January 29th, 2012
Romans 13:11-14
“No Power Naps: The Power of Preparation”
Background Information:
- The “day” to which he refers in verse 12 is best interpreted as is the same term in 1 Cor 3:13; 1 Thes 5:4; Heb 10:25; and 2 Pt 1:19. In all these cases the reference is to the day of Christ’s Return and the final judgment. (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Romans, 445)
- Paul uses the second coming of Jesus as a reality to shake the Roman Christians awake in regard to implementing these changes immediately.
- First on the list is carousing, which translates kómos, a term often used of a military or athletic victory celebration. Because such revelry frequently turned into drunken and immoral disorder, kómos came to be used of any wild partying, sexual orgies, brawls, and sometimes even rioting (as in the King James of this verse), especially when associated with drunkenness, the second sin mentioned here. Methé (drunkenness) most often was used of intentional and habitual intoxication. It is interesting that in Gal 5:21 and 1 Pt 4:3 carousing and drunkenness are also found side-by-side.
- The next two sins mentioned here, sexual promiscuity and sensuality, also are closely associated. Sexual promiscuity does not translate porneia, the most common Greek term for sexual immorality, but rather, koité, which literally refers to a bed or bedroom. But it came to have the same connotation that the phrase “going to bed” with someone of the opposite sex carries today. In the NT the word is used both of the honored marriage bed (Heb 13:4) and of illicit sexual promiscuity, as here.
- Sensuality translates aselgeia, which has the base meaning of shameless excess and the absence of restraint. Like koité, it was used almost exclusively of especially lewd sexual immorality, of uninhibited and unabashed lasciviousness. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 266-267)
- Aselgeia (NIV – Debauchery) is one of the ugliest words in the Greek language. It does not describe only immorality; it describes the man who is lost to shame. Most people seek to conceal their evil deeds, but the man in whose heart there is aselgeia is long past that. He does not care who sees him; he does not care how much of a public exhibition he makes of himself; he does not care what people think of him. Aselgeia is the quality of the man who dares publicly to do the things which are unbecoming for any man to do. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 179)
- “Debauchery” (NIV) = incapable of feeling shame
- Strife (eris) refers to persistent contention, bickering, petty disagreement, and enmity. It reflects a spirit of antagonistic competitiveness that fights to have its own way, regardless of cost to itself or of harm to others. It is produced by a deep desire to prevail over others, to gain the highest prestige, prominence, and recognition possible. Strife is characterized by self-indulgence and egoism. It has no place even for simple tolerance, much less for humility or love. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 267)
- It describes here the spirit which cannot be content with what it has and looks with jealous eye on every blessing given to someone else and denied to itself. (William Barclay, The Daily Study Bible Series: Romans, 179)
- Paul has been trying since Romans 12:1-2 to get us to see how God is preparing our hearts and minds for heaven by encouraging us to . . . “not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will” In other words, we are getting dressed for the wedding. Our wedding with Christ!
- Paul also includes a couple of areas that need to be changed in regards to inward attitudes of the heart rather than outward expressions of behavior. Dissensions and jealousy will be the heart of the issue that Paul brings up in the next couple of chapters.
- What kind of time is it? The NT calls it “the last days” (Acts 2:17; 2 Tm 3:1; Heb 1:2; 1 Jn 2:18) – not in the chronological sense but qualitatively. These “last days” began with Christ and could culminate in “the day” (v. 12a) of his return at any moment, but that is not the point here. Paul was telling his hearers, and us, that we are living in “the last days.” (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 252-253)
The questions to be answered are . . . This is the only place in Paul’s letter to the Romans that he addresses the return of Jesus. Why here?
Answer: Because undoubtedly, there were those in the Roman audience who were thinking just like many here today, “How does Paul expect me to live like this (Rom. 12:1-13:10) in this day and age?” Paul wants you to seriously consider what day and age it REALLY is. This is no time to be investing in the temporary, carnal, self-centered or material. This is the time to see the light and prepare for the dawning of the new age in Christ.
- Webster’s Sleep “Suspension of consciousness. A state of torpid inactivity. Death. Torpid = having lost motion or the power of exertion or feeling. Dormant. Sluggish in functioning. Lacking in energy or vigor.”
The phrase for the Day is . . . Wake up!
