Among other things, this doctrine teaches that salvation and holiness are entirely the work of God’s grace. Our efforts will always fall short of God’s design for holy living.  Election also points to the believer’s unique position as a child of God.  The word means chosen, and being chosen by God, means we are also “very special.”  So, our pursuit of holiness is, at one and the same time, a work of God IN us, a work of God FOR us, and a work of God THROUGH us.  We are “chosen, or elect” for God’s purposes as Paul says,

¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:10).

To accomplish God’s chosen purpose for our lives we must “put on the new garments of holiness.”  This involves putting on a new Wardrobe of Grace, Worship of Gratitude, and Word of Faith.

1.  Putting On the New Wardrobe of Grace (12-15)

The text in verses 12-15a lists 9 virtues that should adorn a Christian’s life:  heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, acceptance, forgiveness, love, and peace.

The first virtue is compassion.  The CSB calls it “heartfelt” compassion. It is something much deeper than what society views as compassion.  If Granny of the Beverly Hillbillies were to translate this verse it would be “innards of loving.”  The KJV comes close calling this part of our Christian wardrobe, “bowels of compassion.”  The word “bowels” is related to the inner organs of the body, particularly the spleen.  Ancient people thought of emotions as being related to some kind of secretion by the organs of the gut.  It refers to an emotion of the deepest sense. The word “compassion” refers to a deep empathy or pity for others.

Paul also includes “kindness.”  This is not what most people think of kindness as an old grandpa sitting on his porch waving to neighborhood children.  The original word is related to “being useful.”  Kindness bestows a benefit on others.  Often the word for kindness is used in relationship to the word, “philantropia,” from which we get word, “philanthropy,” which is the act of funding charitable work.

Third on the list of items that should be in the Christian wardrobe is “humility.”  We all know this virtue.  It is that virtue which President Trump definitely does NOT have!  Others are very proud of their humility.  The word itself is not all that “humble,” consisting of 15. letters, tapeinophrosunē (ταπεινοφροσύνη).  Interestingly, this word never appears in Classical Greek and when it appears in the centuries after Christ, it always has a negative connotation (BibLib).  It refers to a lowliness of mind—the opposite of haughtiness or pride—which Paul considers something very positive.

Next Paul tells us that a properly dressed Christian will exhibit, “gentleness, or more correctly, meekness.”  This word gives no hint of weakness whatsoever.  It is related to a word often used of a bridled horse.  A horse is a powerful animal but the bridle controls that power.  Meekness is “power under control.”  That’s how a Christian should operate. 

Closely related to meekness, is “patience.”  Most of us recognize patience as that virtue we often lack the display of at times like standing in line at the DMV, or the supermarket, or waiting on hold for customer service at the cable company.  The word literally means, “a long heart or mind.”  This is the ability to take the “long view of things, recognizing that even large inconveniences in this life are not worth standing before God in the next life and giving an accounting for impatient behavior.”

The next two items, “acceptance and forgiveness,” that should be in the wardrobe of a Christian, Paul takes a bit more time on because of their great significance, and because of the great damage that is caused if one is not properly dressed with these virtues.  Paul says in verse 13:

¹³ accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.

Nothing will make a Christian look more shabbily dressed than wearing a judgmental garment of unforgiveness.  “Acceptance” refers to “enduring another’s faults.”  It is “tolerance” in the Biblical sense. This has nothing to do with “accepting” the bad behavior, or unbiblical attitudes of others, but it means we always look at others as people for whom Christ died, and we are always welcoming of their repentance and the door to forgiveness is always wide open.  “Acceptance and forgiveness” go hand-in-hand.  “Forgiveness” is actually related to the “grace root family of words.”  Forgiveness is offering others the same grace that God offered you.

Paul saves the best of the wardrobe for last—or at least second to last and I will explain that in a moment.  Verse 14, “Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity.” When it comes to the Christian “Dressed for Success” the pièce de resistance is love.  Pièce de resistance refers to that which is most important or most exquisite.  It refers to the best part of a multi-course, gourmet dinner. What the chocolate soufflé is to a fine meal, love is to the wardrobe of a Christian “Dressed for Success.”  Love, unlike the latest fads in clothing, never goes out of style.

