And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. — (Romans 13:11-14)
Once, in a home cell group meeting, I used this question as an icebreaker. "If you could live in some time in history other than today, when would that be and why?" It is an interesting question. To answer it, one must think of both the advantages and disadvantages of a particular period of history as they appeal to our personal preferences.
The reason this question is relevant is that so many people decry our day as one where people must endure the results of a decaying society and a declining morality. People are unsafe on the streets, violence is increasing, public corruption is assumed, integrity is a scarce commodity, and this is only to scratch the surface. Some people, seeing this, remember an ostensibly better time. It may not have been radically better, but at least it seemed to be. In fact, it probably was.
The pages of our newspapers are filled with stories confirming the chilling reality that our society is in real trouble. Just a few headlines from Friday’s Philadelphia Inquirer: Stolen 32-cent stamps are showing up in North Philadelphia; 8 accused in Mantua drug ring; Willingboro police officer is charged with sex crimes; Murder-suicide possible in Montclair deaths; 47 charged in N.Y. stolen goods ring. Not only are we experiencing an increase in violence and crime, but we are experiencing an almost total abandonment of moral integrity. Indeed, we have been subtly but quickly shifting our view of life and reality from one based on a biblical foundation to one based on personal fulfillment and autonomous self-gratification.
We also are living in an age that not only disregards, but also ridicules, those who would follow Christ and believe in the Bible. It is chilling, and we should be concerned. These kinds of things characterize our time, and they pose definite challenges to us as Christians.
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. (13:11)
The first challenge of our times is found in this exhortation to awaken from sleep. What the great apostle Paul is saying is, "Get your eyes open!" He is saying, "Wake up! Get out of bed! Get your eyes open and look around at what is happening!"
There was very good reason for Paul to say that in his day to the Church. And there is equally good reason for it to be said again today to the Church. If there was ever a time for the Church to awaken from its lethargy and slumber, it is today. It is time for the alarm to sound and for Christians to wake up and see just how late the hour is.
Has someone ever awakened you from a deep sleep? Perhaps it was your husband or wife, or maybe a phone call in the middle of the night. Your first reaction may have been to ask, "What time is it?" And this is precisely the question that a slumbering Church needs to ask today. Our text indicates that we ought to know the time. And what time is that? Well, it’s time to get up, because our salvation is nearer than when we believed.
What does he mean, "knowing the time?" What time is it to which he is referring? It seems fairly clear that he is referring to the time of the end. He is referring to the time when Jesus returns to bring to completion all of his purposes in redemption. But how can that be? I thought Jesus said that no one knew the time of His return, that only the Father in heaven was aware of the exact hour and day. That is true. We can’t know exactly when Christ will return. But there are several important things we can know about His return.
While the Bible teaches that we can’t know the exact day or hour, it also teaches that we can read the signs of the times in order not to be taken by surprise at His coming. In 1 Thessalonians 5:4 we read, "But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief." In other words, we should be able to discern from the signs around us that we are truly living in the last times.
What is some of the evidence that we are living in the last days? In Matthew 24, Jesus revealed to His disciples some of the signs of the times. Among the things He mentioned were the rise of false messiahs, wars and rumors of wars, an increase of famines and earthquakes, the increased persecution of Christians, and the rise of false prophets. In verse 12 of that chapter, He says, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold." It sounds much like today, doesn’t it? Again, in 2 Timothy chapter 3, we have a picture of the end times. It says, "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." (vv. 1-5)
As we have already stated, we are seeing the kinds of things prophesied in Scripture happening at an alarming rate. It should be apparent to any discerning Christian that Jesus’ return is may be closer than ever. How much closer is it today than when Paul penned these words almost 2000 years ago?
The Bible says our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. But how can salvation be nearer? I thought when you believed, you were saved, and you had received salvation. The key to understanding this is to understand what the Bible means by salvation. What he is saying here is that the fullness of our salvation, or the completion of our salvation is nearer. You see, salvation is a process that begins when a person is born-again. There is a past to our salvation. It is called justification. In justification, we received deliverance from the penalty of sin. We are made right with God. But there is also a present to our salvation. This is called sanctification, a process by which we are continually being set apart for God. In sanctification, we receive deliverance from the power of sin. But there is also a future to salvation. It is called glorification. One day we will be marvelously changed in the twinkling of an eye. We will be glorified. In glorification, we will receive deliverance from the very presence of sin. So what the great apostle is saying, is that the completion, or the consummation of our salvation is nearer today than it was the day when we first placed our faith in Christ.
The message is crystal clear: the hour is late; Christ may come at any time. So far as I can read the Scripture correctly, I can find nothing in the prophetic timetable of events that precludes His coming. Indeed, our age challenges us with that possibility. There is nothing which must yet take place before Christ comes again. Christ may come at any time, and we must be ready for Him to come today.
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. (13:12)
When he says, the night is nearly over, he is speaking of the night of Christ’s absence. The night of His absence is almost over, the day of His coming again is almost here. The picture we have is of an early morning sunrise. It is still dark, yet, as we look toward the horizon, we begin to see the faint glimmer of the sun’s rays as they pierce the darkness. First one ray and then another, until the sun, in all of its glory, breaks the plane of the horizon, as the darkness flees in the light of its presence. It’s morning. It’s sunrise. Get your eyes open, and get your clothes on. The normal thing you do when you wake up and get out of bed is to put your clothes on. If you wear nightclothes, you take your nightclothes off and put your day clothes on. This is the exhortation here in verse 12. We are exhorted to lay aside our nightclothes, the deeds of darkness, and to put on the armor of light.
