Romans 13-2.28.22

Scripture

‭Romans‬ ‭13:14‬ ‭NLT

“Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.”

Observation-What does it say?

Paul is writing the church in Rome, reminding them to show respect to people in authority, to love each other and treat each other the way they want to be treated and to rid themselves of their old sinful desires. Instead, clothe themselves with godly things and principles. Follow the teachings of Jesus.

Understanding-What does it mean?

Out with the old. In with the new.

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” -2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:17‬ ‭

You ever watch those makeover shows? One show that comes to mind is “The Biggest Loser”. It’s a show where they have contestants who are overweight and are in desperate need of change in their unhealthy lifestyle. The contestants then undergo a strict diet and exercise program with a personal trainer. Then, after several months of diet and exercise each contestant weighs in and the contestant with the biggest weight loss is declared the winner. The results and transformation of each contestant is jaw dropping! Not just for the winner, but for every contestant who participated in this challenge. Their lives are forever changed!

The same should be said for anyone who accepts Jesus in their hearts as their Lord and Savior. The old life is gone and their new life has begun. It’s like those contestants from that weight loss show I was talking about. Many (if not all of them) began the competition with serious health ailments. But after completing the show, a lot of those ailments no longer affect them. They have a new shot at life now! So it’s only wise that they should stay clear of the things they used to do (eating junk food, overeating, and not exercising) in order to maintain that success right?! The same goes for a Christ Follower. We are born new! We are now freed from our sins, a new creation in Christ! We are no longer under the penalty of death. We have success through Jesus! So we too should be wise and stay clear of those things that we used to do before Jesus saved us because success is all about learning from your mistakes, moving forward, and never looking back.

Life Application

Show the world the new you. Give God all the glory!

“Because we belong to the day, we must live decent lives for all to see. Don’t participate in the darkness of wild parties and drunkenness, or in sexual promiscuity and immoral living, or in quarreling and jealousy.”-‭‭Romans‬ ‭13:13

Here is a sample scenario of how to apply the life changing transformation Jesus gives us, and how we can in turn use it to share the gospel with others.

Typical friend or relative: “Whatever happened to that guy we used to know? You know, the guy controlled by alcohol and other substances? The guy who swore like a sailor and had the most offensive jokes? Whatever happened to the guy who was always angry and hated life?”

Your response: “Well let me tell you about the grace of God, and how only God can change a person like that, and turn him into the person you see here today.”…

-Moses Gaddi