181. Put on Christ
Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
If we have been baptized we have put on Christ. That’s a promise. God does baptize and so God puts Christ on us. God does the work: Christ is on us, not just in us. The promise needs to be believed, because it does not readily appear to be so. Too often Christ is not seen on us but the sin and self is too readily apparent on us. But He is there, and He can sometimes be seen on us.
The truth is that we do not put Christ on ourselves, for we do not do it. “Putting on” sounds like pretending; we do not pretend, but He really is there. He is not there by our action or intending. He is there by God’s action. In Baptism God places His Name upon us. He blesses us with His Name on us. We are then commanded not to bear the Name in vain. The commandment not to bear the Name in vain means that we show it proudly and happily so that others may know that Christ is present in their world and it shows. The purpose is that others may know there is a God who has come to earth to love and to save. And are His witnesses.
Our focus is on the Baptism and on the action of God on our behalf. God forgives, God loves, God accepts, God puts on Christ, and God shows Himself to the world through us, on whom He has placed His name and His character. Whether we believe it or not, we show Christ to the world; they see our good works and glorify God, We do not always believe it or see it, but it is nevertheless true. We need to be reminded of this promise once in while so that we put the proper curbs on bad behavior and encourage good behavior. We realize that harsh words do not show the Christ who is put upon us. We catch ourselves and say the kind words that bring a blessing. Remembering our baptism and blessing changes lives, words, and behavior.We have been baptized in Christ; we have put on Christ. That’s a promise we can live with.