Colossians 3:12-17 “Tailored By Christ”

“Tailored By Christ” is a sermon preached from Colossians 3:12-17, by Michael Beatty, pastor of Covenant Baptist Church in New Berlin, Wisconsin – a confessional Reformed Baptist church subscribing to the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith.

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Scripture Reading

I invite you to turn in your Bibles to Colossians chapter 3, reading verses 12 through 17 this morning.

Hear the word of the Lord:

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another. If one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

Thus far the reading of God’s holy Word.

Let us ask his blessing upon it.

Father, we would ask that again you would cause us to hear the voice of Christ in your Word, and that you would, by his Spirit, grant that we might all the more receive those things that we need from this passage this morning. We would ask that you give us understanding and that you would give us willing hearts to hear and to believe those things that you have said to us in your Word. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.

Introduction

Our culture oftentimes uses a variety of terms in a phrase like this: Dress for the job you want. Dress well, test well. Look good, feel good; feel good, play good.

We have all manner of sayings to describe the way that we dress, compose ourselves, or present ourselves to others, with the idea that it has some sort of bearing upon our life. In other words, we put on those things that we need to have a specific outcome. Or, to put it another way, we dress to communicate the reality that we wish to participate in.

Or perhaps you think that if you dress a certain way, then that makes you something. Or, if you do something, it will enable you to perform a certain way. We have a variety of other sayings. I’m sure if we took a poll we could find a number of them.

But it’s something we know collectively: there is something to the way that we compose ourselves. There’s something to the way that we dress ourselves today.

We look around the room—we’ve all made a variety of choices for how we came here, because we’re all communicating something. I’m sure they’re all fine and good. But we came having thought in some way about how we should compose ourselves this morning. And in coming here, we accomplished that.

Putting On and Putting Off

We find in the Scriptures that Paul picks up on that sort of collective understanding with the very earthy picture of putting on and putting off—like we would a shirt or putting on clothes.

This is something that we participate in because we’ve been told previously that Christ is now our life, and we’ve been considering what that means in practical terms. Because that sounds wonderful—and it is wonderful—but what does that look like on a daily basis?

We heard that we now live in him, and that means we are dead to all sorts of principles of self-made religion, as we saw in chapter 2. We have also been raised with Christ, which means that our life is now where he is. That effectively makes us pilgrims or aliens: this life is not our own. We have a growing sense that we don’t belong here, but that we belong where Christ is.

And the way in which we live our life, if we follow the Word of Christ, oftentimes does not pay the dividend that we would expect in this life. In other words, you’re putting in all this time and all this effort—you’re doing what you’ve been called to do—and you see very little yield.

We might say with Psalm 73, that he even considered not telling the children about the ways of the Lord, because he thought it wasn’t any good. But then he comes into the household of the Lord, he hears his Word, and he sees what the Lord has planned, what he has purposed.

That’s what we find with our life being hidden in Christ: we are waiting upon him until he is revealed in glory. Then everything is shown to have turned out exactly the way the Lord said it would. It is shown to be glorious, and he vindicates his work in us.

Three Elements of the Christian Life

So that’s us living in him. But we also saw a second component last week: that not only are we waiting with hope for what will be revealed when Christ comes—in other words, looking forward to his return and saying, “Come quickly, Lord Jesus”—but we also need to put to death the sin which remains in us, because it does not accord with Christ. That was keeping with our old life.

And so we put sin to death. We considered the train track analogy last week: on one track you have lust, and on the other track you have wrath. Both collectively represent most, if not every, sin we can consider. And so we’re to put them all to death.

In other words, we’re not specialists when it comes to putting sin to death. Rather, we put it to death without any regard for where we find it—in word, thought, or deed.

And this week, we’re adding a third element: namely, putting on Christ, or putting on those garments that he has given to us. I’ve sort of tongue-in-cheek labeled this sermon Tailored by Christ. Christ is our tailor. He’s provided us with garments and has arrayed us in a way that is glorious to his name and good for our neighbor.

So we are tailored in Christ, and we are putting on the clothes that Christ has given to us.

