Paul
the apostle told the believers in Rome, “Love
works no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is
the fulfilling of the law”,
and he added, “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. in
chapter
thirteen and verse twelve of Romans,
Paul told the believers, “the
night is far spent, the day is at hand”
where
we read:
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 armor of light.
The
verse begins, “The
night is far spent, the day is at hand:” Paul
began with the words, “the
night”
which means “the time when work ceases and when the weary, the time
for deeds of sin and shame and the drunken give themselves up to
slumber” “is
far spent”
or “beaten forward, promoted further, advanced, increased and
progressed”, “the
day”
which refers to “the last day of this present age when Christ will
return from heaven, raise the dead, hold the final judgment and
perfect his kingdom ” “is
at hand”
or “brought and drawn near and approached”. Paul declared that
the time for “evil and wickedness” is near it's end, and the
“day” of God's “salvation”
through Jesus is “approaching”.
The
verse continues, “
let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and
let us put on the armor of light.”
Paul
added the words, “let
us” which
means “allow and permit Paul, his companions and his believing
readers”
“therefore”
or “then, accordingly, consequently and these things being so”
“cast
off”
which refers to “put off, aside and away” “the
works”
or “the business, employment and that which any one is occupied”
“of
darkness” which
means “pertaining to ignorance respecting divine things and human
duties and the accompanying ungodliness and immorality together with
their consequent misery in hell”, “and
let us”
or “and allow and permit Paul, his companions and his believing
readers” “put
on”
which means “sink into and clothe themselves with” “the
armor”
which refers to “the weapons and instruments” “of
light”
or “pertaining to truth and its knowledge together with the
spiritual purity associated with it”.
Paul exhorted his believing readers to “put aside” the ways of
ignorance and immorality” and “sink into” God's “weapons and
instruments” of “truth and spiritual purity”.
When
we meditate upon these words of Paul, we see his rallying of the
believers in Rome to “put away” wicked and evil acts and ways and
to “clothe themselves” with God's “instruments” of “truth
and spiritual purity”. God sent His Son Jesus Christ to the earth
to not only “save” people from their “sins”, but also to
“purify” them as they “cast off” their old ways. Those
who “follow Jesus” should realize how “near” their
“salvation” is and live according to “truth and purity”
spoken of by Paul the apostle, and let all “ignorance respecting
divine things and human duties” along with “ungodliness and
immorality” be “put away”.
Next
time
Paul tells the believers in Rome, “let
us walk honestly as in the day”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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