Romans 13:14 - Putting On Christ.
Romans 13:14 (NLT) Instead, clothe yourself
with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And
dont let yourself think about ways to indulge
your evil desires.
Romans 13:14 (CEV) Let the Lord Jesus Christ
be as near to you as the clothes you wear.
Then you wont try to satisfy your selfish
desire.
INTRODUCTION
These last verses [Romans 13:11-14] have
been rendered famous in the Christian church for
more than 1,400 years, as being the instrument of
the conversion of Augustine. (Adam Clarke
Commentary)
This passage must be forever famous, for it
was through them Augustine found conversion. He
tells the story in his Confessions. He was walking
in the garden. His heart was in distress,
because of his failure to live the good life. He
kept exclaiming miserably, "How long? How long?
Tomorrow and tomorrow--why not now? Why not this hour
an end to my depravity?" Suddenly he heard a
voice saying, "Take and read; take and read." It
sounded like a child's voice; and he racked his mind
to try to remember any child's game in which
these words occurred, but could think of none. He
hurried back to the seat where his friend Alypius
was sitting, for he had left there a volume of
Paul's writings. "I snatched it up and read
silently the first passage my eyes fell upon: `Let us
not walk in revelry or drunkenness, in
immorality and in shamelessness, in contention and in
strife. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, as a man
puts on a garment, and stop living a life in
which your first thought is to gratify the desires
of Christless human nature.' I neither wished
nor needed to read further. With the end of
that sentence, as though the light of assurance
had poured into my heart, all the shades of
doubt were scattered. I put my finger in the page
and closed the book: I turned to Alypius with a
calm countenance and told him." [Barclay
Commentary]
COMMENTARY PEARLS
From Head to Foot, Be His
I have a friend who always looks like
hes wearing an outfit no matter what day of the
week it is. For some people, everything is an
outfit. Their jeans are ripped in all the right
places and their shirt is a certain way. They think
it all through.
Its okay to think about what we wear,
of course, because we put on clothes every day.
But, the apostle Paul wrote, Put on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh,
to fulfill its lusts (Romans 13:14 NKJV).
Now, doesnt Jesus Christ live in the
heart of every Christian? The answer is yes, He
does. So why do we need to put Him on?
The J. B. Philips New Testament puts the
verse this way: Let us be Christs men from
head to foot, and give no chances to the flesh to
have its fling.
The picture Paul is giving us is that our
clothes should conform to us; we should not conform
to our clothes. In other words, let Jesus be a
part of everything you do.
Make Him a part of every decision. Make
Him a part of every area of your life. Hes
not just Sunday Jesus. Hes also Monday Jesus,
Tuesday Jesus, and Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday Jesus too.
Jesus should be Lord over wherever we
happen to be and whatever we happen to be doing,
and He should be Lord over what we watch on
television and take in through social media. He should
be Lord when we step out our door and Lord when
we return home.
He should be Lord of all because if Jesus
is not Lord of all, then Hes not Lord at
all.
So, put on the Lord Jesus Christ. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
Who Are You Wearing?
Most of the time I like to wear jeans and
a T-shirt or some sort of comfortable shirt. I
dont like shirts that are stiff or too heavy.
Instead, I like clothing that moves where I move.
In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul
wrote, Clothe yourself with the presence of the
Lord Jesus Christ. And dont let yourself think
about ways to indulge your evil desires (Romans
13:14 NLT).
The J. B. Phillips translation puts it as
follows: Let us be Christs men from head to
foot, and give no chances to the flesh to have its
fling.
Paul was saying, in effect, that putting
on the Lord Jesus is like putting on clothes.
When we put on the Lord Jesus Christ, were
making Christ a part of our lives every day.
When Jesus said to Matthew the tax
collector, Follow me (Mark 2:14 NLT), it also
could be translated, Follow with me, which
speaks of companionship, relationship, and
friendship. In other words, Lets enter into a
friendship. Lets enter into a relationship
together.
Yes, the Lord wants our obedience, but He
also wants our companionship. Jesus was saying to
Matthew, I dont want you to just be one of my
disciples; I want you to be one of my friends. And
He offers that same invitation to us.