Failure to prepare is preparing to fail. — Mike Murdock
Why does Paul say we need to understand the present time and wake up and prepare?:
I. Because this present time is yet another motivation for loving others as we are commanded. (Righteousness) (Rom. 13:11; see also: Gal 5:19-21; 1 Thes 5:1-11; Ti 2:11-13; Heb 10:24-25; Jas 5:7-11; 1 Pt 4:7-11; 1 Jn 2:28-3:3)
J. B. Phillips broadly paraphrases verse 11a as, “Why all this stress on behavior? Because, as I think you have realized, the present time is of the highest importance.” We are never to stop offering our “bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is [our] spiritual service of worship” (12:1). We are always to be properly related to unbelievers as well as believers, to civil leaders as well as church leaders, to enemies as well as friends and neighbors–fulfilling God’s law through love (12:2-13:10). (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 258)
Now, at the end of his discussion (13:14), Paul re-echoes the themes of 12:2. Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ parallels the command to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature echoes the warning, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world.” (Clarence L. Bence, Romans, A Commentary for Bible Students, 218)
An old country preacher said that if we desire to overcome drunkenness, we best not tie our horse to the post in front of the saloon. We are not to make provisions. If we struggle with sexual temptation, we ought not to subscribe to Playboy. We are not to make provisions for human sin and weakness. Luther put it this way: “I cannot keep sparrows from flying about my head, but I can keep them from making a nest in my hair.” (RC Sproul, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary: Romans, 469)
Love of this order is not our achievement but our response. It does not express human goodness but reflects divine mercy. We would never love one another in this way if we had been left to our own devices. The idea of love is always closely related to its inspiration, Jesus Christ. Paul is never weary of appealing to Christ’s love for us as the incentive for our love of others. But in Christ’s giving of himself for us the NT recognizes the very love of God. “God so loved the world that he gave…” (Jn 3:16), and when, according to our measure, we show a comparable spirit, it is because “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost” (5:5). (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX, 608)
II. This is no time to sleep the day away for battle is dawning — prepare (Sanctification) (Rom 13:11-12; see also: Mk 13:33-37; 2 Cor 10:4; Eph 5:14; 6:13-18; 1 Thes 5:1-11, 23; Jas 5:7-11)
The Encyclopedia Britannica defines sleep as “a state of inactivity, with a loss of consciousness and a decrease in responsiveness to events taking place.” (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 259)
It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.
Paul uses the imagery of a soldier who had dressed himself in party clothes and spent the night in reveling. As the day dawns, the commander orders him to wake up, take off his night clothes, and put on the armor he needs to fight the day’s battle. Armor is made for warfare, and its purpose is to protect the one who wears it. By the indwelling Spirit working through our new nature in Christ, we not only have every resource necessary to forsake the deeds of darkness but also every resource we need to put on the armor of light. God’s own light provides divine protection in our battle against Satan’s supernatural powers of darkness as well as against the natural darkness of human sin, to which, even as believers, we still are so prone.
The armor of light is “the full armor of God,” which we are to put on in order “to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph 6:11-12). (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 265)
The works of darkness, then, are the works of those who sleep spiritually, and that in a bad sense; that is, of those who are asleep in the lusts of the flesh. These works of darkness are not merely such as are commonly regarded as evil – (fornication, adultery, etc.) – but also such as are regarded as good. The latter are evil because of the inward (spiritual) darkness; that is, because they are not done in faith which is awake. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 189)
This is an excellent sequence; for gluttony and drunkenness are the fertile soil in which unchastity or debauchery thrive. For this reason the pious Fathers declared that whoever desires to serve God, must root out, above all, the vice of gluttony. That is a prevailing vice which causes much trouble. If this vice is not altogether extirpated, it makes the soul dull for divine things, even if it should not lead to unchastity and debauchery as among aged men. Hence fasting is a most excellent weapon for the Christian, while gluttony is an outstanding pit of Satan. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 191)
