The New Man

Col 3:8-12

The progression between verses 8 and 12 is interesting:
in verse 8, we put off anger; in verse 12, we put on compassion.
in verse 8, we put off wrath; in verse 12, we put on kindness
in verse 8, we put off malice; in verse 12, we put on lowliness.
in verse 8, we put off railing; in verse 12, we put on meekness.
in verse 8, we put off shameful speaking; in verse 12, we put on longsuffering.

When someone wrongs him, a sinner becomes angry; a saint shows compassion.
When someone slights him, a sinner is provoked to wrath; a saint shows kindliness.
When someone acts against him, a sinner shows malice; a saint shows lowliness.
When someone does something stupid, a sinner rails against him; a saint displays meekness.
When something bad happens to him, a sinner speaks shameful words; a saint practices longsuffering.

Most of us are tempted to anger, wrath, malice, railing, or shameful speaking—most of the world condones, or even respects, these things.
Consider the television: who is exalted? Sitcoms, dramas, talk shows—who do people watch and look up to? Who does our fiction extol and portray as our role models? Is it not the people that get angry and do something against those that wrong them? Isn't it the people that get away with getting back at those that wrong them? Is it not the people that mock and abuse the people that wrong them? Is it not the people that curse those that wrong them?
If this is the case, then why shouldn't we expect to be tempted to react in these ways? Why shouldn't these reactions be 'natural' for us?
However, that which is natural is not necessarily desirable, and for us that desire to be Christians, these 'natural' things are not. Paul says we are to put off this 'natural' behavior and put on the opposite reactions. Instead of getting angry at our antagonist, we show concern for them. Instead of acting out of rage, we show kindness. Instead of doing something to harm them, we consider their feelings and their needs above our own. Instead of mocking or cursing or abusing them, we answer peacefully and suffer indignation and wrongs in silence.
And why would we do this? We do it not to increase our own righteousness—we do it not to preserve our sainthood; we do it not to keep ourselves holy.
We do no good thing for our own exaltation, or purity, or righteousness—we cannot. We give up the right to be holy when we become Christians; instead, we are purified. We are cleansed. We are sanctified. It's not of ourselves that we exhibit righteousness, so it can't be for ourselves that we show it...
If we do show righteousness, it is the righteousness of God. We show it by Him, for Him, to Him... He has become everything good to us and for us, and we must reciprocate or wither and die. But then, if we are showing our goodness to God and for God, then it is for God we show it, and not for men or for ourselves.