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Answer
In a genuine sense, the Christian life is a form of “putting on.” In Romans 13:14, the apostle Paul advises believers to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (ESV). To put on Christ figuratively means to clothe oneself with the Lord Jesus Christ to display God’s glory to the world.
Paul referred to putting on spiritual garments. Those who dress themselves with the Lord Jesus are believers who do not focus on satisfying the desires of the sinful nature. In the previous verses, Paul had urged the saints to “wake from sleep” «And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. », (Romans 13:11) and “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (verse 12).
Paul vividly describes transitioning into the new life in Christ as exchanging the darkness of night for the light of day. As believers, we must not only wake up and discard our night clothes but also dress appropriately for the new day. Our “old clothes” were the deeds of darkness, but the suitable new daytime attire for the soldier of Christ is God’s armor of light (see Ephesians 6:11-18).
The phrase put on Christ appears again in Galatians 3:27: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (ESV). As in Romans 13, putting on Christ here signifies having clothed oneself with the new nature; believers are instructed “to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” «and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. », (Ephesians 4:24), we clothe ourselves with Christ by crucifying our old ways and adorning ourselves with the grace and forgiveness of Jesus, a radiant garment visible to all.
Addressing the church in Colossae, Paul reiterates the message: “Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him” «and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: », (Colossians 3:10, NLT). The essential attire no Christian should lack is the Lord Jesus Christ. Embracing Christ entails making Him our armor, welcoming Him repeatedly, and daily relying on Him with faith, gratitude, and obedience. John Chrysostom (c. AD 347—407) characterized putting on Christ as “never to be forsaken of Him, and His always being seen in us through our holiness, through our gentleness” (quoted by C. E. B. Cranfield in Epistle to the Romans, T&T Clark International, 2004, pp. 688—689).
To put on Christ is to walk in His footsteps as disciples, allowing our lives to mirror the image of Jesus «For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. », (Romans 8:29). Instead of conforming to the world’s ways, we are to undergo a transformation by renewing our minds and adjusting our conduct to reflect the pattern of Christ’s earthly life «And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. », (Romans 12:2). This process involves shedding the old self and embracing the new self continuously throughout the Christian journey.
(Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:12). To achieve this transformation, we rely entirely on our righteous standing before God made possible in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Putting on Christ means abiding in Jesus and living to please Him. John Wesley described it as “a strong and beautiful expression for the most intimate union with Him, and being clothed with all the graces which were in Him” (quoted by L. Morris in The Epistle to the Romans, Inter-Varsity Press, 1988, p. 473). We are clothed in Christ when we become so closely united with Jesus that others see Him and not us.