Now it’s true that Jesus’ return and our appearing with Him in glory will be a fantastic day (Col 3:4). But there is also something frightening about it-else why would Christians shrink from that day in shame (1 Jn 2:28)? On that day we are going to be judged for our spiritual progress, i.e., how much we have changed into the likeness of Christ. This is not speaking of our bodies, for they will be just like His. It refers to our PERSONS. It is possible they not be too much like Him. Just how much we grow in the likeness of the Lord is up to us. During the period between Pentecost and Christ’s return, CHANGE is the name of the game. We can change all we want and the Holy Spirit will help us. But should the Lord return or death strike our bodies, (whichever comes first), that will end our growth into His likeness. If we want to become the kind of people God expects us to be, we have to change NOW. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 350)
Paul has seemingly borrowed his figure of speech from the Roman soldier. As day approached, the warrior would awaken from slumber and toss aside his sleeping garments. Then he would put on his armor and step forth to meet the battle of the day. Now those sleeping garments represent the ways of the world under the control of Satan. In view of the approaching day of Christ they are to be cast off. To keep them on, i.e., to want to live a life after the flesh is foolish. What Christian wants to be found in a carnal state when Jesus comes? The soldier fastening on his armor pictures the Christian equipping himself to resist Satan. He will put on the armor listed in Chapter Six of Ephesians and prepare to meet the devil head on. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 351-352)
Being a Christian does NOT make believers immune to satanic assault. For victory in their lives, Christians must FIGHT. Victory is NOT automatic. If believers do not resist the devil, they will be overcome by a besetting sin and drop off to sleep. Sin tends to deaden Christians. That’s why Paul shouts, “Wake up! Jesus is coming!” Christians must arouse themselves and realize it is dangerous to fool with sin. (C. S. Lovett, Lovett’s Lights on Romans, 352)
Believers must be vigilant, alert, and not caught unaware. Paul knows that the old sinful nature will still cause problems from time to time, but he requires believers to stay “awake.” Remaining too long in a state of spiritual lethargy, where sin is tolerated and good works are not pursued, can lead to a spiritual coma, rendering us unresponsive to God (see Eph 5:14; 1 Cor 15:34). (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 255)
Living in the light means thinking about how to avoid gratifying sinful desires. Sinful actions and sinful attitudes all start with a single thought. Just as in violent crimes, where premeditation is a factor, premeditation is the first step toward gratifying our desires. A temptation becomes an opportunity to plan to sin. But as harmless as imagination may seem to be, it actually impels us towards sin. If we don’t make plans, we can’t carry them out. (Bruce B. Barton, Life Application Bible Commentary: Romans, 258)
Ignorance of God is what he calls night. (John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles, 487)
By light he means the revelation of divine truth, by which Christ the sun of righteousness arises on us. (John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles, 487)
“The right direction leads not only to peace but to knowledge. When a man is getting better, he understands more and more clearly the evil that is still left in him. When a man is getting worse, he understands his own badness less and less. A moderately bad man knows he is not very good: a thoroughly bad man thinks he is all right. This is common sense, really. You understand sleep when you are awake, not while you are sleeping…You can understand the nature of drunkenness when you are sober, not when you are drunk. Good people know about both good and evil: bad people do not know about either.” (The Quotable C. S. Lewis, 268)
Note that here again Paul uses military language (“armor of light,”) as he does often (Rom 6:13; 13:2; 1 Cor 9:7; 2 Cor 6:7; 10:4; Eph 6:10-20; 1 Thes 5:8, 2 Tm 2:3). There must be a reason for this. A good soldier does not lie down on the job, exerts himself to the full, has a definite goal in mind, uses effective armor, obeys rules. Does not all this apply also to soldiers for Christ? (William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary: Romans, 443)
III. Our salvation (wedding) is nearer now than ever (Salvation) (Rom 13:11; see also: Is 49:8; 1 Cor 1:8; 2 Cor 6:1-2; 1 Thes 5:9; Phil 4:4-7; Ti 2:11-13; 1 Jn 3:1-3)
Three Fold salvation (1 Thess 1:10; Heb 9:24-28; 1 Pt 1:3-5):
– Past
– Present
– Future
Those who are not concerned (about their Christian life), nor watch with fear (of the Lord), begin, but do not progress; they put their hand to the plow, yet look back (Lk 9:62). They have “a form of godliness, but (deny) the power thereof” (2 Tm 3:5). With their body they leave Egypt, but in their hearts they return to it. Secure and without the fear of God, they go their way, without feeling, without reverence, but hardened. St. Bernard says of them: “He who does not hurry to repent without ceasing, declares in reality that he does not need repentance.” But if he does not need repentance, he also does not need divine mercy; and if he does not need divine mercy, then also he does not need salvation. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 187-188)
