When God tells us that His image has to take shape in us, He is telling us that His attributes/character are to be imprinted in us, that we must clothe ourselves with the wedding garment. God has prepared this project for us even before the foundation of the world. (For those whom He foreknew, He also foreordained to be like the image of His Son. Romans 8:28)

God’s plan for us is to restore His image in us. He directs us through the Holy Spirit to clothe us with His own image/things from above. These garments which we must clothe ourselves with are our wedding garment. If we don’t have the wedding garment, we will be cast into outer darkness. (Friend, He said to him, how did you get in here without a wedding garment? Matthew 22:12)

One of the things we need to do is to put off the old man with his works and put on the new man, who is made in the image of God. (Put on the new man, made in the image of God. Ephesians 4:24)

The wedding garment has in its fabric kindness, patience, gentleness, love, patience… (Put on the new garment with a tender heart, with kindness, with humility, with gentleness, with longsuffering. But above all these clothe yourselves with love, which is the bond of perfection. Colossians 3:12,14)

This is the new garment or the wedding garment. It is the garment of our heart which makes us like Lord Jesus.

Kindness, patience and love must take root in us and are obtained by keeping the Word of Christ under the guidance of the Spirit. (We are changed into His likeness, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18)

He who begins this good work in us, through His Word and the Holy Spirit, will carry it on to completion. (For we are His work. Ephesians 2:10) He gave His Son to die so that we may be forgiven, He sowed the seed (the Word of Christ) in our heart from which life springs, and He also gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit for our renewal and growth. (… through the renewal of the Spirit… Titus 3:5; you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38)

The Holy Spirit works throughout our lives to sanctify us. The Spirit becomes our guide, prompting and guiding us. He works with the help of the Lord’s teachings to grow us, to achieve the result God desires, that is, His image, to be clothed with the wedding garment. (… through sanctification worked by the Spirit. 1 Peter 1:2)

The teachings of Lord Jesus are indispensable in order to imprint in us His attributes, to mould us into His image.

The Holy Spirit will take each teaching individually and work with us to perfect us, to put on the wedding garment. (When the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever is heard He will speak. John 16:13; He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. John 14:26)

The Holy Spirit does not come to us to sit somewhere in a corner of our hearts, unheeded, without us allowing Him to be involved in our lives.

He only comes in a leadership position and only when we agree to obey Him in an absolute sense. This is why God tells us to aim to be ruled totally by His Spirit. (Be filled with the Spirit. Ephesians 5:18) He comes and takes over our lives and works in them to put His fruit in us. (… walk in the Spirit and do not fulfill the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16)

The Spirit works with us and supports us in our weaknesses. He understands our weaknesses and helps us by interceding for us. (And so also the Spirit helps us in our weakness: for we do not know how we ought to pray. But the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unutterable sighs. Romans 8:26)

But if we will not walk in obedience to His promptings, then He cannot help us in our weakness. Thus we will stop the Spirit’s work. He will not force us to work if we don’t want to. (Do not quench the Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:19)

Only if we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit of Christ and seek as a precious bead the things of the Spirit, will He guide us to obtain them. (… walking after the things of the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6; Those who live by the Spirit’s promptings walk by the things of the Spirit. Romans 8:5)

Where there is new life, there will appear as a result of the Spirit’s work, the first fruits (… we have the first fruits of the Spirit. Romans 8:23) Therefore we can easily check whether the Spirit is dwelling in us.

Scripture tells us that we receive the Spirit, not to live for ourselves, but to become like the Lord, to have love, and to be of use to others. (Love does not seek its own use. 1 Corinthians 13:4; And to each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of others. 1 Corinthians 12:7)

In order to receive the things of the Kingdom or the treasures of the Kingdom, we first need to understand what they are. Them we must give up the old things and replace them with the treasure found in the Kingdom, i. e. the things/fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) Then we must give up self-love, or living life for ourselves. (Indeed, none of us lives for himself… Romans 14:7)

Thus we will begin a new life with the new things of the Kingdom. We will begin to work on the restoration of our character, the wedding garment, guided by the Spirit of God (And put on the new man, made in the image of God, of a righteousness and holiness that is the truth. Ephesians 4:24)

When the new life begins, we have new concerns, new things. (If anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old things are gone: behold, all things are become new…these things are of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17,18)

We are in His workshop every day, working with Him to change into His image. Through obedience to the promptings of the Spirit, and through the Word of the Gospel, the fruits of the Spirit will be formed in us.

One fruit of the Spirit’s work or fabric of the wedding garment is the subduing of lust. If we obey the Spirit’s promptings, He works with us to sanctify ourselves, to put away lusts, to think no evil, to be free from anger, etc. (… through sanctification worked by the Spirit. 1 Peter 1:2)

When we are tempted, the Spirit will remind us of the words of the Lord, will urge us to unite with faith, works. Then he will guide us, that we may be able to turn away our minds from vain things and flee from the lust of the eyes. (By obeying the truth you have purified your souls through the Spirit. 1 Peter 1:22)

Our part is to crucify the old man with his passions and lusts (the works of the flesh, the lust of the eyes), to work to restore His image in us together with the Holy Spirit, to put on the new man. (If, your right eye causes you to fall into sin, take it out and cast it from you. Matthew 5:29)

In order to crucify the flesh, the Lord will give us as a helper besides the Holy Spirit the members of the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12) This is why we cannot join with anyone, but must be only in that Church where purity is practiced and sin is not tolerated.

There we will be helped by the Holy Spirit and by the other members to grow and to crucify the old flesh. We are to be with those who do not love the world nor the things of the world. Their subjection to the things of the world (e. g. going to the sea, evil speaking, watching TV and the internet, moonlighting, bribery, etc.) will help us to put off the old man. (Flee the lusts of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace, together with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. 2 Timothy 2:22)

Have we begun to walk after the things of the Spirit as after treasure? Are they a daily priority? Do we have the first fruits of the Spirit? Do you have as fruit of the Spirit’s ministry, the subduing of lusts? Has patience, goodness, come into being? Are we working on the wedding garment?

He who has the Spirit, has his fruit. (You will know them by their fruits. Matthew 7:16) Don’t fool yourself into thinking you can have the Spirit if you don’t have His fruits.

If we have given up some sins (drinking, smoking, partying) read the bible, sing, pray, have bible studies, but still live for ourselves, and don’t walk after the things of the Spirit, then we can be sure that new life has not yet begun.

This study is an excerpt of the booklet "The Wedding Garment", fully available online on https://unmodifiedword.com/.