Dress in his character
Putting on the new wardrobe
Paul returns to the image of clothing to describe the character of Christ: put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. We are to put these virtues on the way we put on clothes each morning — deliberately, intentionally, choosing what we will wear. The character of Christ is not only grown as fruit; it is also, in a real sense, put on by daily choice.
This is the other half of the picture. The fruit grows from abiding, yes — but Paul also calls us to actively clothe ourselves in these qualities, to deliberately choose compassion over indifference, kindness over harshness, patience over irritation, in the concrete moments of the day. Formation is both gift and choice: the Spirit grows the fruit, and we put on the garment, and these are not rivals but partners.
Notice the foundation Paul names first: as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved. We do not put on these virtues to become beloved; we put them on because we already are. The new wardrobe is the appropriate clothing of those already chosen, already loved, already made new. Each morning, then, alongside the clothes for your body, deliberately put on the character of Christ — compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience — as one already beloved, dressing to match who you now are.
“Put on therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, lowliness, humility, and perseverance.”
— Paul, to the Colossians — Colossians 3:12 (WEB)
Deliberately put on the character of Christ each day, like clothing — compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience — as one already chosen and beloved.
“Put on the new man, that like God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.”
Hearing that the fruit grows, we can quietly excuse ourselves from the closet and the choosing, drifting into a passivity that waits for character to arrive on its own. The interior work is to recover the other half Paul commands — to put Christ's character on like clothing each morning, compassion over indifference, kindness over the sharp reply — holding the Spirit's growing and our deliberate dressing as partners, not rivals. And the order frees us: we do not wear these to become beloved, but because, already chosen, we are.
This week, each morning deliberately put on one garment of Christ's character — compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, or patience — and wear it intentionally through the concrete moments where your old default would otherwise rule.
The pull is toward one ditch or the other — grim self-effort on one side, limp waiting on the other — and either way the closet stays shut and the old defaults keep ruling the day. But a soul that dresses on purpose in compassion and kindness, as one already loved, wears a character partnered with the Spirit's work that no accusation can strip away.
Alongside the truth that the character of Christ grows as fruit, Paul adds another: we are to put it on, like clothing, by deliberate daily choice. Compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience — these are garments to be intentionally chosen each morning, in the concrete moments where indifference, harshness, and irritation would otherwise be our default dress.
This means formation is both gift and choice, the Spirit's growing and our putting on working together rather than against each other. And the order matters: Paul says put these on as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved. We do not wear the character of Christ to earn love, but because we are already loved — dressing to match who we already are in him. So each morning, alongside the clothes for your body, deliberately put on the character of Christ, as one already beloved. What will you choose to wear today — your old default, or his character?
- Do I neglect the deliberate choice to put on Christ's character?
- Am I dressing to earn love, or as one already beloved?
- What garment of his character will I deliberately put on today?
Lord, I wait passively or strive grimly, neglecting the daily choice to put on your character. As one you have chosen, holy and beloved, let me deliberately clothe myself each morning in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, dressing to match who I now am in you. Amen.