Early in Romans Paul spoke of justification as though it were entirely of God. “When we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son” (5:10). It sounds as though we had nothing to do with it (which, in fact, we did not). That is the forensic or juridical meaning of justification. But in chapter 12 Paul began speaking of human involvement in the salvation process. “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices” (12:1), and “put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light” (13:12). The emphasis shifted from righteousness before God to righteousness in human relationships, from being accounted right with God to becoming right with ourselves and others. Salvation thus has an already and a not yet aspect. Christians are already justified by faith, but not yet conformed to the image of God’s Son. (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 314)
At the moment of justification the repentant believer is introduced to salvation that is far from complete—it is initial. At that same moment he also becomes an heir to salvation that is potential, but he must wait till he meets Christ face to face to experience salvation that in the fullest sense is actual. His initial salvation delivers him from the penalty of sin; he is an heir to the salvation that gives him the promise of ultimate freedom from sin’s power and presence. And one day when Christ takes him to glory, his salvation from sin’s penalty, power, and presence, which were potentially his form the moment of justification, will be his in actuality. (D. Stuart Briscoe, Mastering the NT: Romans, 239-240)
Paul does not say how near the day of the Lord’s appearing is. As a matter of fact, he does not know. He is content to advance the reminder that “our salvation is nearer now that when we first believed” (v. 11). To be sure, salvation is already an achieved fact for the believer (Eph 2:8) and a continuing fact as well (1 Cor 15:2, 1 Pt 1:5). But it has also its future and final phase, as Paul here intimates (cf. 1 Pet 1:9). With this third aspect in mind, he says elsewhere that we “await a Savior” (Phil 3:20), for only then, at his return, will salvation be complete. (Frank E. Gæbelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 10, 142)
The verb Paul uses here means “to save.” The Greek word appears in the biblical text in every possible tense indicating a sense in which we were being saved and a sense in which we have been saved. The simple aorist tense is rendered “you are saved.” The present tense is rendered “you are being saved,” and the future tense reads “you shall be saved.” The future perfect is rendered “you shall have been saved.” Salvation is unfolded biblically in all those increments. Therefore, in the ultimate sense, we do not experience salvation the moment we were born again; that is just one aspect of salvation. The fullness of our salvation will not take place until our glorification when we enter into heaven. (RC Sproul, St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary: Romans, 468)
Our past tense salvation is justification provided for us by God through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. This salvation was God in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself. Christ described it in the moment of His dying by saying, “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). Our present tense salvation is sanctification. It is the work of God for us through the Holy Spirit. Now it is comfort in time of sorrow, consolation in time of bereavement, strength in time of weakness, forgiveness in time of sin, and grace for every need. Our future tense salvation is glorification, and of this our text speaks. “Now our salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Romans–IV, 148)
It is in fact more important for us to know what God did to Israel, to His Son Jesus Christ, than to seek what God intends for us today. The fact that Jesus Christ died is more important than the fact that I shall die, and the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead is the sole ground of my hope that I, too, shall be raised on the Last Day. Our salvation is “external to ourselves.” I find no salvation in my life history, but only in the history of Jesus Christ. Only he who allows himself to be found in Jesus Christ, in his incarnation, his Cross, and his resurrection, is with God and God with him. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 54)
IV. It is time to put on our wedding clothes (Glorification) (Rom 13:13-14; see also: Isa 61:10; Mt 22:1-14; Jn 3:27-36; Rom 7:1-6; Gal 3:27; Eph 5:21-33; 1 Thes 5:10; Rv 19:6-9; 21:1-14; 22:12-17)
The teaching of the final consummation of salvation is no outmoded appendage to Christianity. It is, in fact, the eschatological perspective of the gospel which prevents Christianity from being reduced to a philosophy or moral code. The expectation of the return of Christ preserves the central truth of the faith. Christianity is a relationship with the person of Christ which begins in “cloth[ing] yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (13:14) and ends in glory by being fully “conformed to the likeness of [God’s] Son” (8:29). (James R. Edwards, New International Biblical Commentary: Romans, 314-15)
The problem with living on earth is that the things of earth which clamor for so much attention can become totally absorbing. The Christian can begin to think like secular man, imbibe his philosophies, adopt his attitudes, and emulate his lifestyle. But the believer must be reminded that his reality is not down here—it is up there. He is a citizen of heaven and merely a resident alien on earth. It is the reminder of the certainty of Christ’s return and the resultant consummation of earth’s history that acts as a constant stimulus to the believer with regard to his lifestyle on earth. (D. Stuart Briscoe, Mastering the NT: Romans, 240)
Ray Stedman gives this illustration:
