Put-Ons

[Rick Love]

Throughout the New Testament, followers of Christ are instructed to put off certain actions or attitudes and to put on others. Those actions or attitudes we are to put off are from our old sinful nature, from our flesh and its way of doing things. Those we are to put on are from our new spiritual nature, by the Holy Spirit within us, done by faith in, and obedience to God, and by his power, not ours.

Those attributes are not to be confused with the fruit of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22-23, nor with the gifts of the Spirit, found primarily in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Those are important as well, and in some cases, may overlap, but that is not what I’m talking about here.

The put-off, put-on process is not a self-help checklist. It is not striving to modify your behavior to somehow make it acceptable. It involves submission to Jesus Christ by faith, operating in his power, and deliberate obedience to his direction. The word of God is clear about our part in growing in our salvation. It is not a legalistic, works-based earning God’s favor, which is impossible, but we must walk in obedience to the Lord as followers of Christ.

This obedience involves changes at the heart level. I don’t just stop stealing, I become one who works and gives to others (see Ephesians 4:28). I don’t just stop lying, I become a truth-teller (see Ephesians 4:25). Just stopping something with nothing to replace the old way is a thief between jobs, or an addict between fixes. Something must be put on to replace it – something God has directed to be added or refined in your life. One key in this process is to focus on the put-on rather than the put-off. For instance, I focus on telling the truth every time with no shades, rather than not telling lies. Thomas Chalmers spoke of this when he talked about the “expulsive power of a new affection”. Speaking from experience, I know this is true!

New Bible Study

I would like to begin a study of the various put-offs/put-ons in the New Testament and see what they mean and how they can be implemented in our lives. I began this process several months ago and then set it aside when we got busy with our move, but it really made a difference in my life. I would like to choose a put-on word, try to define it, and then share whatever God has given me so far on that and how it is being implemented in my life.

I am hoping others will join me in this process and help us along with scriptures, quotes, and other thoughts that might be helpful. I don’t want to get into theology or arguments or a bunch of theories, but to share how God is teaching us to put on these actions and attitudes in our lives and how that is working.

These changes must be done in the power of the Holy Spirit or it will just be trying harder. After a time we can introduce another put-on.

I’d like to start in Colossians 3:12-17. This passage is filled with important put-ons. Verse 12 says:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
​

The first put-on is a compassionate heart

What is compassion? What is a compassionate heart? What does that look like in everyday life in practical actions and attitudes? I have asked God to show me in my own life how I can do this through him, and have given it some thought in relation to my life and marriage:

1. Compassion – being aware of and sympathetic to what someone else is going through – this means I take the focus off myself and my feelings and gently and honestly try to understand what someone else is going through, possibly helping them if I can
2. A compassionate heart is one that has been developed by exercising compassion for others over time
3. In my life, as one recovering from sexual addiction, compassion is not automatic, so my heart is not a compassionate one, but a selfish one learning to be compassionate with Jesus’ love and comfort. I do this okay for a few days and then blow it, but God is teaching me to be compassionate in these ways:

a. Care about the pain I caused my wife and what she is going through because of my old lifestyle. Listen to what she says, don’t interrupt, let her say all she needs to say, and try to put myself into her shoes instead of being defensive. This has helped a lot!
b. Care about others I have hurt by my sinful lifestyle of the past and the pain and damage to them instead of blaming others for my sins.
c. Care about my children and the shame and embarrassment they feel because of my past, and about their hurt and sense of betrayal. Give them some slack as they deal with all this, and all that means to their own lives.
d. Care about others who have sexual addiction or who were victims of them and share how God is taking me out of that darkness and into his light and freedom in Christ.
e. Care about others who are dying without Christ and going to hell.
​

Please comment and/or share how God has taught you or is teaching you in this specific area of putting on a compassionate heart. We need to be practical but gentle about how we share this.

 

[Christ4Ever]

@Rick Love

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ... 39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 22:37,39

Jesus had no need to have His heart changed, or directed to Love God or His neighbor. This is evidence in all that He did.

And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34

And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. Matthew 14:14

Compassion came readily to Him. So, when your mind is renewed and your heart is purified with the Love of Christ. Compassion will readily come to you, because He is in you and the byproduct of the love you have for God, His Son, and each other which will be evidenced more often in your life towards others.

Just my two cents Brother Rick.