If the Christian is to live in light of the coming of Christ, if he is to respond properly to the challenge of our time, he must be aware of the danger around him. As the devil’s time runs out, he will increase his attack on the Kingdom of God. He will seek to deceive, to discourage and to destroy every Christian he can. We must be on our guard, and we must be clothed in the armor of God.
Notice here that there is something to put off and something to put on. We are to put off anything that smacks of the darkness. We are to forsake sinful actions and attitudes. We are to turn our backs on sin, and we are to take up the armor of Christ. Verse 14 indicates that to put on His armor is to put on His person. We are to put on Christ, and be clothed in Him. Only He can cause us to stand against the onslaught of Satan. Only He can cause us to come through victoriously in our spiritual warfare. So, Christian, wake up, get your eyes open, and get your clothes on. Get ready for work.
Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (13:13-14)
There is a phrase that was tossed around some years ago which says, "Get your act together." It means that we are to think about our direction in life, our priorities, our values, our lifestyle, and that we are to begin living in a consistent manner. But that is precisely the message of our Scripture. It is a call for Christians to get their act together. It is a call for Christian behavior to be consistent with God’s value system.
Both a negative and a positive are revealed in these two verses of Scripture. Let’s look, first, at the negative. Six sins are mentioned here, but they are mentioned in pairs. Really, you have three categories of sin. The first category has to do with the Christian’s behavior before the world. We are not to find ourselves in orgies and drunkenness. These sins have to do with our personal discipline. They have to do with a worldly lifestyle. What we are being told here is, "Don’t live for pleasure." The picture we have here is of the person who lives to "have a good time." Like a certain black-eyed dog, this person is the "ultimate party animal." The word carousing could be translated in contemporary vernacular as "partying." And where there is partying, there is drunkenness. Saints, the Bible says that this is sin. Most non-believers have enough sense to know that this kind of lifestyle is not consistent with the Christian lifestyle. It is a sad thing when Christians don’t seem to have that much sense. Our testimony for Christ is at stake in our behavior before the world.
The second area of sinful behavior has to do with our life in private. It has to do with our personal morality. It is the area of sexual immorality and debauchery. The message here is clear as well. What we are being told is, "Don’t live for sex." The sin of improper sexual relationships has been around as long as mankind. I don’t want to surprise any of you young people by telling you that sex is not a recent discovery. Sex has been around since the Garden. As a matter of fact, it was God’s idea. God made sex. God made it pleasurable and good. There is nothing wrong with sex. What’s wrong is what we do with it. You see, while a medicine may be good for what ails you, if it is not taken according to the directions for its use, it may kill you. God created sex, but He also gave us directions for its use. The Bible states that only within the marriage relationship is it morally permissible to engage in sexual activity. Outside of that relationship, whether it is pre-marital or extra-marital, sex is not only morally wrong, but it can be emotionally devastating. You see, there is more to sexual activity than a physical union. Things happen on an emotional and spiritual level as well. And whether you believe it or not, you will be affected by that for years to come in every other relationship you have. This is no game. God knew full well the cost of immoral sexual activity when He commanded us to remain pure. Don’t live in "sexual promiscuity and sensuality." Rather, be pure from this day forward because it is right. It is your duty. It is the command of God, and it is the best thing you can do for yourself and for the one you will ultimately marry.
The third category of sinfulness has to do with our relationships to others. It has to do with a lack of love. It is the area of dissension and jealousy. What we are being told here is, "Don’t live for selfish ambition." Strife and jealousy come from a selfish competitiveness. Love is precisely the opposite. Love seeks the best for the other. Strife and jealousy betray a lack of love. Our selfish desire for ambition causes us to create discord and dissention, jealousy and covetousness. But the Christian lifestyle should be characterized by love for all people. Instead of striving to stir up, we should be seeking to build up one another.
On the positive side, we are called to clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. Not only are we to avoid certain behavior, but we are to avoid situations and circumstances which entice us to sin. Most of us know those areas where we are easy prey for the enemy. We know those areas of temptation. We know the people and the circumstances and situations which tempt us to sin. The Bible says that we are to avoid them. We are not to make provision for the flesh. Too many Christians say they have a desire not to sin in a certain way, but then they purposefully place themselves in the midst of the temptation which causes them to sin. But you are not fooling God. Get out of that sinful situation! Get away from that sinful circumstance! Avoid those people who entice you to sin! Stand for righteousness! Stand for Jesus Christ! Stand clothed in His presence, empowered by His Spirit!
We are living in challenging times. We are living in what may be the last days. Don’t let the fact that Jesus has not come yet lull you into thinking that He will not come. I don’t know when Jesus will come, but I know that we must be ready. You cannot afford to wait to get ready. The fact that Jesus Christ could come any time should motivate you to live for Him right now. Wake up! Get your eyes open! Get up! Get your clothes on! And grow up! Get your act together! You must - for your sake and for the sake of those who are without direction and hope in this crumbling society.
The call goes forth to the Church of Jesus Christ today. It’s time to quit playing
games. We Baptists believe that it is imperative to be "born-again." Only
once in Scripture did Jesus say that we must be born again, and that is enough. We believe
it. But over and over in the New Testament He said, "Follow me." The call
to be a Christian is a call to follow Jesus. The question, which the challenge of our
times issues is not, "Have you ever been born again?" The question you must face
is "Are you following Jesus?" An affirmative answer to that question is the only
real way to meet the challenge of our times.
Copyright © 1997 J. David Hoke. This data file is the sole property of the copyright holder and may be copied only in its entirety for circulation freely without charge. All copies of this data file must contain the above copyright notice.
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