Romans 13:11-14
"And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh"
If Christ is only used as a mask to perpetuate your own "good image" then you are trying to dirty the clothes Christ has given you. If only you could see that you put on your old dirty rags again. I don't have a "good image" I am a pretty horrible human being. There is no lie to that. People say I am a pretty good guy, and hey I am that too. I am not going to lie to myself though. I could improve this or that. I make mistakes, I own up to them the best I can. I've had less than pure relationships and carried out lusts in my relationships. I did deeply care for them, but is that a good enough excuse to cover my disrespect for them or myself? Probably not, but its my fault. I surely do not have my Righteous clothing that Christ gave me. Threw them in the dresser, and grabbed my dirty rags of my old life.
I am one of those "Christians" that probably perpetuates the hypocrisy, hate, and dislike for Jesus as a person. Jesus asked me to be a representative of him in the world. That is Jesus' light shining through my character and letting other people see the amazing life of Christ through me. One things wrong though, people get caught up in what I am doing with my life, especially focusing on my shortcomings. It seriously frustrates me to see other use Christ's clothing to promote their "good image" and fashion Jesus into a weapon. I've made my share of mistakes, but when I go to Christ and surrender my sins, and accept my clothing again to wear, its not our job now to go on a righteous quest to purge, put down or attack sinner. No, here it says to just to forget about satisfying the desires of the flesh. The examples of resisting "carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealous" are what we are to avoid this.
Ephesians 6:10-11
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Saying this I guess some people might mention that their is the Armor of God, but again read just this short excerpt from it, "so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." I know that we tend to demonize people but I don't think that our Armor of God is something to be used against our fellow brother and siblings. The sinners that we live among yet we are sinners able to wear the Righteousness of Christ cause he wills us. What happen to forgive us the wrong we have done as we forgive those who wrong us we say in the Lord's Prayer? How about we stop using Christ as a mask, own up to our mistakes and not hold the same mistakes above another person's head.