When I get up in the morning I put on my clothes, intending them to be part of me all day, to go where I go and do what I do. They cover me and make me presentable to others. That is the purpose of clothes. In the same way, the apostle is saying to us, “Put on Jesus Christ when you get up in the morning. Make him a part of your life that day. Intend that he go with you everywhere you go, and that he act through you in everything you do. Call upon his resources. Live your life IN CHRIST.” (R. C. Stedman, From Guilt to Glory, Vol. 2, 136 as quoted by R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 254)
The figure of putting on clothing as symbolic of moral and spiritual behavior was used by the ancient rabbis, who spoke of true worshipers putting on the cloak of the Shekinah glory, meaning that they were to reflect and become like the God they worshiped. Jesus used the figure of clothing several times and it is found in numerous other places throughout the NT. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 256)
As is commonly done in the NT, the transition from one form of conduct to another is put in terms of “putting off” one set of clothes and “putting on” another (see also, e.g., Eph 4:22, 25; Col 3:8, 12; cf, Eph 6:11, 14; 1 Thes 5:8; Jas 1:21; 1 Pt 2:1). (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 440)
And as we grow in Christ, the old clothing of sinful thoughts and habits is continually being discarded, and His divine clothing of righteousness, truth, holiness, and love is being put on. As the process of sanctification progresses, the Lord’s character becomes more and more our own character. (John MacArthur, The MacArthur NT Commentary: Romans 9-16, 268)
The noted expository preacher Donald Grey Barnhouse told the fascinating legend of a young Frenchman who was dearly loved by his mother but in early manhood fell into immorality. He was greatly enamored of an unprincipled woman who managed to gain his total devotion. When the mother tried to draw her son away from the wicked and debased association, the other woman became enraged. She railed at the young man, accusing him of not truly loving her and insisting that he demonstrate his commitment to her by getting rid of his mother. The man resisted until a night when, in a drunken stupor, he was persuaded to carry out the heinous demand. According to the story, the man rushed from the room to his mother’s house nearby, brutally killed her, and even cut out her heart to take to his vile companion as proof of his wickedness. But as he rushed on in his insane folly, he stumbled and fell, upon which the bleeding heart is said to have cried out, “My son, are you hurt?” Dr. Barnhouse commented, “That is the way God loves” (Man’s Ruin: Romans 1:1-32, 21-22). (John MacArthur, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, 10)
CONCLUSION/APPLICATION: Questions we need to be prepared to answer in regard to the Lord’s Second coming:
A- What good is it that I am mindful of Jesus’ return? (Mt 24:44; ch 24-25; 1 Thes 5:1-11, 23; Jas 5:7-11; 1 Pt 1:3-25; 4:7-11; 2 Pt 3:8-13; 1 Jn 2:28)
In contrast to the beautiful and protective clothing which is Christ, Paul refers to our ugly, self-centered nature (sarx). It has not been eradicated; it is still there. It also still has clamant desires. Our instruction is not only not to gratify its desires, but not to think about how to do so, not to make any ‘provision’ for them, rather to be ruthless in repudiating them and putting them to death (8:13). (John Stott, Romans, God’s Good News for the World, 353)
If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing . . . I must make it the main object of life to press on to that other country and to help others do the same. (C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, 119)
Eschatology, an understanding of the times in which we live, should govern our conduct. We need to recognize both what God is doing and what he plans to do and then live accordingly. The verses of the paragraph fall neatly into these two basic categories: Understanding the times (13:11-12a, the “indicative”) leads to right living (13:12b-14, the “imperative”). (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 439)
We should be motivated all the more to do all these things–think of ourselves in the right way, exercise our gifts for the good of the body, display sincere love, obey the government, love others–as we “understand the present time.” (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 439)
I have encouraged my own children (as I must regularly encourage myself) to ask not “Can I do this?” (i.e., are Christians allowed to do this?), but “Should I do this?” (i.e., does this activity glorify God and honor the Lord whom I represent?). (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 445)
Eschatology means that ultimate justice becomes our absolute standard. We may not know how to apply it in daily experience, but it proves to be a bracing and invigorating force. Our own canons of judgment are constantly subject to its scrutiny, and as they are sifted, they are also strengthened and purified. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX, 609)
What man in his right mind would continue contemplating an affair if he really believed he might not wake up in the morning? What person would risk entering eternity in a drunken stupor? What fool would ignore his loved ones and his God for one last night so he could make another quick ten thousand dollars just before he died?
