Uniforms

Our permanent "outfit" for life in Christ.

Gospel Connections — Entry #2 — Uniforms

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

“OOTD” or “Outfit of the day” is a modern term and trend where individuals showcase their choice of clothing for the day; whether TikTok or Instagram, people share the brand and style they are aiming for that day.

The obvious question is why. Clearly everyone has their own reason, but I believe the common denominator is that they want to be seen in a particular way; isn’t that why we all choose particular clothing? We want a style that fits us (sometimes unless it’s for work) and communicates that to others whether we are as vocal as others or not. It can be “athleisure”, professional clothing, or even a uniform for your local McDonalds.

Furthermore, the outfit has this unique power in shaping our mentality for the day. It can be comfort or confidence perhaps; that is part of the reason why some institutions require uniforms, like schools. Uniforms feel outdated and even oppressive or restrictive to some, yet the idea (and it does actually work for many) is that there is an identity or grouping that such outfits create within the environment. You aren’t just you anymore (even while you maintain autonomy), but you belong to a bigger community by virtue of that uniform or outfit. Just think of any community; they all have their style and their outfit that makes them uniquely identifiable.

Similarly, I think there is a useful analogy here in the idea of uniforms; particularly for the Christian. In Christianity, there is this core teaching: old self and the new self; dead in sin or alive in Christ; in Adam or in Christ. It is the dual-reality where we are either walking around as our natural old self who is dead in our trespasses and sins and in Adam, or we are walking around as our new self who is alive in Christ by grace no longer a slave to sin and even clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

We all start in the former camp: conceived in sin, dead in trespasses, and in Adam. We need to be in the latter: born again in Christ and freed from the bondage of sin. The way we do that is exchanging our filthy robes of personal sin for the holy righteous robes of Christ who unites himself to us; we do so as an act of faith. We acknowledge our sins and sinfulness before and against the almighty God, place our trust in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who came born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on the cross for the sins of those would believe, was resurrected three days later, and now sits at the right hand of the Father. We confess our sins, receive grace and place our faith in Christ to save us; in doing so, we are exchanging our life uniform — death to life, old to new, in Adam to in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17 above).

That’s the reality now for the Christian who has repented of their sins and put their faith in Christ. We are longer no in debt for our sins but Christ has paid for them all in totality when he was crucified; we are no longer slaves to sin but free in Christ to overcome the old self when it rears its ugly head; we no longer have to operate without hope or change but we are transformed by God and filled with hope. Be clothed in Christ’s righteousness.

It flows logically and simply from that new reality of being “in Christ” with a new “life uniform” that our lives are changed. We no longer live for ourselves but for God and his glory seeking his kingdom and righteousness first. We no longer pray for our will to be done but that the will of the Father be done on earth as it is in heaven. We no longer perform the deeds of the flesh but bear the fruit of the Spirit. We are made new by God and therefore should act like it because it has happened.

So as you get ready for school, work, or your favorite activity with that particular uniform, consider this connection.

For the Christian, remember who you are now — and it is abundantly good; far more than you know, so dive deeper into this reality by learning more; our Heavenly Father wants us to understand who we are in Him more and more deeply; much of our inner turmoil comes from the fact that we don’t recognize or live in recognition of this gracious and truthful reality.

For the non-Christian, consider your state and where you are: still in sin, hell-bound, filthy robes, and needing a savior. The good news is that he has come, in the incarnate son Jesus Christ, and is the way of salvation. You need a new uniform; receive yours today through faith in him.

~Elliott