And so in Colossians 3:12–17, we hear the call to the Christian to put on Christ in the garments that he has provided.

Outline

I want to look at this in three aspects:

1. The garments that Jesus has given to us.
2. The outcome or the benefits of those garments.
3. The two practical means that Jesus gives us to put those on.

(As an aside or preview: if you look down at the text with me, in the verses that follow—in verses 18 through chapter 4:1—we find what are oftentimes called the household codes. These are the ethical matters about where we find ourselves day to day. I argue that this is the fourth and final block of being alive in Christ, where we really put rubber to the road.

We’ll be putting into practice what we considered last week and this week, because that’s really where we find ourselves—when we’re with other people, where we especially feel the need to put sin to death and to put on other things. So bear that in mind; that’s the fourth and final practical block we’ll be considering.)

So, again: garments, outcome or benefit, and means.

1. The Garments That Jesus Has Given to Us

If you notice in verse 12, the Christian is informed of the garments that Jesus has given to us as his beloved brothers and sisters:

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved …” (v. 12)

I want to begin with the reminder that Paul gives us in this exhortation, the ground or reason that we’ve received these things. He begins by reminding us who we are in Christ with three descriptions.

a. Chosen of God

First, he tells us we’ve been chosen of God. All those who are found in Christ have been predestined, and God has intended for them to receive these things. This should give us great hope—that as we are found in Christ, he has called us to himself. We haven’t come to it by accident.

b. Set Apart as Holy

Secondly, we are those who have been set apart as holy to him, which is why we put sin to death. We are set aside for a very specific use.

Think about it this way: you might have a specific cup or plate that you bring out for birthdays or special occasions—maybe a turkey platter. It is holy. It’s set aside for that specific use. It would be very strange if you used it for dog food.

Or think of relationships. Some are holy, set aside for a specific use—specifically, husband and wife.

In the same way, Christ has set us aside as holy. We are for his specific use—as the church, as his bride. We’ve been set apart for his use, especially as a nation of priests to our Lord, set aside for the holy things.

c. Beloved

Thirdly, we are beloved. Christ has given us these things because we are loved.

That’s important to remember as we consider them. Coming out of the “put to death” section, where we’ve seen the sin that clings so closely, it’s a good reminder that God loves us. He has set us aside as holy. He has called us to himself. And so he intends these things for our good.

All these things come as gifts from our Father in heaven, who loves us and intends them for our good. Why would we not put those things on?

To put it another way, we shouldn’t be overly interested in the box the garments come in, but should actually enjoy what Christ has given us.

So, since we are chosen of God, holy and beloved, let us live in the light of that and put on the things Christ has given us.

The Garments Listed

We see the garments, then, in verse 12. They are the fruit of the Spirit, the clothing that Christ gives his people:

• Compassionate hearts (compassion)
• Kindness
• Humility
• Meekness (gentleness)
• Patience

These are the garments Christ clothes his people in—a glorious raiment, supplying us with what we need.

I would argue (and will in the weeks ahead) that these are the very things necessary for what Christ commands us to do in the household codes (vv. 18–4:1). In other words, how can you be a faithful husband, wife, parent, child, worker, or master? By putting these things on—because they are the garments Christ has given us.

Brief Notes on Each

• Compassion – a display of concern for the misfortune of others. It is always directed outward, toward others, not inward.
• Kindness – a disposition of generosity or general goodness toward others. Again, expressed outwardly, not inwardly.
• Humility – not thinking too highly of ourselves, but having an appropriate understanding of who we are. We are chosen, holy, and beloved because of Christ, not because of ourselves.
• Gentleness (Meekness) – courtesy and consideration toward others, externally expressed.
• Patience – long-suffering, the ability to endure with steadfastness.

In all these, we imitate Christ, especially in the way he walked during his life on earth.

Christ’s Example

We see these garments expressed in Christ himself. For example:

• When children wanted to come to him and the disciples said no, he welcomed them, saying, “Let the little children come to me.”
• When the woman with the discharge touched him in faith, he stopped, cared for her, and declared, “Your faith has made you well.”