Fenelon called the thought of death “the best rule which we could make for all our actions and undertakings.” Thomas a Kempis agreed, arguing that the remembrance of death is a powerful force for spiritual growth: Didst thou oftener think of thy death than of thy living long, there is no question but thou wouldst be more zealous to improve. If also thou didst but consider within thyself the infernal pains in the other world, I believe thou wouldst willingly undergo any labor or sorrow in this world, and not be afraid of the greatest austerity. But because these things enter not to the heart, and we still love those things only that delight us, therefore we remain cold and very dull in religion. (Thomas a Kempis, The Imitation of Christ, I:21:5) (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, 152-53)
You are never going to make any true progress in wisdom unless you begin by realizing that this world is hostile to God and opposed to any desires for godliness on the part of God’s people. Jesus said it clearly. He told his disciples just before his arrest and crucifixion, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you” (Jn 15:18-19). Later he prayed, “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one” (Jn 17:15). (James Montgomery Boice, Romans–Volume 4, 1699)
B- So what I am not ready? (Mt ch 25)
He who kills time mortgages eternity. (Abingdon Press, The Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. IX, 610)
A few interpreters (and many preachers!) argue that this command is a once-for-all one: We must reach a point of crisis in which we determine to “put on” Christ for good. But this interpretation rests on a faulty understanding of the Greek aorist tense used here. The tense does not (in itself) denote “once-for-all” action but rather states simply and without adornment that the action is to take place. In light of what the NT says about the believer’s continuing battle with sin, we must regularly make the decision to “put on” Christ. (Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans, 441)
We ought to be like the little boy whose family clock malfunctioned and struck fifteen times, so that he rushed wide-eyed to his mother crying, “Mommy, it’s later than it’s ever been before!” What sanctifying logic! We should also keep in mind that if Christ does not return in our time, he will certainly come individually for us in death. Each ache, each pain, each gray hair, each new wrinkle, each funeral is a reminder that it is later than it has ever been before. It is time to love our neighbors as ourselves. (R. Kent Hughes, Preaching the Word: Romans, 253)
I am told that one of the saddest things about the prison of this country is that so many prisoners fall into what the wardens call a prison shuffle, moving at the slowest possible speed, and that many who are imprisoned spend long hours in their beds trying to sleep the lengthy years of their sentences away. That is sad, but understandable. It is understandable that people who have nothing to live for should want to kill time. (James Montgomery Boice, Romans–Volume 4, 1710)
We must live our lives as though the Lord Jesus Christ might return within the next hour. We must continue to plan as though He might not return within our lifetime. We are content to have it so, for our God does all things well. God states the truth of the second coming of Christ in such a way as to strengthen our faith and excite our hope. The certainty of His coming, and the uncertainty of the time, produce in the believer great assurance and great watchfulness. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Romans–IV, 146)
History teaches us that when a barbarian race confronts a sleeping culture, the barbarian always wins. -Arnold Toynbee (George Barna, The Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators, 106)
Much of our television watching is a quiet, sleepless death in which we kill our souls by letting time race by. We can spend several hours in front of the television, and what have we gained? We haven’t talked to anyone, we haven’t accomplished anything, and we usually haven’t gained any insight or inspiration. Yet time has slipped by, and it will never return again. In essence, we have willingly forfeited a precious slice of the time God has given us on this earth. (Gary L. Thomas, Seeking the Face of God, p. 107)
C- How can I believe Jesus is coming after 2000 years of delay? (Mt 16:1-3; 24:44; Lk 21:33-36; 1Jn 2:18; 2 Pt 3:3-13)
