Romans 13
Romans 13:12-14
- The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
- Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.
- But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.
For those of you worried that you might have been chambering without knowing it, this is literally the practice of spending the night in the same bed as someone you are not married to, and by implication having sex with them, from the french for bedroom. Everything has it's start in something innocuous and ends in sinful action. Envy leads to strife, wantonness (excessive flirtation) leads to the bedroom, and drunkenness leads to riots. We are called to the opposite.
God calls us here to make no provision for the flesh, but instead put on the armour of light, making preparation for things spiritual. The first two warnings are against physical temptation. It is easy to avoid preparation for wantonness and drunkenness, just don’t dress provocatively or arrange to spend the entire evening in the pub. However even they have their roots in the same place as envy. It all comes back to where your mind is. Deciding to have one drink with your friends comes from a different mental attitude from planning to go out and get hammered. Paul says we should owe no man anything except to love one another. Love never wants to result in sin. Love never leaves space for envy. Renew your mind by looking to God.
Be prepared for the spiritual battle, put on the armour of God. This protects the Spirit and the mind where the battle if fought.
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