Bible/Scriptures (Putting on Christ)
“We also heard today from Saint Paul these words: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14). The Apostle Paul has spoken of this elsewhere, in the case of Christian Baptism: “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3:27). What does it mean, to “put on Christ”? It means that just as our clothes are fitted perfectly to our body, so it is with our baptism, where we are united and become one with Christ. Christ illuminates and guides our thoughts and feelings. He fills us with His light and His grace. When the believer is in this close relationship with Christ, then sinful passions are unable to enter the soul. That’s why the Apostle Paul returns to this idea. To remain united with Christ, as our clothes conform to our bodies.” (Metropolitan of Pisidia Sotirios)
“We already have before us the true model, clothed in every virtue: Christ our God. What He did, we “also must do” (Col 3:13). We are united to Him, and yet we spend our lives endeavoring to “put on Christ.” He reveals the form of the garment, but who does not require some major tailoring in his life – letting out a great deal there, taking in a little bit here? Getting the right fit is what this life is about. If we are to put on Christ, we must lay the fabric of our souls on the cutting table, measure it against the divine pattern we have been given, and go to work snipping and sewing.” (Dynamis 1/31/2021)
“For just as in the Son, God clothed himself in flesh, in the scriptures, one might say, God clothed Himself in human words.” (Sidney Griffith)
“Let us give thanks to God who clothed Himself in the names of the body’s various parts: Scripture refers to His ‘ears,’ to teach us that He listens to us; it speaks of his ‘eyes,’ to show that He sees us. It was just the names of such things that He put on, and, although in His true being there is not wrath or regret, yet He put on these names too because of our weakness. We should realize that had He not put on the names of such things, it would not have been possible for Him to speak with us humans. By means of what belongs to us, did He draw close to us: He clothed Himself in our language, so that He might clothe us in his mode of life.” (St. Ephrem of Syria)
“Spiritual books, and especially Holy Scripture, provide us with spiritual experiences. How? The spiritual book you read is the word of God, it is what God has said. If you’re sitting there reading, and happen to hear a voice you recognize, you say: I know that person. The voice reveals the person. Where God’s voice is, there is God, hidden within the voice. The spiritual book, in other words, is a mystery, a sacrament, a sign which conceals the presence of God himself. This is why an ecclesiastical writer said once that the words and lines of Holy Scripture are the garments of Christ. Just as I am covered by my clothing, so to do the pages of spiritual books cover Christ Himself.” (Archimandrite Aimilianos)
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