We often view God as harsh, austere, and
angry, but nothing could be further from the truth.
God is loving, God is compassionate, and God is
caring. And He wants to enter into a friendship with
us.
Jesus said, I no longer call you
slaves, because a master doesnt confide in his
slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told
you everything the Father told me (NLT). So
follow Jesus every day throughout your life until
the end. And wherever you go, put on Jesus.
[Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
The word that is translated "put on" is
the same that is used in regard to putting on
clothes. We have "put on the new man" (Ephesians
4:24), and the new nature is like a garment that is
worn so that all can see who we are. Paul said
that the Christian, when he has confessed Christ
at baptism, has "put on Christ." Just as a man
may be recognized by the garment he wears, so
the Christian is known by the fact that he has
put on Christ and exhibits Him in his whole life
and character.
"Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ," not
just at conversion, but also on a daily basis. As
I put on my clothes each day and am seen in
them, so the Christian must daily put on the Lord
Jesus, so that he no longer lives to fulfill the
lusts of the flesh, but shows forth the image of
his Lord and the new man formed in His
likeness.
Put on Christ! This work must be done
each day in the inner chamber. I must put on the
Lord, the heavenly Jesus. But I need time to put
on Christ. Just as my garments cover me and
protect me from the wind and the sun, even so Christ
Jesus will be my beauty, my defense, and my joy.
As I commune with Him in prayer, He imparts
Himself to me and strengthens me to walk as one who
is in Him and is bound to Him forever.
Reader, take time to meditate on this
wonderful truth. Just as your clothing is a necessity
as you go out into the world, let it be equally
indispensable for you to put on Jesus Christ, to abide in
Him, and to walk with Him all day long.
This cannot be done hastily and
superficially. It takes time, quiet time in living
fellowship with Jesus, to realize that you have put Him
on. Take the time and the trouble. Your reward
will be great. [Andrew Murray 365-Day Devotional
Bible by Barbour re Galatians 3:27 and Romans
13:14]
ILLUSTRATION PEARL
I guess you could say that my dad was not
into clothes. For sixty-nine years, my mom made
the decisions on clothes purchases, and each day
she laid out what he would wear. When he died,
Mom encouraged family members to take the items
they could wear or wanted to have as keepsakes.
My niece Kelli was thrilled to choose a few of
her beloved grandpa's shirts. Several months
later, Kelli arrived in the red-and-green plaid
flannel shirt that Daddy always wore during our
Christmas gathering. What a sweet reminder that
although our loved one was not with us physically,
his spirit remained in our hearts and our
memories.
I've never wanted anyone to choose my
clothes for me in the morning, but I will admit to
sometimes needing help with how to "dress up my
spirit. That's why the Bible reminds me to clothe
myself with Christ each day. To deliberately model
His character traits of kindness, forgiveness,
gentleness, mercy, and sacrificial love. To choose to
imitate Him instead of wearing my sinful tendencies
like pride, resentment, and self-centeredness.
If I want to model Jesus, I need to spend
time with Him every day - staying in close
personal fellowship through prayer and the Word,
studying what the Bible says about Him, meditating on
His teachings, and observing how He treated
people. Then I'll be more careful to "dress" in a
way that reflects the One Whose Spirit lives in
me (Romans 8:9). by Dianne Neal Matthews
Faith Step: Thinking about your day
ahead, focus on one character trait of Jesus that
you need to imitate in your activities and
interactions with others. Then consider what you need to
take off in order to live that out. [Mornings
With Jesus 2019 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
CLOSING PEARL
Christ Himself is the Christians panoply.
But this life with which he has been clothed
must be continually renewed in the day-by-day
experience of growth in sanctification. The
Christian who perseveres in this transforming
experience will more and more perfectly imitate the
life and character of Christ and reflect Him to
the world. [SDA Bible Commentary]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Romans 13:14 - Putting On Christ.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191215-1146.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2016/20160520-1729.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Parable of the Sower - Open Heart Surgery by
Ralph Ringer: https://vimeo.com/666314378
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