Over and over, Christ displayed compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

By contrast, we are children of wrath by nature. We were very proficient in sin—our parents didn’t need to teach us; we got better at it on our own. But in Christ, we are clothed differently.

As Galatians 2:20 reminds us: “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

So it is Christ who lives in us, working these things in us. He conforms us to himself. Since Christ lives in us, he works in us what tends toward his glory.

2. The Outcome or Benefits of the Garments

Beyond what we’ve already seen, Paul hints at further outcomes of putting on Christ’s garments in verses 13–14:

“Bearing with one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”

Unity in Christ

Christ rules in his church and produces unity. In verse 14 we are commanded to put on love, which perfectly binds everything together.

That means this unity is not just in word. We are not a united church merely because I get up every week and pray about it, or announce that we are united. No—it’s something we must live out in our daily lives and in our relationships with one another.

We are all called to make the choice to put on love, to be a church united around Christ—not just in word, but in thought and deed.

As James warns, if we see a brother in want and say, “Go, be warmed and filled,” but do nothing, our religion is worthless. Instead, we must put on love as we have received love in Christ.

Loving the Brethren

This means having true compassion, kindness, humility, patience, and love toward our brothers and sisters.

But here’s the hard truth: we are not naturally lovely people. Sin makes us unlovely. So Christ clothes us with what we need to love one another, to mortify our flesh, and to live in reality.

This is not “pie in the sky” religion. This is what we need to do.

So Paul says in verse 13: bear with one another, forgive one another. How much? As much as Christ has forgiven us. That means a bottomless well of forgiveness.

We do not seek vengeance; as we heard last week, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, says the Lord.” Love does not seek its own.

1 John 3 on Love

If you keep your finger here, turn to 1 John 3:14–18:

“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death. Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

John echoes Paul’s point. To put on Christ’s garments is to love the brothers and sisters—even to the point of laying down our lives for them. There’s no limit. We give freely, even if we think we’re giving more than others.

The Benefit: Unity, Patience, Forgiveness

So, back in Colossians 3, what is the outcome of putting on Christ and putting off the old self? It is collective unity, love, patience, and forgiveness. It is a foretaste of heaven—a church bound together in peace and harmony.

But that requires us to put sin to death in ourselves, even when others sin against us.

If a brother or sister sins, what do we do? We are patient. We wait upon Christ. We call them to repentance and stay with them until they do.

Even in the case of church discipline—if someone is excommunicated, but later repents, what is required of us? To receive them back fully as a brother or sister, restored with all the rights and privileges Christ has purchased for them. That is true patience, true forgiveness, true love.

Why Do Churches Fail at This?

If Christ is working this in his people, why do churches and Christians so often fail to live it out?

There are a few answers:

1. The mixture of wheat and tares. Not all who call themselves Christian truly are.
2. We still struggle with sin. Paul wouldn’t have to exhort us if we were perfect.
3. Even if others fail, we are still called to obey. Even if no one else hears the Word of Christ, the Christian must put on the new self because Christ lives in him.

So while it’s worth asking, “Why do we fail at this?” ultimately the call is simple: obey Christ. Do what he commands, regardless of what others are doing.

Illustration: The Uniform

Think of a uniform in the military, in sports, or in the workplace. It serves several functions:

• It distinguishes friend from foe.
• It identifies who the person is.
• It promotes unity among the group.

That’s what Christ’s garments do. They promote unity and love in the body. When we see compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, or patience in a brother or sister, we should say, “That’s Christ at work in them.”

It would even be appropriate to come alongside a brother or sister and say, “I’m so thankful for the way Christ is working in you in this area—your patience, your kindness, your compassion.” That’s not weird; that’s giving glory to God.

3. The Two Practical Means of Putting On Christ

We might ask: “How do I do this functionally? How do I actually put on these garments?”

Paul gives us two very practical means in verses 15–17.

a. Let the Peace of Christ Rule (v. 15)

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”

The first means is to let the peace of Christ rule in your life—or simply put, to let Jesus rule.

He is King of kings, King of this church, King of our families, King of each of us. He rules and reigns.

