“Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.”
(Colossians 3:12)
God’s people are not left to uncertainty or confusion concerning their place in His eternal purpose. He has chosen, redeemed, and called His elect to holiness and glory. At the same time, salvation is of the Lord from beginning to end. So when the Apostle Paul exhorts believers to “put on” these spiritual garments—mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience—he does not command us to create these virtues by human effort. Rather, he reminds us that because we are already chosen, beloved, and sanctified by God, we are to live in a manner consistent with that divine calling.[1]
The assurance of one’s calling is the anchor of a joyful and steadfast Christian life. The one who doubts their election is often tossed between fear and hesitation, unable to rest or delight in holy duties. But the one who knows with certainty that God has chosen and called them finds strength to persevere in obedience and hope. Assurance transforms duty into delight and obedience into worship.
This is why the apostles so often pressed the churches to be sure of their calling and election (2 Peter 1:10). They knew that assurance is the foundation of holiness. For a Christian who is confident of God’s love will strive to reflect that love. As Paul tells the Thessalonians, “Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God” (1 Thessalonians 1:4), that is to say, the evidence of their calling was visible in their faith, labor, and patience.
This divine calling is not only to glory in the life to come but to virtue in the life that now is. Holiness is therefore not optional; it is the evidence of adoption. God’s call to glory and virtue is a call to transformation—to walk in mercy, humility, and longsuffering because these are the attributes of Christ, our Head.
The word virtue carries a richness that extends beyond morality. It signifies courage, moral strength, and perseverance. The Christian life is active warfare against sin, the flesh, and the world. This is why Peter wrote, “Add to your faith virtue” (2 Peter 1:5). It is the valor of faith that stands firm under trial, the inner fortitude that resists compromise, the sanctified courage to walk uprightly when the world mocks righteousness.
Such virtue is forged in affliction. As gold is refined by fire, so faith is purified through trial. The believer who is certain of his calling understands that suffering is not a contradiction of God’s love but the instrument of it. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” (2 Corinthians 4:17). To be called to glory is also to be called through suffering.
Assurance, then, is not a resting in comfort but a pressing forward with courage. It gives perspective to pain, strength to endure, and joy in obedience. To know that God has called you by name and sealed you with His Spirit is to possess an unshakable peace amid every storm. It turns the Christian walk from anxious striving to grateful living. And patience endures because the believer’s confidence is not in self but in the God who called and keeps His own.
Contemplations
- The Comfort of a Certain Calling. There was a time when I doubted my place in Christ, but His Word silenced my fears. He called me before the foundation of the world by His mercy. So my assurance rests not on my faithfulness but on His unchanging purpose. To know that my name is written in heaven (Luke 10:20) gives rest to my soul and courage to serve.
- Glory Through Suffering. Glory is reached through affliction, not apart from it. Christ bore His cross before He wore His crown, and so must I. Every trial is but a refining fire, preparing me for eternal joy. My suffering, light and momentary, works a greater weight of glory that cannot be measured by earthly eyes (2 Corinthians 4:17).
- Strength for the Called. Strength does not come from ourselves; it flows from grace. I am commanded to stand firm, to “quit you like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13). Virtue, in fact, is faith in action, the bravery to live holy in an unholy world. And I can only do that through the strength of His Spirit.
- The Joy of This Calling. This world’s joys fade, but the joy of divine calling endures. To belong to God is my highest privilege. My assurance brings peace, my peace brings praise, and my praise brings glory to the One who chose me. “Better is one day in thy courts than a thousand elsewhere,” (Psalm 84:10). What joy to know I am His forever.
Prayer (Supplication)
O Lord my God, fountain of eternal love and giver of all grace, I bow before You in gratitude and dependence. You have called me out of darkness into Your marvelous light, set Your love upon me, and written my name in heaven. I am Yours—not because I sought You first, but because You sought me. You have chosen me from eternity, redeemed me through Christ, and sealed me by the Holy Spirit of promise.
Yet, Lord, I confess how often I waver in confidence. I look more to my weakness than to Your strength, more to my sin than to Your salvation. Forgive my unbelief, and grant me the assurance that belongs to Your elect. Remind me that Your calling is irrevocable, Your covenant unbreakable, and Your grace sufficient for every hour.
Teach me, Father, to walk worthy of my calling. Let the certainty of Your choice humble me. Clothe me daily with mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Let these graces shine as evidence that I am Yours. Keep me steadfast when the world mocks righteousness, patient when suffering comes, and courageous when temptation calls.
I thank You that my assurance does not rest on fleeting feelings but on Your eternal Word. You have said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” Let that voice quiet every doubt within me. Fill me with joy unspeakable, peace unshakable, and love unfeigned.
Grant me the strength to endure with faith and to live with virtue. Let me face affliction with the courage of one who knows the crown awaits. Make steadfast in obedience and thankful in all things.
O Lord, seal this assurance within my heart, that I may rejoice always and give thanks in everything. Let my life be a living testimony that Your grace not only saves but sustains. May all my days bring glory to You, who called me, sanctified me, and will glorify me.
In the name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and King, I pray. Amen.
Further References for Colossians 3:12
Ephesians 4:2, 32; Philippians 2:1; Luke 18:7; Romans 8:33
[1] “The more humble and jealous you are of yourselves, the more charitable, meek, and condescending towards your neighbors, and the more careful you are that no Injustice be done them, the more evident it will be that you are won over to Christ, for this is the Spirit of Christ and of his Gospel.” Nathaniel Appleton, Superior Skill and Wisdom Necessary for Winning Souls, (Boston: Printed and sold by Kneeland and Green, in Queenstreet, 1737), 45.
