Put On The New Manনমুনা

Tell Me What You Are Wearing, And I Will Tell You Who You Are 

The way in which we dress has a lot to do with our lives. As a matter of fact, when we see what other people are wearing, we can jump to conclusions. For instance,

· A man wearing a kippah and a tunic will make us think of a certain religion, nationality, culture, and way of life. 

· It is the same when we see a woman wearing a veil covering her face, only allowing her eyes to be seen. 

· When we see kids wearing head-to-toe black, spikes all over their clothes, and extravagant and pointy hairstyles, we immediately think about what kind of music they listen to. We might say, “They are part of the Punk movement!”

· If we see a very muscular man, wearing a tight shirt, we think he might be a bodybuilder. 

· If we see a group of men and women wearing bell-bottom pants, colorful garments with psychedelic patterns, vests, and headbands, we might think that they are hippies who got stuck in the 60s!

· A man wearing a plaid t-shirt, boots, and a hat makes us think of a cowboy. 

· If we see someone covered in filthy rags, barefoot, wandering around in the streets, we think that person might be homeless.

· When we see an elegant lady, wearing a long black dress with fancy jewelry, we might think that the lady is not going to her workplace, but to a party.

· Two men wearing warm jackets, gloves, scarves, wool beanies, and skiing boots give us the idea of which sport they practice. 

· Five men wearing mariachi clothes are not going to a rock party; they are a mariachi band!

This is why I want to talk about what we put on. We need to get rid of the old self and put on the new self. The first suggestion the apostle Paul makes to the Colossians regarding this particular subject is, “Do not lie to each other!” That is something we need to practice diligently. He continues, saying “you have put off the old man,” referring to Adam, the sinful nature, the one born of the flesh many years ago when each one of us was born. Only through the work of the Father, by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we can put off the old man and understand we should not keep manifesting Adam’s character in our lives. 

The Bible compares Adam’s nature with drab, dirty, smelly, and ragged clothing, like an old robe with holes everywhere, unpleasant to the eye. Those clothes are the doings and actions of the old man, the old self, the old nature, as a result of living without God since the moment we were born. The clothes of the old self may consist of a lot of things, all of which we must put off.