Getting Dressed

Looking at the Old Testament and New Testament verses that tell us to "put on".

Click here to see all of the scripture verses in the Old and New testament telling us to put on something.

As I ponder these verses, I think of our daily routine.  We get up out of bed, we eat breakfast, we shower, and we chose to get dressed for the day.  We women tend to contemplate our attire more deeply than our male counterparts. Either way, we all make an effort to get dressed.

So as I review these verses, as I stated in my pondering of the OT verses, So our garments that we PUT ON spiritually transmit holiness?  It sure is worth thinking on.   

What are we told to put on?

OT

Put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban.

Put on strength

Put on righteousness like a breastplate, And a helmet of salvation on His head 

And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle.

NT

Put on the Lord Jesus Christ

Put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Put on the new self,

Put on the full armor of God

      HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,

Put On the New Self

Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience ;

Put on love

Put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

So we are to intentionally to get dressed each day spiritually just as we do physically.  We are to be clothed in Jesus Christ.  We mortals are to put on immortality as God has set eternity in our hearts.  As we put on Jesus, we cannot manufacture it.  As we sit quietly in His presence, basking in that fellowship, He becomes our armor bearer.  The armor bearer helps the warrior PUT ON their armor before the battle.  We cannot do it ourselves.  We must come before our armor bearer and allow Him to work with us as we CHOSE to PUT ON all that we are to PUT ON for the day.  You see we have an armor bearer that KNOWS what we need to wear in order to face the day that is before us. 

So as we choose to be clothed in Christ, we will be a new self, we will be compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient.  As we allow Christ to dress us in this new self

Since we no longer really use a breastplate, lets take a look at what it is.

• One definition says it is a device worn over the torso to protect it from injury, as an item of religious significance, or as an item of status. (I think the closest thing we have in our time is the bullet proof vest)

• Also a "breastplate" or "breastpiece" was among the clothes of the Jewish High Priest. In the Bible, the word Breastplate is used figuratively to describe protecting oneself from unrighteousness ( Isaiah 59:17, Ephesians 6:14 )

Read some of the information regarding the breastplate on this web page.  It is beautifully written. The Breastplate of the High Priest   Also  from Breastplate of Righteousness    "At the time the Bible was written, the breastplate was perhaps the most important piece of armament for a Roman soldier to put on and keep on in battle.  It protected his heart area, and other vital organs.  What significance does the “breastplate of righteousness” have for believers now? It is perhaps best understood in this manner:

• Project yourself into the future.  Imagine standing before God on the Judgment Day.  You will enter the place of Judgment with one of these two garments.
• 1) Your filthy robe of unrighteous rags.
• 2) Christ’s spotless robe of righteousness.  
• Either you will have your filthy unrighteous robe of rags covering you, or you will have Christ’s spotless robe of righteousness covering you -- there is no third robe God will allow you to wear on the Judgment Day.  And ... it will be your choice of which robe you will be wearing: God gives each of us that choice right now. 
• How do we describe your or my “filthy robe of rags?”  Our robe of filthy, sin-saturated rags is our own perceived holiness – our own perceived righteousness - we bring or attempt to present to God, based on our “religious doing good.”  This was what we ignorantly (or pridefully) did during our lifetime on earth to try to help make ourselves “good enough” to be allowed to spend eternity in heaven with God."

The battle for Christians is in the mind. Thoughts believed become spirit. God has given us armor to protect us in this thought life battle. Righteousness is the first thing to seek, and the first thing the devil wants to take from you. If he can get your righteousness he can inflict a terrible wound.  The devil always wants Christians to base their righteousness on their own performance. Your performance will never qualify you to be righteous. Even if you had a a perfectly flawless performance and never sinned but one time you would be disqualified. The bible says Jesus is our righteousness. When the priests took the lamb before the sacrifice in the temple they examined the lamb for the flaws not the person bringing the lamb. If you start talking to the devil about anything righteousness related that relies on your performance you loose. The only righteousness that exists for human kind is the blood of Jesus Christ. Their is no human righteousness. If you messed up then put it under the blood and use your breastplate.

Joseph prince quote:

“I believe that right believing leads to right living. You cannot set yourself free from condemnation by self-efforts. But when you believe the finished work of Jesus has made you righteous in God’s eyes, you receive His power to reign over your negative circumstances and live the abundant life.
Condemnation kills, but the Spirit gives life! Always look to the finished work of Jesus who paid the price for your freedom. Look and live!”

As a trainer in the fitness industry, I am always encouraging my clients to strengthen their core.  the reason we strengthen the core is so we can stand strong and be able to properly support our structure.  A strong core helps prevent injuries and maintain healthy living, it also allows you to do the things you need to do with less fatigue.  ALL physical movements originate in the "core"