Read: Romans 13:11-14
The hour has come for you to wake from sleep. (v. 11)
A great illustration of the biblical hope in God’s future is drawn from the World War II battle of D-Day. Allied forces landed at Normandy in France and established a beachhead that provided the means to bring resources from England into the continent of Europe. Yes, battles still lay ahead, but the possibility of victory was secured.
Even more completely, Paul understood that in the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the night is far gone and the hour has come. This world has fundamentally been altered as we await the return of Jesus Christ. In this section of Romans focused on ethics, which began with presenting the believers’ bodies as a living sacrifice (12:1), the “weak” of the Roman church were called to renounce revenge and looking down on the new Gentile converts. The “strong,” the Gentiles, were called to reject their power and privilege within the Roman Empire. To illustrate this, Paul used two images. First, he used the image of night when people are often reveling and carousing; believers in Christ are to live in the day. The second image is that of new clothes—putting on the clothes of Jesus Christ—most likely an allusion to new clothes put on at the time of baptism.
Christian hope in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ does not lead to ethical laziness but stimulates Christlike living here and now. Both the weak and the strong in the Roman church needed this beachhead. We need it too.
As you pray, ask God to empower you to live today as a follower of Jesus.
Kent Fry is a retired pastor and visiting research fellow at the Van Raalte Institute in Holland, Michigan. He and his wife, Joyce, are active members of Second Reformed Church in Zeeland, Michigan. Kent is an active cyclist, and he and Joyce enjoy time with their children and grandchildren.
