Sunday School Notes: Romans 13:11-14

¹¹ And [do] this knowing the time, that [it is] already the hour for you to get up from sleep. For now our salvation [is] nearer than when we [first] believed. ¹² The night is waning, and he day is near. Therefore, let us take off the works of darkness, and put on the weapons of light. ¹³ Let us walk as becomes [being] in the day, not with gluttony and drunkenness, not with sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not with strife and jealousy. ¹⁴ But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and do not make provision for the flesh unto [its] desires.

Paul’s exhortations to the Romans to submit to government, pay taxes, and love one another culminate in this reminder–or slap upside the head–that the time is short. We can’t be playing church, squabbling over issues, and causing unnecessary division within the church. There’s a battle going on, and the church needs to stand united to fight. The things Paul says here are also reflected in his comments to the church in Thessalonika (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11), indicating that this was a constant concern to Paul. Perhaps a personal one, too: he was conscious that his time was short. Within 5-10 years of this letter, Paul would become a martyr for Christ. Taking to heart the teaching of Christ (the Parable of the Ten Virgins, for example), no-one knows when Christ will return, so we need to live always ready for that moment, with our lamps full of oil, reflecting the light shining from our lives as we bear testimony to the salvation we have in him.

Paul’s own personal sense of urgency may be stoked by concerns that the church in Rome was losing sight of what it means to live the Christian life. Perhaps the “delayed Parousia,” or the delay in Christ’s return, caused some to not be as diligent in their lifestyle as they should. Or perhaps they considered the fact that Christ has paid the penalty for their sin to be a license to act as they pleased. Certainly, the things Paul says here not only explain the motive behind the things he has said so far, but they also prepare us for the discussion in chapter 14 about accepting one’s brother. Again, now is not the time for in-fighting.

“Knowing the time”: the “opportune moment, ” or “the season”–what’s going on at the moment within the world, and within society.  If the readers of Romans reflect upon the way the world is falling deeper under the power of sin, and also the spread of the gospel to many tribes, tongues, and nations, they will get a sense of the urgency of the moment. The hour has come to wake up! Paul narrows “time” down to “hour”–this is how important it is to be ready. Did Paul believe Christ’s return was imminent? It’s possible, but from what he says here, I think Paul’s personal opinion is not what matters. As he says a little later, we are to live as if Christ has already returned.

In the ancient world, and really up until the advent of electric lighting, work schedules were based on hours of sunlight. People arose with the sun to begin their work day, and finished work when the hours of daylight ended. Those who slept during the day would, therefore, be considered lazy, not wanting to work. This idea lies behind what Paul says about getting up. The time for sleep is almost over (see Ephesians 5:10 for a similar idea).

“Our salvation [is] nearer than when we [first] believed.” The Greek verb at the end of this sentence is, strictly speaking, just “we believed,” but I think from the context Paul intends us to understand “believed” to be that moment we received the gift of faith. Paul isn’t saying God’s people don’t have salvation; rather he’s referring to the fulness of salvation that we will receive when Christ returns. What we have now, as great and glorious as it is (forgiveness of sin, communion with God, the church, etc.) is but a down-payment on what is coming to us on that day. And with each passing moment, that day gets closer.

“The night is waning, and the day is near.” The Greek speaks of the night as being “advanced” or “far along” (proekopsen), which I have rendered “waning,” since I believe that’s what Paul has in mind. The night has been going for a long time and has nearly run it’s course. The day is ready to begin. John uses “night” in his gospel to speak of a time of darkness. A good example of this is in John 13:30, at the Last Supper when Judas dips the bread. John simply says “And it was night.” This seems an odd point in the narrative for a time check, and I don’t think that’s why John makes this statement. He’s referring to a period of darkness in Christ’s life, beginning with the identification of Judas as his betrayer, and concluding with the first light of the third day, when Christ rose from the dead (John 20:1). Paul is saying that this present age of darkness is coming to an end, and the day of the Lord’s return is close.