The NT gives abundant evidence that the believers in Paul’s day expected the return of Christ momentarily. Both Peter and Paul alerted their readers that the Lord was “at hand” (Phil 4:5; 1 Pt 4:7). Paul’s letters to the church at Thessalonica resolved questions about the timing of the Second Coming. Paul assured these Christians that those who had died recently (“fallen asleep” would be included in hosts who would greet Christ at His return (1 Thes 4:13-16). The question of what would happen to deceased saints suggests that the Christians at first assumed the end would come before death overtook the saints in the church. (Clarence L. Bence, Romans, A Commentary for Bible Students, 217)
What the apostles did know was that the kingdom of God came with Jesus, that the decisive salvation events which established it (his death, resurrection, exaltation and gift of the Spirit) had already taken place, and that God had nothing on his calendar before the parousia. It would be the next and the culminating event. So they were, and we are, living in ‘the last days’. It is in this sense that Christ is coming ‘soon’ (16:20). We must be watchful and alert, because we do not know the time. (John Stott, Romans, God’s Good News for the World, 352)
Signs of the Times:
- Increase in knowledge (Dan 12:4)
- Geological upheaval (Isa 11:15-16; 19:5-7; Ez 29:3-5; 47:1-12; Zec 14:4; Mt 24:7; Rom 8:18-25; Rv 16:18-19)
- Israel as a sovereign nation (Isa 11:11-16; 60:21; Jer 30:1-9; 32:37-40; Ez 36:35; Mt 24:32-34; Lk 21:29-31)
- Ability of monitoring all buying and selling throughout the world (Rv 13:17)
- Mark that could reveal information about anyone anywhere
- 200 million man army (Rv 9:16)
- Disregard for truth (2 Th 2:9-12)
- Hedonistic perverts (2 Tm 3:1-7)
Worship point: When you realize that God has not only given you His Spirit and His Word to live the life that He has asked you to live; but God has also given you the motivation of knowing that every single thing you do will one day be judged by the Holy, perfect God of the Universe. And it will only be His mercy and grace that will save your hide. This is what allows you to worship.
Spiritual Challenge: Live your life so as to be so heavenly minded you are of infinite earthly good. Develop Christ’s heavenly eternal perspective to your earthly mortal life.
(Eph 6:10-17) Balance this passage with our text in Romans, and you have a wonderful equation: “Put on the whole armor of God.” “Put on the armor of light.” “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” In other words–everything we need is to be found in the Lord Jesus Christ. As a budding preacher, still in my teens, I outlined a sermon on Eph 6:10-17 as follows: In one column I listed the pieces of armor: Truth, Righteousness, the Gospel of Peace, Salvation, the Word of God, and Faith. Opposite each item I noted a Scripture verse in which Christ personified that quality. Opposite “Truth” I wrote Jn 14:6 where Jesus Christ says, “I am the Truth.” Opposite “Righteousness” I wrote 1 Cor 1:30, “You are in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us…Righteousness.” Opposite “Peace” I put Eph 2:14, which tells us, “Christ is our Peace.” Opposite “Salvation,” I wrote Ps 62:2 which says “God only is…my Salvation.” Opposite “the Word of God,” I wrote Jn 1:1, 14: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God,…And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Romans–IV, 158)
I was very much disappointed to find no verse in the NT that equated faith with Christ. I would not preach the sermon if only five of my six points were solidly established, since that would not be an honest exposition of the Word of God. Suddenly, looking through the concordance, I was thunderstruck by two facts. First, the word “Faith” occurs only twice in the OT, in Dt 32:20 and Hb 2:4; and the latter verse solved my problem. The Apostle Paul made this OT verse on faith the central theme of three of his epistles–Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. In the NT, Hb 2:4 is quoted to read: “The just shall live by faith”; but in the book of Habakkuk the original is: “The just shall live by his faith.” At once I thought of Gal 2:20 to which I had paid little attention as I searched the NT references on faith. Gal 2:20 says, “The life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God.” There I discovered the second great fact. The faith of Christ is the source and fullness of life. Christ is everything, and all that we need to win the battle. All truth is related to Him. All true righteousness has its source in Him. And so on through the list. Put on Christ, and you put on the whole armor of God. Put on the whole armor of God, and you put on Christ. (Donald Grey Barnhouse, Romans–IV, 159)
Quotes to Note:
“Strife” is a fight by means of words in which everyone presumes to be true, honest and right, while all others are regarded (as wrong). So no one is willing to yield to the other. (Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, 192)
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour. — Jesus: Matthew 25:13
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