One God & One Lord

I heard a preacher on the radio a day or two ago say that to “put on Christ” is the same thing as putting on “the armor of God” from Ephesians 6. Elsewhere, I read where someone said that to “put on Christ” was the same thing as putting on the “new self.” That made me curious to see if and how they all relate.

• Romans 13:14 NASB
  But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.

• Ephesians 6:11 NASB
  Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. … through verse 18 …

• Romans 13:12 NASB
  The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Notice that “put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12) appears just two verses before “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13:14). I split them on purpose in order to tie in Ephesians 6:11.

How do the above verses relate to the verses about putting on the new self? Are there two ways to view the idea of putting on Christ? Or do they all really mean the same thing?

1. To put on the armor of light.

2. To put on Christ

3. To put on the full armor of God

4. To put on the new self

5. To clothe yourselves with Christ

(To “clothe” and to “put on” are the same Greek word. Many translations use “put on” in Galatians 3:27)

• Colossians 3:10 NASB
  and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him
  

• Ephesians 4:24 NASB
  and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
  

• Galatians 3:27 NASB
  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

The meaning of Colossians 3:10 and putting on the “new self” is further defined in verses 12 and 14:

• Colossians 3:12 NASB
  So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;
  

• Colossians 3:14 NASB
  Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

Kind of sounds like the fruit of the spirit from Galatians 5:22-23, doesn’t it?

• Galatians 5:22-23 NASB
  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Similar attributes are also described as armor in 1 Thessalonians:

• 1Thessalonians 5:8 NASB
  But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Which brings us back to the armor of God in Ephesians 6, which includes the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation.

Looks to me like it is all speaking of the same thing. To put on Christ is to put on the new self, to put on the armor of light, the full armor of God, and to walk according to the Spirit, exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit. (See also Romans 8:4, Romans 8:13, Galatians 5:25).

Have you put on the Lord Jesus Christ?

The four statements below were copied from the Statement of Belief at a Biblical Unitarian website. I think they comprise a good, basic statement of biblical unitarian theology. Statements beyond these four items on Unitarian statements of belief are basically denomination-specific.

1. We believe that the Scriptures are “God-breathed,” perfect in their original writing, without flaw or contradiction, and provide the only sure and steadfast basis for faith. Understanding the Scripture is attainable by applying logic and sound principles of biblical interpretation, in conjunction with the spirit of God in us.
2. We believe that God, the Creator, the Father of Jesus Christ, is “the only true God” (John 17:3), holy and separate from all His creation. He is a personal God who has committed Himself to us in writing.
3. We believe that Jesus Christ, the “last Adam,” is the only-begotten Son of God. He was born of the virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, suffered and died as a payment for all men’s sin, was raised from the dead and exalted to the position of “Lord” by God His Father.
4. We believe that “the Holy Spirit” is another name for God, while “holy spirit” is God’s gift of His divine nature that a person receives when he is born again, the “spirit of truth” that Jesus promised.

When encountering anything “unitarian,” it is good to understand the distinction between what is known as “Unitarian Universalist” and “biblical unitarianism” or “Biblical Unitarians.” Biblical unitarians have specific beliefs about God and Christ that differ from trinitarianism (God in three persons), as noted in points 2, 3, and 4 above. Beyond that, biblical unitarians and trinitarians often overlap in what they believe, with variations within denominations.

Unitarian Universalist (UU), on the other hand, is a wholly separate religion unto themselves. One might compare it to Scientology, the religion invented by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, in that UUs accept all deity beliefs and even non-theistic beliefs. Basically, UUs have no set beliefs about anything.