In light of this, we need to “take off” works of darkness. Some translations prefer “lay aside” or “cast aside,” which are all legitimate translations. However, he then goes on to say “let us put on the weapons [or armor] of light.” The verb he uses there is unquestionably connected to putting on garments, so I think speaking of “taking off” (as in clothes) is more appropriate. These “works of darkness” are not works that darkness does (whatever that might mean), but works that characterize darkness–the kinds of works you would expect those in darkness would do. Notice that these works are so close to us, so natural to us, it’s as if we wear them. And just as we are not constantly conscious of our clothes, so we are with the works of darkness we do. As believers, we need to be conscious of these works, and remove them. By the grace of God, we don’t desire to do them, and when we are aware of them, we should be quick to discard them.

Some translations prefer “armor of light” since the verb relates to clothing. However, “weapons of light” is perhaps a little more literal, and also underscores the fact that when we renounce darkness and embrace light, we are entering into battle. We are to expect resistance from the world, the flesh, and the enemy. We will feel the struggle as sin tries to hold on to the old ways. But this is a battle we must engage, knowing that Christ has won the war. We have no peace treaties with darkness.

“Let us walk as becoming [being] in the day.” This is not the most elegant translation, but I think the intention is clear: we need to be living as if the day had already arrived. We don’t want to be like the five foolish virgins who put off refueling their lamps, thinking the master’s return was still some time away. Rather, we need to be living as if the master is here, now. That way, we can be sure our conduct is befitting our confession of faith as Christians, children of God.

As examples of ways not to live, Paul lists vices grouped into related pairs: “feastings and drunkenness”, “sexual promiscuity and sensuality,” and “strife and jealousy.” The first pair describe the indulgent lifestyle we often associate with the upper echelons of Roman society with lavish banquets and rich men in their togas reclining, filling their faces with meat and fruit, and drinking goblet after goblet of wine. Our own society is not without similar indulgence, both in terms of food and drink (think of frat parties, office parties, and so on). The second pair focus on lust and sexual gratification. The Greek word I have translated “sexual promiscuity” is a form of the word koitê which refers to the marriage bed. There is nothing bad about the marriage bed, except in this instance Paul uses the plural form of the word: marriage beds. This seems to indicate a lifestyle that involves multiple sexual relationships. Taken with “sensuality,” I think these terms describe sexual indulgence, and perhaps even sex obsession. And I think you would have to live a very sheltered life not to be aware how sex-saturated Western culture has become. Again, Paul is as much describing 21st century Western society as he is 1st century Western society. The final pair, “strife and jealousy” refer back to the exhortations he has been making for unity within the church, and also look forward to the discussion in chapter 14 with regard to acceptance and tolerance.

Finally, he tells the Romans to “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ.” The verb he uses here is the same one he used earlier for putting on weapons, or armor. How does one put on Christ? Dionysius of Halicarnassus once spoke of an actor that he “put on Tarquin,” meaning that this actor played the part of Tarquin, using this same verb. Perhaps this gives us a clue to Paul’s meaning. Just as an actor, especially a gifted character actor, “puts on” a character, so we too “put on Christ.” When Dustin Hoffman “put on” Raymond Babbitt in “Rain Man,” or Johnny Depp “put on” Captain Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” they became those characters for the duration of the film. They thought like them, acted like them, spoke like them. Some character actors even stay “in character” between shots. As Christians, Christ needs to be so close to us, it’s as if he is a part of our everyday clothing. He is to be so much a part of us, that we think the kind of thoughts he would think, speak words he would say, and act in ways he would act. Of course, since he is both God and man, and we are not, we can’t do this perfectly. But from our study of Scripture, and through being transformed by the renewing of our minds, we can take in God’s word, discern God’s will, and in this way model our lives on Christ.

“Don’t make provision for the flesh unto its desires.” Our lives shouldn’t leave wiggle room for sin. Behavior of the darkness should not be able to manifest itself in us. With the weapons of light we should, by God’s grace, be able to stand our ground. Note that Paul isn’t pitting “flesh” and “spirit” against one another in a Gnostic sense (i.e., as if matter is evil and spirit is good). Rather, he’s using the term “flesh” to connote our base, natural, sinful inclinations. Only by putting on Christ can we dispel the darkness, and only by his power can we resist the passions or desires of the flesh.

Next time, Lord willing, we’ll begin chapter 14.