Putting On Your New Clothes: The Christian Call to Christlike Character
There’s a scene that plays out in many households when someone is between sizes—frantically trying on clothes that no longer fit, tossing them aside one after another, only to stand there asking, “Well, what am I supposed to wear now?”
This was the reality in my home recently as my wife navigated early pregnancy. After waiting too long to buy maternity clothes (not my wisest decision as a husband), I found myself pulling outfit after outfit from the closet, each one met with “already tried that” or “you’re ridiculous.” She quickly learned to eyeball clothes and set them aside, knowing they wouldn’t fit. But that left us with a critical question: if she couldn’t wear the old clothes anymore, what should she put on?
This everyday struggle offers a powerful picture of the Christian life. Just as new life in the womb causes someone to outgrow their old clothes, new life in Christ causes us to outgrow the sins we once clothed ourselves in. Most Christians can identify what sins they need to “put off”—those are often the very sins that drove us to Christ in the first place. But the harder question is this: Now that I am in Christ, what do I need to put on?
Too many Christians rightly celebrate what Christ has saved us from, but fewer can articulate what Christ has saved us to. We’ve taken off our old clothes only to leave our new ones still on the shelf.
This is exactly what Paul addresses in Colossians 3:12-17, where he presents a clear mandate: Believers must put on Christlike character in every area of their lives. Let’s explore this through three essential questions.
Why Must Believers Put On Christlike Character?
Before listing any qualities, Paul reminds the Colossians of their identity: “Put on then as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved…” (Colossians 3:12). Notice the order—Paul tells us who we are before telling us how to live.
Growing in character doesn’t begin with grinding through a moral checklist. It begins with remembering our identity in Christ. We are already God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved. Paul isn’t commanding us to become something we’re not; he’s asking us to act like who we already are.
Think about it this way: Would it make sense to take a shower and then put your dirty clothes back on? (As a student ministry leader, I can tell you that middle school boys somehow find this logical on every trip. They shower, get clean, then immediately put their sweaty clothes back on—it makes no sense!)
Yet how much more senseless is it for Christians who have been declared clean, holy, and beloved to go back and clothe themselves in their old sins? We must put on Christlike character because it’s the only response that makes sense given who God has made us to be
What Does This Character Look Like?
Paul lists five foundational qualities that flow from one unifying virtue:
Compassion—being moved by someone’s condition and compelled to help them. Jesus looked on the crowds with compassion because they were harassed and helpless.
Kindness—being committed to do good toward others. Titus 3:4 reminds us that it was the kindness of God our Savior that appeared and saved us.
Humility—not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. Christ, though equal with God, emptied himself and took the form of a servant.
Meekness—not weakness, but strength under control. It’s having power but knowing how to wield it properly in love and service to others.
Patience—enduring with others over time. God was patient with us when we were running from him, pursuing us even in our rebellion.
But Paul adds one more essential element: “Above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14). Love is the belt that holds the entire outfit together. Without love, all the other qualities fall apart. As 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us, without love, we are nothing.
What does this look like practically? Paul gets specific: “bearing with one another and…forgiving each other, as the Lord has forgiven you” (Colossians 3:13). This means loving the ones who drive you crazy and extending forgiveness to those who’ve hurt you. If we’ve been forgiven so much, how can we withhold forgiveness from others?
How Do We Put On This Character?
Paul gives us three practical pathways:
Let Christ’s peace rule in our hearts. We need peace with God and peace with one another. Here’s the key insight: you can’t develop these qualities in isolation. You can’t be patient when there’s no one to be patient with. You can’t be kind without extending kindness to someone else. We need community to grow in character.
Let the word of Christ dwell in us richly. You’ll never meet someone with a deep relationship with God but a shallow relationship with his Word. We need to be taught, to keep learning, and to have people in our lives who will speak God’s Word to us—reminding us of the gospel and admonishing us to keep growing.
Cultivate thankfulness. Three times in three verses, Paul emphasizes gratitude. Why? Because we become what we behold. The more time we spend meditating on who Christ is and what he’s done for us, the more we’ll want to emulate him.
The Beautiful Life God Offers
Before I was a Christian, I was clothed with anger, lust, pride, and selfishness. But God has redeemed me and offers new garments—compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love. His commandments aren’t burdensome; they lead to our joy and our good.
So let me ask: if someone followed you around all week, what would they write on your character card? Would they see compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, and love?
The grace that saves us also changes us. We’re not saved by our fruit, but if the root is alive, it will bear good fruit. Don’t leave your new clothes on the shelf. Put them on, and let the world see the family resemblance between you and your Savior.
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