Light and darkness

DEVOTION

ROMANS

LIGHT AND DARKNESS

Rom 13:11-14

11 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. 12 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 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  

NIV

What is the present time? Did Paul think that Jesus was going to come back in their lifetime? What did he mean about the hour has come to wake up? It is true that each day we live is one more day closer to our salvation being fulfilled. But our salvation is already here, the kingdom of God is here now. Jesus said that the kingdom of God is within us. He said unless we are born again we cannot see the Kingdom of God. That makes perfect sense as when we are born again, Jesus sends the Spirit to dwell within us and thus the kingdom of God has come to us in the here and now. Our citizenship is in the Kingdom, not of this world. So then we should live as members or citizens of the kingdom of God rather than as people of the world. The people of the world live in the darkness, there deeds are of the darkness, lacking the light, Jesus. He is the light of the world, the day. He clothes us in the light, as we live in his light we should live according to that light. What happens in the night, should not be done in the daylight. Those deeds done in the darkness which Paul lists, would never be done in the daylight, or would it seem. But he is not talking about the physical night and day, but rather the darkness without Christ, and the daylight of Christ. Were the believers in Rome still engaging in the activities associated with the darkness? We do have to see the world these first recipients of this letter were living in. They did not have the bible. It was not as if when they heard the good news about Jesus they could drive over to the nearest Christian bookstore and get a copy of the bible. They had no other guidance then what they were first told and then this letter. They may not fully understood what it meant to be born again, or filled with the Spirit. They may  have some kind of gathering time, but again, what did they do when they gathered? Did they have a list of do’s and don’ts? Doubtful and was their life more like, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”? Had they come out from that kind of life Paul was describing as deeds of darkness? Having lived in that manner, it would be difficult to discontinue. That may well be why Paul gives them this admonishment. Do we need that admonishment as well? We may not be engaged in all those deeds of darkness Paul mentions, but are we still hanging on to some of the aspects of living in this world, some other deeds associated with the darkness of the world? They are so numerous, we cannot possibly list them all. It is not as though we engage in all of them, but each believer might still be dealing with one or two and having a struggle overcoming them. That is the reason we are told to set them aside and clothe ourselves with Jesus and do not think how we could satisfy that deed of the darkness. That is the key, not to think about it, put it out of our mind. Could it slip back in once in a while? Maybe. But the point is we should not make plans to, thinking how we are going to enjoy whatever that deed is. Even though he lists a lot of sensual deeds, he includes dissension and jealousy. There is a lot to be said about those and deeds like them. Gossip can cause both dissension or/and jealousy along with envy and bitterness, also deeds of the darkness. So we need to remember how we are dressed, and that we live in the light, not the darkness.