The Hour Has Come

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“Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”
Romans 13:11

When a New year ticks in, most of us stay awake till midnight to welcome it. We try our best to hold off our sleep in order to get a glimpse of that golden moment. As professing Christians, is it not even more important to wake up from our sinful life and clothe ourselves with Christ? As we enter a New year, is it not true that our final redemption is now nearer than the time when we first believed in the redemptive work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? In this Bible passage (Romans 13:11-14), Paul calls the believers of Rome to follow 4 basic principles to sanctify themselves which will be helpful for us in our Spiritual journey towards the final redemption:

1) Cast off the works of darkness:

It is not just enough to recognise the darkness of sin in our lives but to throw it off. Ephesians 5:11 says, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness..” A believer should not have anything to do with darkness. In fact, it is meant for those who do not believe in the saving grace of our Lord as found in Matthew 25:30, “And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

2) Put on the armor of light:

Now that we cast off the darkness in ourselves, we need to put on the armor of Christ, the light of the world. Isaiah prophesied about Jesus Christ in Isaiah 9:2 saying, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”

3) Walk properly as in the daytime:

Having cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light, we need to walk properly without tumbling as Christ Himself is our light and there is no darkness in Him. Ephesians 5:8 says, “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”

4) Make no provision for the flesh:

Even when we walk in the daytime, we will face trials and temptations down the road. We need to allow the Holy Spirit to take complete control of our lives in order to overcome the desires of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”

Let this New Year be a year of sanctification for all of us. Happy New Year!

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