Romans 13:12-14 (ESV)
[12] The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast
off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. [13] Let us walk
properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual
immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. [14] But put on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
These verses were written in the context of a larger passage emphasizing the
importance of loving one another. Our world has redefined love to mean that we
should allow people to do anything that they feel is right for them. But that
is not love. Love does not justify sin by calling it love. Love does not gratify
the desires of the flesh. We live in a day where gratifying the desires of the
flesh is considered good. We are told that our desires and passions define us.
We are encouraged to pursue, and even experiment with fleshly desires to see if
that is who we are. The world has come to believe that to love someone means not
only allowing them to pursue their fleshly desires, but encouraging them in it.
If someone speaks a warning, they are accused of hate. If someone disagrees,
they are accused of hate. But that is not love.
Certainly I can not police a fallen world in their lifestyle choices. They
will answer to God for that. But neither am I to excuse or justify sinful
behavior. I must call sin what it is, and as a believer I am not to pursue my
fleshly desires. I am to pursue holiness. I am to “cast off the works of
darkness and put on the armor of light.” Light reveals. Light exposes. Darkness
covers and hides. Orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality and sensuality are usually
done in the dark. Sin loves darkness. It gives the illusion of not being seen,
yet there is nothing hidden from the eyes of God.
What if we were less concerned about the sinful lifestyles of a broken world, and more concerned about holiness in our own lives? What if our definition of the good life was less about having time and money to pursue our passions, and more about pursuing a lifestyle that honors God? What if we understood love to mean living a holy life rather than excusing unholiness? What if we were more concerned about living a life that is honoring to God than about trying to legislate a fallen world into a semblance of holiness? What if we helped each other discover who God has created us to be rather than excusing fallen passions as God’s design? What if we lived and loved by God’s definitions and not by those of a fallen, broken world? What if we were more concerned about holiness in our own lives than about sin in the lives of unbelievers? How might that change us, our attitudes, and our actions? Might that not reflect Jesus better to a broken world? As believers in Jesus Christ, let us “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
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