Romans 13:11-14 (NIV)
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. 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. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
Paul points out that, as Christians, we are living in the days between the inauguration of God’s kingdom, birthed in a time of great spiritual darkness, and its consummation, when Jesus returns to cast out every evil thing and all darkness (Matthew 13:37-43). Even though the days may seem to grow dark in some places and at some times, the light of God’s kingdom is continually increasing in the world, sometimes rapidly, sometimes slowly; sometimes in great public revival, and sometimes hidden away from the public view.
Even in dark and troubling times, the focus of God’s people needs to be on three great truths:
- God is still at work in the world, moving His kingdom agenda forward even in the darkest of times.
- Jesus’ return and complete victory is closer now than it has ever been.
- God is continually guiding, directing, and empowering His people in the work of the kingdom so that they can be effective light bearers, spreading His light into all the dark places.
Because of these truths, all God’s people must live as children of light in a dark world, never allowing ourselves to sink into the ways of the world or into the entrapment of the sinful nature. We must live decently every moment of every day, as in the full daylight, so that the difference between us and the people of the world is always clear, and so that the light in us is able to draw people out of the darkness.
People are not saved by those who lower and degrade themselves in order to “relate”. Jesus hung out with tax collectors and sinners, but He never acted like a tax collector or sinner. He came among them as a doctor among the ill, as a brilliant light in the oppressive darkness. And it was the profound difference between Him and those He was reaching out to that drew them, and that changed their lives.
Father, these days there is a call from some quarters for us to set aside our biblical standards of right and wrong, our standards of darkness and light, and compromise with the standards of the world in order to reach more people more effectively. We are encouraged to put aside our testimony of transformation, and instead take up the call of “I’m a helpless sinner just like you.” But we will never draw people out of their darkness if what we are offering is simply another variety of darkness. We will never be able to bring them to a Jesus who apparently wasn’t able to transform our own lives. Jesus walked in light continually, and that light in Him is what repulsed demons and drew people to Himself. And He commanded that we, His people, let our light shine brilliantly, unhindered, never hidden or obscured (Matthew 5:14-16). Help us all today live as children of light as we work and wait for our ever-nearer salvation. Amen.