MELANIE COGDILL | GUEST

Because we are movie buffs, for more than a decade, some friends from church and I have an annual Oscar watch party. We also evaluate the gowns celebrities wear as they present the awards. Why did she pick that dress? Does it look flattering on her—if not, what was she thinking? Even though not all women are fashionistas, we care about what clothes we wear to worship on Sunday. We put some thought into what we will put on. We do not roll out of bed in our pajamas and head to church.

The Seed of Gospel Clothing

Throughout Scripture, we see that what we wear is significant. Not our outward clothing, but how we are clothed with gospel truth. In fact, it is God Himself who makes us a garment of gospel clothes and puts it on us. In Genesis 3:7 after Adam and Eve took and ate the forbidden fruit, “the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” After they do that, God comes to them (v.9) and “the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?'” And because the coverings they made for themselves were not sufficient, God clothed them (v. 21), “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” God comes to them after their sin in the Garden, and He makes garments to clothe them. This is the gospel in a nutshell.

Putting on Our Gospel Clothes

Our gospel clothing is much more significant than our physical clothing. After telling the Colossians the worldly things they must put to death (Col. 3:5-10), the Apostle Paul reminds them of the gospel clothing they must wear instead. The context of the gospel clothes they are to put on as the people of God is compassion, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and above all, love for one another in the body. Those verses seem straightforward; however, it’s not always easy to love difficult people in our church, forgive a friend or spouse when we think we have been wronged, or be patient with a child’s behavior that is trying our patience. However, Paul’s admonition is to always “put on” these gospel clothes because we are called as God’s beloved people to be holy.

Gospel Teaching

How are we encouraged to live as one clothed in the gospel? Paul reminds the Colossians that they are to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom…” (Col. 3:16) They are to be people of God’s Word—living it out, reminding one another in the church to make sure we put on our gospel clothing. It is counterintuitive to live with compassion, humility, meekness, patience, forgiveness, and love. Our culture encourages us to assert our way, to care for ourselves first, to discover who we are above all else, and to make space in our lives for what we want to pursue. One of the primary ways we combat this thinking is to be in God’s Word. We are to love and obey His Word (Ps. 119), or the world around us will conform us to its standards (Rom. 12:1-2).

Gospel Thanksgiving

A Christian who is saturated in God’s Word learns about who God is, how He is working in the world, and knowing who God is (theology) leads to a heart of thankful praise (Col. 3:16-17). A ministry friend recommended a book of 31 days of prayers of thanksgiving that I had never heard of before—31 Days of Praise: Enjoying God Anew by Ruth Myers. Myers selected Scriptures every day that she wrote prayers to (she was basically praying Scripture) to remind herself (and the reader) what a joy and privilege it is to praise and thank God in all circumstances (Phil 4:4-7)—when we face painful relationships, financial hardship, loneliness, grief, anxiety, life’s daily grind but also life’s joys—in all of it we are to overflow with thankfulness to God.

Colossians 3 serves as a reminder to us that we should sing for joy, knowing we are clothed in the gospel, and as we live it out with thankful hearts, we burst into song. Have you ever been in a worship service with God’s people singing at the top of their lungs so loudly you cannot even hear yourself singing as you praise God together? Our lives in the body of Christ are hymns of praise as we love one another, serve one another, admonish one another in our churches, our marriages, as mothers, as co-workers, as daughters, as Christians—all clothed by Christ in His beautiful gospel garments.

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