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No Provision for the Flesh
For all of Paul’s deep and complicated theology, he can also be very practical. Any theology, any version of the “gospel” that focuses solely on salvation in cold and legal terms alone, misses the point. Christianity is all about Jesus, but it’s not about Jesus in isolation. It’s about Jesus and what He has done for our fallen race through His life, death, and High Priestly ministry. It’s not just about a change in our legal status before God; it’s about a change, a renewal, a new birth in us; it’s about a new life in Christ.
Read Romans 13. Focus on the daily, practical points that Paul is dealing with here for those who are Christians.
Most of the chapter deals with, in many ways, what could be considered being a good citizen and a good neighbor. It’s a reiteration of the principles of the law, culminating in the famous words, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (vs. 9).
In verses 11–14, however, the tone somewhat shifts. Paul begins the chapter by talking about obeying the present political powers, and then he shifts to an emphasis on the “lateness” of the time, the idea being that considering the times the Romans were living in, they needed to get serious about their conduct. At the end of the chapter, we have the phrase “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (vs. 14, NIV), which uses the same Greek root found in Galatians 3:27. Thus, both verses are saying similar things.
The context here in Romans 13 makes it clear what Paul basically means. The verses that come before and the rest of the verse following the phrase itself show that being clothed in Christ means living a life of faith and obedience. The same Greek root for “clothed” appears in verse 12, as well, in the context of donning the “armour of light.” Christ is the light of the world; those who walk in Him don’t walk in darkness. They have “cast off the works of darkness” and now walk in light. Whatever else to “be clothed” in Christ means, it certainly deals with character building, with conduct, with loving as Christ loved, and with reflecting His image. In a sense, while all things around us tend to get worse, those clothed in Christ should be getting better and better (see 2 Cor. 3:18).
How different would your life be were you fully clothed in Christ? That is, what parts of your life have you held back from the kind of surrender and death to self needed in order for the Lord to work in you? How would your life differ were you to make that complete surrender?
| MONDAY | June 20 |
For all of Paul’s deep and complicated theology, he can also be very practical. Any theology, any version of the “gospel” that focuses solely on salvation in cold and legal terms alone, misses the point. Christianity is all about Jesus, but it’s not about Jesus in isolation. It’s about Jesus and what He has done for our fallen race through His life, death, and High Priestly ministry. It’s not just about a change in our legal status before God; it’s about a change, a renewal, a new birth in us; it’s about a new life in Christ.
Read Romans 13. Focus on the daily, practical points that Paul is dealing with here for those who are Christians.
Most of the chapter deals with, in many ways, what could be considered being a good citizen and a good neighbor. It’s a reiteration of the principles of the law, culminating in the famous words, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (vs. 9).
In verses 11–14, however, the tone somewhat shifts. Paul begins the chapter by talking about obeying the present political powers, and then he shifts to an emphasis on the “lateness” of the time, the idea being that considering the times the Romans were living in, they needed to get serious about their conduct. At the end of the chapter, we have the phrase “clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ” (vs. 14, NIV), which uses the same Greek root found in Galatians 3:27. Thus, both verses are saying similar things.
The context here in Romans 13 makes it clear what Paul basically means. The verses that come before and the rest of the verse following the phrase itself show that being clothed in Christ means living a life of faith and obedience. The same Greek root for “clothed” appears in verse 12, as well, in the context of donning the “armour of light.” Christ is the light of the world; those who walk in Him don’t walk in darkness. They have “cast off the works of darkness” and now walk in light. Whatever else to “be clothed” in Christ means, it certainly deals with character building, with conduct, with loving as Christ loved, and with reflecting His image. In a sense, while all things around us tend to get worse, those clothed in Christ should be getting better and better (see 2 Cor. 3:18).
How different would your life be were you fully clothed in Christ? That is, what parts of your life have you held back from the kind of surrender and death to self needed in order for the Lord to work in you? How would your life differ were you to make that complete surrender?
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