With the Love of Christ Jesus Brother.
YBIC
Nick
<><

 

[Lanolin]

Well the parable of the old and new wineskins comes to mind, also the old and new garments. Luke 5:36-39 but also look at the context of what Jesus was saying about fasting.

Another is that as christ4ever has said a clean heart that God gives you. What happens is he circumcises your heart ie. cuts it, to take away the old, rotten bits. You might say He actually breaks your heart. This is so he can renew it and purify it. Surrender your old heart to the Lord.

How this looks for me, well I had to forgive others esp my mum for hurting me and see her with Gods eyes that she often did not know what she was doing and she was not really taught how to love me. Also she was abused by her own mother who treated her a lot more harshly than I ever got.

Or say when my boss is critical and hard on me well he has a lot of responsibility and he also has company reputation on the line. He gets stressed too and I cant make it worse for him by being a sloppy worker.

When others annoy me also Ive learned rather than complain to someone else just take it to the Lord. I probably dont understand why they acting rudely or a certain way that upsets me it could be they going through a bunch of stuff and lashing out at me cos Im just there. Instead of cursing them bless them or pray for them.

 

[Rick Love]

@Rick Love

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. ... 39 And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Matthew 22:37,39

Jesus had no need to have His heart changed, or directed to Love God or His neighbor. This is evidence in all that He did.

And Jesus, when he came out, saw much people, and was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things. Mark 6:34

And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. Matthew 14:14

Compassion came readily to Him. So, when your mind is renewed and your heart is purified with the Love of Christ. Compassion will readily come to you, because He is in you and the byproduct of the love you have for God, His Son, and each other which will be evidenced more often in your life towards others.

Just my two cents Brother Rick.

With the Love of Christ Jesus Brother.
YBIC
Nick
<><

Thanks for your thoughts, Nick. While I agree with what you said, as it is clearly stated in Scripture, I know that when someone has formed various sinful habits, they do not always go quietly, but must be put off and the right actions the Holy Spirit within is whispering to us must be put on by faith. Otherwise, why would Paul write passages such as Colossians 3:12-17 and Ephesians 4:25-32?

I know I have a tendency to try to do the changes myself, which I believe was a particularly applicable point for me in your response, and much appreciated! It is at those times, and not the ones where I am truly surrendered and walking with the Spirit, that I find my old nature tries to rear its ugly head and needs to be put back to death.

Thanks, Rick

 

[Rick Love]

Well the parable of the old and new wineskins comes to mind, also the old and new garments. Luke 5:36-39 but also look at the context of what Jesus was saying about fasting.

Another is that as christ4ever has said a clean heart that God gives you. What happens is he circumcises your heart ie. cuts it, to take away the old, rotten bits. You might say He actually breaks your heart. This is so he can renew it and purify it. Surrender your old heart to the Lord.

How this looks for me, well I had to forgive others esp my mum for hurting me and see her with Gods eyes that she often did not know what she was doing and she was not really taught how to love me. Also she was abused by her own mother who treated her a lot more harshly than I ever got.

Or say when my boss is critical and hard on me well he has a lot of responsibility and he also has company reputation on the line. He gets stressed too and I cant make it worse for him by being a sloppy worker.

When others annoy me also Ive learned rather than complain to someone else just take it to the Lord. I probably dont understand why they acting rudely or a certain way that upsets me it could be they going through a bunch of stuff and lashing out at me cos Im just there. Instead of cursing them bless them or pray for them.

Thanks, Lanolin, for the good comments and the helpful personal examples. I'm a good one for forgetting the part about applying what God is teaching at a practical level, and your comments were good examples of how to allow God to apply them in one's life. Having been very selfish most of my life, the transition to what the Spirit wants to do in my life is helped both by the practical ways the Bible teaches us which way to go and by observing others who are walking it and allowing God to make changes we could never do ourselves.

Thanks, Rick

 

[Bendito]

Throughout the New Testament, followers of Christ are instructed to put off certain actions or attitudes and to put on others. Those actions or attitudes we are to put off are from our old sinful nature, from our flesh and its way of doing things. Those we are to put on are from our new spiritual nature, by the Holy Spirit within us, done by faith in, and obedience to God, and by his power, not ours.

Those attributes are not to be confused with the fruit of the Spirit, found in Galatians 5:22-23, nor with the gifts of the Spirit, found primarily in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Those are important as well, and in some cases, may overlap, but that is not what I’m talking about here.

