Galatians 3:27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

Have put on in the Greek is endyō which means to sink into, an immersion, which is better represented by baptism than by cloaking, a putting on of a garment. So often people see putting on Christ as a cloaking, which is hiding yourself in the identity of Christ.

Romans 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.

Looking here in Romans, Paul is telling us this putting on of Christ is more than a cover up, it is an intentional behavioral change. It is embracing the immersion as one who has willingly given up a former life for a better life. Yet so many times we struggle as a drowning person grasping for air and flailing with our arms to get back to the surface.

Yesterday I pointed to the institutional behaviors that we bring with us. I recognize that changes come slowly and that we do struggle with this new identity in Christ. Since He is Lord and in charge of our change then allow me to point out that this loving God does not want to hurt you in any way during this conversion process.

He has no intention of destroying you in the process. He needs you to be you with all your experiences but without all the negative traits. Attitudes and behaviors are cooperative efforts. He heals the wounds but leaves the scars. They are a reminder of where you came from and indicative of the progress you have made. They serve to remind us to be compassionate to those who still suffer.

This reminds me of what a drill instructor used to tell me. “Lose the attitude.”

Colossians 2:6-7 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

Conversations that bother me usually begin with; “I cannot…”, “I’m not…”, “I don’t…”. It is frustrating for me to see brothers and sisters in the Lord claiming the negative. If you think you cannot then you cannot. If you think you are not, then you are not. If you don’t, then you don’t.

At the heart of the problem is unbelief. We should all pray that simplest of prayers, “Lord help my unbelief.” Negative self-image is impossible to overcome alone. We need help. Young people are convinced at an early age by negative reinforcement. They can be defamed with words like stupid, lazy, resentful, or just told they are bad.

Words don’t always say everything. Children watch how their parents behave and often grow up thinking this is how to act. Abuses come in many different forms. The lack of warmth and affection is one of the worst. It is not as uncommon as you might think.

For some of us that dependency of behavior is not discovered until we have children of our own. By then we have already started to pass down behavioral traits instinctively. Undoing the damage is not always as easy as realizing what is wrong.

Christ promised us abundance, abounding is passing on those behavioral traits. It is no longer who we are in Christ that matters, it is who Christ is in us. His overcoming the world has to begin with overcoming our natural and learned negative traits.

John 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

This has to begin with believing that all of Christ has been received in us. We did not receive Him in part but all of Him. Since He is fully God, what part of Him is unable to affect those changes?