BAPTISM SUNDAY:
DRESSING FOR THE PART
According to the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, “What people wear influences how they feel and act.”
It’s true! Imagine showing up for a classy banquet wearing a pair of old jeans and a sweatshirt. Everyone else is in tuxedos and formal gowns. You feel out of place; you will act self-consciously and try to remain inconspicuous. You will even try to leave early.
Now imagine wearing a power suit, you know, the latest color and cut, with a dazzling silk tie and handkerchief to a volleyball game. There’s Brent at one of Griffin’s tournaments walking around like a boss. He may not be dressed for the occasion, but he stands out impressively and probably feels formidable.
What people wear influences how they feel and act. If you dress like an outlaw, you will feel like an outlaw. In certain circumstances, I like to pretend I’m as bad as all that.
In other situations, when I don my doctoral regalia, I feel a certain sacred authority and prestige. And I will act according to my regalia. I admit that it changes how I perceive myself.
When we dress for the part, we are elevated to a higher level of self-awareness.
Paul uses this imagery to make a similar point. If what people wear influences how they feel and act, then we must consciously put off the clothing of the old life “before Christ” and put on the new clothing of the new life “in Christ.”
I see in this a picture of baptism. Baptism is like taking off the old rags and putting on new white robes. At some point in the history of the church, candidates for baptism literally took off their clothing and were baptized naked. When they emerged from the water, a new robe symbolizing a changed life was presented to them. We won’t do that except in a figurative sense. What we will do is use Paul’s words to describe how the baptized believer is now clothed.
Putting off the Old Man: Life without Christ (4:17-19)
“So, I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.”
We are talking about the old life we leave behind in these verses. The picture of the Gentile style of life is painted in the darkest terms. Paul is not interested in accentuating the positives of Greek influence – their language, their culture, their contribution to democracy in politics – He wants to provide decisive reasons why they should “put off” the “old man” – a common term for the sinful past – and be distinctively Christian. The more drastic the contrast the better.
This is harsh. The Greeks (Gentiles) of that day were big on wisdom and philosophy. People still read the Greek classics today. Darryl Dash, however, says you could substitute “Canadians” for Gentiles: “You must no longer live as the Canadians do…”
How does Paul describe them? Three ways:
One – They are futile in their thinking. When you reject God, you disconnect your thinking from reality. Your mind is deceived and intellectually blind. Those who say there is no God ordering the workings of the world will later talk about Mother Nature. They reject God and put another in his place. Darkness shrouds the mind of the unbeliever so that he cannot see the confusion of his own statements.
Two – They are separated from the life of God. The word that Paul uses is “alienated.” To be so estranged from God that faith in Jesus is foreign – that’s alienated. When people move away from the reality of God choosing instead to believe in man’s ability to save himself, they harden themselves in their hearts and cannot grasp anything of Christian thought.
Three – They are morally corrupt. This is a downward spiral. Having been separated from God, they become desensitized to sin and its effects. A callous builds up on the heart. You can’t feel anything when there’s a callous on the skin. Feeling the sting of sin gets less and less as you indulge in it more and more. You get used to it, but you also want more of it. Martin Luther called sin: a human being curved in upon itself.
This is the old man of sin, the clothing of that former life without Christ. Is there hope for change in us? Shall we try harder to change? Paul says we can change, not by trying harder, but learning Christ.
Putting on the New You: How do we do that? (4:20-24)
That, however, is not the way of life you learned when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
A person may recognize their need to change their lifestyle: give up smoking, quit drinking, eat less junk food. But to become a better person is not easy. It’s hard to change. Do you know that real change doesn’t happen as we try to change ourselves? Change occurs when we look at Jesus, see what he has done, learn about him, and get to know him. As we enter into the school of Christ, his Spirit takes this burgeoning relationship with Jesus and changes us.
Look how Paul describes this change: We learned Christ when we heard about Christ. Someone said it this way: Jesus is the subject of our teaching; Jesus is the teacher; and Jesus is the atmosphere in which the teaching takes place. It’s all about Jesus. Let me make this clear: we are not learning some doctrine, we are focusing on a person, on Jesus.
We believe that Jesus Christ is a person whom we come to know through preaching and teaching the Scriptures. But learning Christ is not only about learning about him, it is being shaped by him, the risen Christ who is the source and the prototype of the new life.
Self-help programs promise a new body, a healthier lifestyle, and more. But you have to do the work. In learning Christ, there is work to do as well, but it is empowered by the Holy Spirit. He is the power in our change. He is the One who helps us take off the old man and become the “new you.”
Harry Ironside put it like this: In what sense am I being renewed in the spirit of my mind? How am I being renewed in my physical strength? I am strengthened physically by eating those foods that are nourishing and that will build a strong body. Then how am I renewed in the spirit of my mind? I am strengthened spiritually by feeding on His Word, enjoying communion with Him and fellowship with His beloved people. In all these ways we are being renewed in the spirit of our minds. You never saw a strong Christian who was not a Bible-loving Christian. You never saw a strong Christian who was not one who delighted in communion with fellow believers.
The Changed Life: What’s different about you? (4:25-32)
If you look at your life and determine that you have not changed that much, don’t be discouraged. What is hidden in the Greek of verse 25 is a tense that implies an ongoing experience. The “putting off” and “putting on” is a process that encompasses your whole life. You’re not there yet? I’m not either. It’s a journey. It’s got a big word to describe it: Sanctification! That means the Holy Spirit is doing the work in you as you give him permission to do so.
Christianity has been described as a religion of do’s and don’ts. It looks like Paul is affirming that in these verses. I believe the difference between the do’s and don’ts of religion and of our faith is that Paul gives a reason for them. (see the chart).
Verses | Put Off | Put On | Why |
25 | Falsehood | Speak Truthfully | We are members of one body |
26-27 | Do not sin in your anger | Resolve your anger | Gives the devil a foothold |
28 | Stealing | Work | Something to share |
29 | Unwholesome Talk | Words that build up | Benefits your listeners |
30 | Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit | Unity | You were sealed |
31-32 | Bitterness, rage, anger, etc. | Kindness, compassion, forgiveness | God forgave you |
He tells us to put off the old behaviors, put on the new behaviors, and gives a motivation for doing so.
A change of clothes will be obvious. So will a change of speaking and behaving.
In 1562, a man named Caspar Zacher was accused of being an Anabaptist, but the court record reports that since he was an envious man who could not get along with others, and who often started quarrels, as well as being guilty of swearing and cursing and carrying a weapon, he was not considered an Anabaptist.
In 1570, another man named Hans Jager was brought before the court on suspicion of being an Anabaptist primarily because he did not curse but lived an irreproachable life.
Kara is going to tell you her story of meeting with Jesus in a moment. You will hear how she changed after her encounter and why she wants to be baptized today. Sharon and I will affirm that we have seen the change in Kara.
She has begun the process of stripping away the old rags of the old life. Kara knows the path of Jesus and she wants to follow it.
Kara has not yet arrived at the perfection of speaking and acting but is allowing herself to be shaped by the person of Jesus Christ, her Lord and Savior.
Kara is being restored to right thinking through the work of the Holy Spirit in her life and that leads to right conduct, holiness and godliness before God
Let us rejoice with her as she demonstrates her allegiance to Jesus through baptism.
BTW, the name “Kara” means “Joy” in Greek.
AMEN
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