Romans 13:11-14 “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.”
We find Paul speaking with a sense of urgency here. He is speaking to the believers about a knowledge that they had. It is apparent that they Paul expected them to understand exactly what he was talking about. There was something very near to them.
We who believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ also face life today with a certain knowledge. We know that it is needful for us to live our life in a way that displays clearly the grace and mercy of God. Just as Paul had talked about the government in that day and the need for God’s children to live a life of love, so it is for us today. By God’s grace, we can look around us and know that it is time for every believer to plainly acknowledge his dependence on God.
It is not merely time, but it is high time for us to testify to the grace of God in our lives. We should feel a great sense of urgency in showing to all around us the love that Jesus has shown to us. We need to shake off our complacency (awake from sleep) and give God glory. Our conversation should reflect our conviction that God is still on His throne and in complete control of His creation.
Many see Paul’s statement that our salvation is nearer than when we believed as a testimony that the end of time is upon us. Certainly, the end is closer to us today than it was when Paul wrote this letter. However, there is a more immediate sense in Paul’s statement, seeing that no man knows the day or the hour when the end will come. As we have walked with the Lord and grown in grace and knowledge of the truth, our daily deliverance by God’s hand becomes more apparent to us and is therefore closer (dearer) to us than when we first came to trust in Christ.
Our day of giving God glory with our lives is upon us. The night of our doubt and confusion is waning in the light of Christ’s faithfulness to us daily. We need to cast aside the rhetoric of the world and the giving of credence to those who only see gloom and doom in our future. We should shiel ourselves in the sure knowledge that God has promised to never leave or forsake us.
As God’s obedient children, we should live constantly as if the light of day was shining brightly on our every thought and deed. We should not support or defend the riotous living of the world nor should we become intoxicated with the desires of this world. Regardless of society’s approval of such actions, we are to reject any notion of ungodliness. This is not to be done in a spirit of judgmental self-righteousness, but instead in a spirit of pure love for the Author of our salvation.
We have no authority to engage in quarreling with those around us or of being jealous of their position in life. We are called to show the love of Jesus Christ to the whole world. Our concern should never be about satisfying our desire for carnal things. Surely, our salvation is so close (precious) to us that our foremost desire is to see Jesus in our lives.
May we, by God’s grace, put on our Lord Jesus Christ who is our armor of light!