So when we hear his law, his command to “put on,” the question is: what would Christ have me do? Let that rule in your life. Say with him, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

That means putting to death whatever is contrary to Christ’s peace, seeking unity in the body, and actively working for peace. This doesn’t just happen by accident. It requires effort, because we are sinners, and at some point every one of us will need to walk with another through sin.

It also means that putting on the five garments—compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience—is itself letting Christ rule. We are saying: “Not those clothes, but these. Not the old garments, but the ones Christ has given me.”

In practice, this means choosing to preserve unity, especially when wronged. When someone sins against us, we have a choice: Will we respond in kind? Or will we respond as Christ commands?

Thankfulness also promotes Christ’s rule in our hearts. Gratitude recalls who Christ is and what he has done. Why would we not want him to rule in the heart he purchased with his own blood?

He owns us—body and soul, as the catechism says. He who died for us, who causes all things to work together for our salvation, is at the helm.

So we put on Christ by letting his peace rule in our hearts. And when we don’t know how to do that, we can simply pray, “Lord, help me.” For even when we don’t know how to pray, the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

b. Let the Word of Christ Dwell Richly (vv. 16–17)

The second means is found in verses 16–17:

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

What does it mean for the Word of Christ to dwell richly in us?

First, it teaches and admonishes us—telling us who Christ is, who we are, and what our duty is to him and to one another.

Second, notice that Paul speaks of this both individually (“in you”) and corporately (“teaching and admonishing one another”). This is something we do in our personal lives, but also something we do together as the body of Christ.

Paul specifically highlights one corporate way this happens: singing.

Singing the Word of God

Paul says we are to sing “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.”

In context, these terms likely refer to different categories within the Psalter—the inspired songs of Scripture. For example:

• Psalm 7 is labeled a “psalm.”
• Psalm 6 is labeled a “hymn.”
• Psalm 4 is labeled a “song.”

So Paul is saying: let the Word of Christ dwell richly in you by singing the Psalms.

This is not to say we may not sing other songs. Hymns like Amazing Grace or A Mighty Fortress are beautiful and edifying. But they are not the inspired Word of Christ in the same way the Psalms are.

Singing Scripture itself is a unique and powerful way of letting Christ’s Word dwell in us. When we sing the Psalms together, we are memorizing them, meditating on them, and teaching and admonishing one another with the very words of God.

Corporate Song as a Means of Unity

This is why congregational singing is so important. It is not about performance or aesthetic beauty, but about God’s Word dwelling richly in us as we admonish one another in song.

It is why the music should not drown out the voices of the congregation—we need to hear each other. Singing together is an expression of our unity. It’s something we can’t replicate on our own.

When we sing, we join our voices with our brothers and sisters, reminding each other of the truths of God’s Word. That’s why Paul emphasizes this as a corporate means of putting on Christ.

Summary of the Two Means

So, how do we put on the garments Christ has given us?

1. Let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts—seeking unity, choosing forgiveness, cultivating thankfulness.
2. Let the Word of Christ dwell richly in us—especially through singing together, admonishing one another with the Word of God.

Together, these means help us put on Christ, live in him, and grow in conformity to him.

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, we’ve seen:

• The necessity of putting on the new self in Christ.
• The outcome of doing so: unity, love, patience, and forgiveness in the body.
• The means Christ has given us: letting his peace rule in our hearts, and letting his Word dwell richly in us, especially through corporate song.

And in the days ahead, we’ll see how this is put into practice in verses 18 and following—the household codes. That’s where the rubber meets the road in our daily lives.

But even before we get there, what more could we say we need in our various household situations or in the places we find ourselves throughout the week than these very garments? Compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience—in short, Christ himself.

We need Christ. We need his garments. And the good news is: he lives in us now.

So let us put on, then, the garments that have been tailored for us by Christ—for his glory and for the good of our neighbor.

Closing Prayer

Let’s pray.

Lord, we ask that you would help us in these various things that you have set before us today in your Word. We ask that you would give us understanding, and that you would cause us all the more to seek the good of others above our own.

Grant that we might bring glory to Christ, and that we might look unto him, the author and perfecter of our faith.

In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.