The put-off, put-on process is not a self-help checklist. It is not striving to modify your behavior to somehow make it acceptable. It involves submission to Jesus Christ by faith, operating in his power, and deliberate obedience to his direction. The word of God is clear about our part in growing in our salvation. It is not a legalistic, works-based earning God’s favor, which is impossible, but we must walk in obedience to the Lord as followers of Christ.

This obedience involves changes at the heart level. I don’t just stop stealing, I become one who works and gives to others (see Ephesians 4:28). I don’t just stop lying, I become a truth-teller (see Ephesians 4:25). Just stopping something with nothing to replace the old way is a thief between jobs, or an addict between fixes. Something must be put on to replace it – something God has directed to be added or refined in your life. One key in this process is to focus on the put-on rather than the put-off. For instance, I focus on telling the truth every time with no shades, rather than not telling lies. Thomas Chalmers spoke of this when he talked about the “expulsive power of a new affection”. Speaking from experience, I know this is true!

New Bible Study

I would like to begin a study of the various put-offs/put-ons in the New Testament and see what they mean and how they can be implemented in our lives. I began this process several months ago and then set it aside when we got busy with our move, but it really made a difference in my life. I would like to choose a put-on word, try to define it, and then share whatever God has given me so far on that and how it is being implemented in my life.

I am hoping others will join me in this process and help us along with scriptures, quotes, and other thoughts that might be helpful. I don’t want to get into theology or arguments or a bunch of theories, but to share how God is teaching us to put on these actions and attitudes in our lives and how that is working.

These changes must be done in the power of the Holy Spirit or it will just be trying harder. After a time we can introduce another put-on.

I’d like to start in Colossians 3:12-17. This passage is filled with important put-ons. Verse 12 says:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
​

The first put-on is a compassionate heart

What is compassion? What is a compassionate heart? What does that look like in everyday life in practical actions and attitudes? I have asked God to show me in my own life how I can do this through him, and have given it some thought in relation to my life and marriage:

1. Compassion – being aware of and sympathetic to what someone else is going through – this means I take the focus off myself and my feelings and gently and honestly try to understand what someone else is going through, possibly helping them if I can
2. A compassionate heart is one that has been developed by exercising compassion for others over time
3. In my life, as one recovering from sexual addiction, compassion is not automatic, so my heart is not a compassionate one, but a selfish one learning to be compassionate with Jesus’ love and comfort. I do this okay for a few days and then blow it, but God is teaching me to be compassionate in these ways:

a. Care about the pain I caused my wife and what she is going through because of my old lifestyle. Listen to what she says, don’t interrupt, let her say all she needs to say, and try to put myself into her shoes instead of being defensive. This has helped a lot!
b. Care about others I have hurt by my sinful lifestyle of the past and the pain and damage to them instead of blaming others for my sins.
c. Care about my children and the shame and embarrassment they feel because of my past, and about their hurt and sense of betrayal. Give them some slack as they deal with all this, and all that means to their own lives.
d. Care about others who have sexual addiction or who were victims of them and share how God is taking me out of that darkness and into his light and freedom in Christ.
e. Care about others who are dying without Christ and going to hell.
​

Please comment and/or share how God has taught you or is teaching you in this specific area of putting on a compassionate heart. We need to be practical but gentle about how we share this.

This is good....Put away the old nature and put on the nature of God...Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. (Reverential respect for God)

 

[Bill]

Well the parable of the old and new wineskins comes to mind, also the old and new garments. Luke 5:36-39 but also look at the context of what Jesus was saying about fasting.

Another is that as christ4ever has said a clean heart that God gives you. What happens is he circumcises your heart ie. cuts it, to take away the old, rotten bits. You might say He actually breaks your heart. This is so he can renew it and purify it. Surrender your old heart to the Lord.

How this looks for me, well I had to forgive others esp my mum for hurting me and see her with Gods eyes that she often did not know what she was doing and she was not really taught how to love me. Also she was abused by her own mother who treated her a lot more harshly than I ever got.

Or say when my boss is critical and hard on me well he has a lot of responsibility and he also has company reputation on the line. He gets stressed too and I cant make it worse for him by being a sloppy worker.

When others annoy me also Ive learned rather than complain to someone else just take it to the Lord. I probably dont understand why they acting rudely or a certain way that upsets me it could be they going through a bunch of stuff and lashing out at me cos Im just there. Instead of cursing them bless them or pray for them.

Excellent!!!