Romans 13:11-14
11 “Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let’s rid ourselves of the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let’s behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and debauchery, not in strife and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.”
Knowing the time: Paul was expressing urgency. In his mind, the return of Christ could happen at any time. Paul even seems to have believed it was near to his own day. But the apostles did not even know when Jesus would come back. This allows us to relax and not try to predict His return.
Lay aside the deeds of darkness: Christians are not built for the deeds of darkness. We have been set free from sin and have become slaves of righteousness (Romans 6:18). In light of this Paul encourages Christians to set aside old sinful habits and put on the armor of light which is synonymous with the armor he speaks of in Ephesians 6.
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ: Paul wants Christians to choose behavior that reflects our salvation in Christ. This is how we avoid expressing the lusts of the flesh. Notice that Paul does not say that it is our lusts. No, we are righteous. But it’s the lusts of the flesh. Christians are not compatible with the lusts of the flesh and therefore should avoid them.
