Togas

In Galatians 3:27 Paul makes an interesting statement. He says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” Being baptized into Christ was not a reference to water baptism so much as it was to their conversion to Christianity. To “put on” is the same concept as getting dressed; one must put on his clothes before he leaves the house. At salvation we first disrobe, taking off the old way of life, and we put on Jesus.

But Paul’s use of “put on” had a slightly different meaning than just getting dressed. He was making a reference to the toga virils, which was a common custom that would have been familiar to the Galatians. The toga was the symbol of the Roman man, reserved especially for adults. Similar to the Jewish bar mitzvah, the toga virils was the ceremony in which a young Roman boy would officially enter manhood. He would be given his first toga, and everyone would know he was officially a man.

This is the same idea Paul had in mind when he wrote, “When I became a man I put away childish things (I Corinthians 13:11b).” Once he earned his toga, the young man would never want to return to his childish way of life.

I remember looking forward to the first day of school after summer break so that I could wear my new shoes or clothes. I can imagine the recipient of his first toga having the same feeling, wanting his old friends to see that he had grown up. He would be proud of his new attire, and he would make sure everyone knew he was a man now.

In context Paul uses the toga ceremony to illustrate the instantaneous nature of salvation apart from the works of the law, but we can also be challenged by his words. Do people see a difference in you? Are you a different person than you were before you “put on” Christ? Are you eager to show off your new standing in Him? There should be no denying the fact that you are a believer because you are wearing the Lord.