Paul closes out his list of items in the wardrobe of a Christian “Dressed for Spiritual Success” with the virtue of “peace.”  The end of the list of wardrobe items if found in the first part of verse 15:

¹⁵ And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called  in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful.

When we “Dress for Success” our lives will be characterized by “peace”—a sustained and steady sense of well-being.  Now, I could have added, “thankfulness,” to the Wardrobe of the person Dressed for Spiritual Success, but I’m going to include it with another aspect of the Christian who is “Dressed for Success.” This refers to

2.  Putting On the New Worship of Gratitude (16)

¹⁶ Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.

We are running short on time so let me simply point out that the “well-dressed Christian” participates passionately in corporate, or partnership, worship.  This worship has several important components

(1) God-honoring worship is Word-based both in preaching and singing.  The CSB is a weak translation in my opinion.  The NASB says, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you.” The Bible is not only the message “about” Christ, but Christ is the very substance, life, and foundation of the Word.  John tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,

and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1). In order for worship to be God-honoring it must be literally “saturated” with the Word of God.  So much of what is passed off as worship today barely gives a nod to the Word of God, and bears little or no resemblance to worship in the Word of God.

(2)  Second, true worship is Christ-centered. As I said, the Bible is “about Jesus” from beginning to end and all stops in between.  So much of worship today is “people-centered, or seeker-centered.”  True worship must be Christ-centered.  It is “all about Him.”

(3) Third, Godly worship is grounded in gratitude to Our Glorious Lord for the marvelous grace He has bestowed upon us as His elect, or chosen people. How can a person, touched by the grace of God, not lift up “holy hands” (Ps. 63:4) with hearty voices of praise to the one that paid a debt He did not owe because we owed a debt we could not pay!”  Hearts filled with gratitude lift up glorious praise in worship.

The believer that is “Dressed for Spiritual Success” puts on a Wardrobe of Grace, puts on a Worship of Gratitude, and

3.  Puts into Practice a New Word of Faith (17)

Again, Paul brings the principle of a successful spiritual life back to the foundation of the Word of God.  This finishes off the outfit of the Christian, “Dressed for Success.”  Paul concludes this passage saying:

¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

There is so much packed into this verse, but I want to focus on just one word, “poite,” the Greek word for “do.”  This word occurs over 3200 times in the Greek translation of the Bible (LXX). I remember the days when people had special clothes they wore to church—like blue-haired ladies with big, fancy hats siting in the choir like a finely decked out mantle in the living room of a high-society family.  But, anybody can get all “dressed up to go to church.”  What Paul is talking about is getting properly dressed to go into the “highways and byways and preach the gospel to the lost!” 

“Dressing for Spiritual Success” is about what we “do” Monday through Saturday, not where we “go” on Sunday.  A very wise person –my Dad—often told me, "You can dress up a pig in a tuxedo, but he'll still be a pig and want to wallow in the mud." Paul is talking about more than simply changing how we look, but Paul is talking about letting God totally transform who we are and how we walk in life.

A lot of church-goers look like saints on Sunday morning and live like the devil Monday through Saturday.  That is not a person that has “put on the Word of faith.” 

Paul wants us as believers to be “Dressed for Spiritual Success.”  He wants us to put on a new Wardrobe of heavenly virtues, Put on a new Worship stirred by Gratitude, and finally put into practice the Word of Faith by what we “do” with our lives on a daily basis.  These three items are what make a person truly, “Dressed for Success.”

According to a recent survey the average teen-ager spends $40 to $70 per piece of clothing to keep up with the fads of society.  That's up to $210 per outfit!  Anybody want to guess how many "outfits" are in the average American teens closet?  Many adults are just as bad.

How about we, as believers, becoming as concerned with our “spiritual wardrobe” as we are for what is hanging in our closets.