Romans 13:14 - Clothed in Christ.
Romans 13:14 - Clothed in Christ.
Romans 13:14 (KJV) But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make
not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
Romans 13:14 (NCV) But clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus
Christ and forget about satisfying your sinful self.
Romans 13:14 (CEV) Let the Lord Jesus Christ be as near to you
as the clothes you wear. Then you won't try to satisfy your
selfish desire.
Romans 13:14 (NLT) But let the Lord Jesus Christ take control of
you, and don't think of ways to indulge your evil desires.
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]
APPLICATION COMMENTARY
This verse gives us the dual responsibility of the believer:
positively, to "put on Christ"--that is, make Christ Lord of your daily life;
negatively, to "make no provision for the flesh"--that is, deliberately avoid
that which tempts you to sin. [Wiersbe Expository Outlines]
Victory demands that the believer act. He is to clothe himself
with the Lord Jesus Christ. He is to stop making provision
(forethought) for the flesh to arouse desires for that which God has
forbidden. [Wycliffe Bible Commentary]
The spiritual nature is described as a person putting on a new
garment, Jesus Himself. When clothed with Him, people should seek to live
according to His guidance rather than by following the old nature of the
flesh... Seek to please Christ and not self. Live as He would live.
[Disciple SB]
How do we clothe ourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ? First we
identify with Christ by being baptized (Galatians 3:27). This shows our
solidarity with other Christians and with the death, burial, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Second, we exemplify the qualities Jesus showed
while he was here on earth (love, humility, truth, service). In a
sense, we role-play what Jesus would do in our situation (see Ephes.
4:24-32; Colossians 3:10-17). We also must not give our desires any
opportunity to lead us into sin. Avoid those situations that open the door
to gratifying sinful desires. [Life Application SB]
Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. This amounts to appropriation--the
deliberate, conscious acceptance of the lordship of the Master--so that all
is under his control--motives, desires, and deeds.... believers have
already put on Christ, according to Galatians 3:27, at conversion and
baptism. But there is always room for decisive renewal, for fresh
advance.... If union with Christ is to be experientially successful, it must
be accompanied by a constant reckoning of oneself as dead to sin
and alive to God and his holy will. [Expositors Bible Commentary]
Notice with what solemnity the Apostle gives the master His
full, official formal title here, "put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. "
Do we put Him on as Lord: bowing our whole wills to Him, and
accepting Him, His commandments, promises, providences, with glad
submission? Do we put on Jesus, recognizing in His manhood as our Brother
not only the pattern of our lives, but the pledge that the pattern,
by His help and love, is capable of reproduction in ourselves? Do
we put Him on as "the Lord Jesus Christ, " who was anointed with
the Divine Spirit, that from the head it might flow, even to the
skirts of the garments, and every one of us might partake of that
unction and be made pure and clean thereby? . . . Are we daily, as sure
as we put on our clothes in the morning, putting on Christ the
Lord? . . . "Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ," and do it day by day,
and then you have "put on the whole armor of God." (EMS) [Spirit
Filled Life Devotional SB]
This life with which the Christian 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]
We're to slip into Jesus, and wear Him everywhere we go. We're
to look like Him. Walk like Him. Talk like Him. Act like Him. In
fact, we're to be Jesus to others. What a challenge. To wear Jesus so
well that no one will notice the difference. To be in Him. And to let
Him be fully in me. [The 365-Day Devotional Commentary]
ILLUSTRATION
The Battle Inside
One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle
that goes on inside people. He said, "My son, the battle is between 2
wolves.
"One is Evil. It is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed,
arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride,
superiority and ego.
The other is God. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity,
humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion,
and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his
grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed." [source
unknown]
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Galatians 5:16 (NKJV) I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.
Colossians 3:2 (NKJV) Set your mind on things above, not on
things on the earth.
EXCELLENT VIDEO BIBLE STUDY ON THIS TOPIC:
http://hopess.hopetv.org/?page_id=281&video_id=1701153951001
[video quality poor]
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON EXPERIENCING GOD RECENTLY COMPLETED:
http://sda.biggytv.com/watch/Revive!_-_Dwight_Nelson:_Experiencing_Gods_Grace/revive/
