New clothes, but a filthy body

For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. (Galatians 3:26-27 NLT)

Like putting on new clothes. Do you remember getting new clothes as a child? It was kind of exciting, wasn't it? You'd get those shiny new shoes, perfectly pressed outfit, and perhaps even new underwear. You'd don these with a sense of pride almost. You'd feel special. Why would it be any different when we receive Christ into our lives? It is like putting on new clothes - perfect in every way - a special gift that makes all of our life 'special'.

As we place our faith in Christ's finished work on Calvary, we put off the old, dirty, shabby clothes of our sinful nature. We don the fresh, new, and perfect clothes of our new nature which only Christ can provide. We don't just get 'new clothes' though. When you got those new clothes as a child, didn't your mom or dad have you clean up first - taking a bath to prepare to don that new outfit? When we are clothed with this new nature in Christ Jesus, the old is washed away - all the filth and dirt of our sin. We are 'made ready' and 'prepared' to wear this new nature, all through faith in Christ - not by anything we do ourselves.

The change is instantaneous, but the fullness of that cleansing might take us a while to realize and incorporate into our lives. We try to live holy lives, but the truth of the matter is that we are unable to do it on our own. We need his nature residing within us in order for our lives to really change for good. We might attempt to don 'new clothes' through our own efforts, but we will still be the same 'unwashed, filthy sinner' under those 'good works'. We are only 'made new' when Christ does the washing!

New clothes don't belong on a filthy body any more than a new car body belongs on a rusty old car's frame. All of us needs to be made new, not in our own doing, but by the blood of Christ washing us from the inside out. Did the new clothes we received as a child make us a new child? No. At best, we felt 'special' or 'fresh', but our nature didn't change, did it? What we could never do for ourselves has been done for us in Christ Jesus. Our nature changes by welcoming him into our lives. We might think we can change on our own, but we will never be free of the filth of our sin until his grace touches our lives. Just sayin!