Put Ye on the Lord Jesus Christ – Romans 13:14

 We live in a troublesome time with crime, disease, terror and natural disasters in the news every day. Some people look to civil government to answer as many of these problems as possible. They say, “we need to beef-up our defenses against internal and international terrorism. We need to strengthen our laws against crime and reinforce our law-enforcement agencies.” Even though we can’t necessarily stop natural disasters like hurricanes, floods and tornados, the government is expected to respond to them by returning everything to the way that it once was. But then again, some people actually think that the government can stop these natural disasters, because we are being told that everything short of volcanos and earthquakes are caused by man’s disregard for the laws of poor, helpless, defenseless Mother Nature. If we had stronger governments which forced foolish human beings into loving and worshiping the environment, we could probably stop California wildfires, Midwestern floods and probably Atlantic Hurricanes as well.

On the other hand, there are those who suggest that it is government which is the cause of our problems. First, it is too weak in some ways – like the casting aside of capital punishment thus encouraging crime. And then it is far too intrusive in stealing away personal rights and liberties. Government cannot stop the impact of society on the environment. And it not only condones certain moral atrocities such as homosexuality, but it looks the other way when unborn babies are being murdered.

Of course, the omniscient God, knew exactly what our situation would be – even back in the days of Paul. And in looking at this chapter from the perspective of an eagle soaring high above it, I suggest that Paul is addressing some of these issues – but in a backward sort of way. Without actually saying so, Paul teaches that the government is neither the cause nor the solution to society’s problems. Remember that the Apostle lived during a time when the government was far worse than it is today. You may argue that point, but I don’t think that you can win. Clinton, Bush and Obama can’t hold a candle to Augustus, Tiberius or Nero for wickedness and treachery. And yet, what did Paul say about the government – his government and our government? He said that it is “ordained of God” and that it is “a minister of God to thee for good” – as bad as it is. And it is our obligation, as much as in us is, to be subject to those higher powers, until that subjection comes into direct conflict with our subjection to Jehovah.

Then having dealt with that question, where does Paul go next? He heads straight toward personal morality. “For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” “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.” Some people would say that it should be the responsibility of government to legislate against these things like rioting, chambering and wantonness. But I disagree – at least in principle – it is not government’s job to legislate morality. It is government’s task to implement and to punish those who break the already-established-laws of God. The problem is that in an ungodly society this will never happen as perfectly as it should – if at all. And we have the 18^th Amendment to the Constitution as proof of that. The Volstead Act – Prohibition – outlawed various aspects of the liquor trade. But because of the wickedness of man, the problems with alcohol escalated as a result of that law. The following 14 years were a moral disaster in this country, and the 18^th Amendment was repealed by the 21^st Amendment in 1933. Government has very little control over the true character of its constituency, and laws don’t create morals.

The answer to the problems of this world are found at the end of Romans 13 not at the beginning. And verse 14 summarizes the whole: “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Let’s think about this statement in a little more depth than we did a couple of weeks ago.

WHAT does this allegorical statement mean?It is very easy for the preacher to take this verse out of its context and preach a gospel message. He could talk about the spiritual nakedness of the sinner. He could refer to the robe of the righteousness of Christ, and that the repenting sinner puts on that robe by his faith in the Lord Jesus. A very important part of salvation from sin includes justification. The sinner is declared righteous; the righteousness of Christ is imputed unto him. It is as though he is covered with the righteousness of the Lord Jesus – His robe of righteousness. Such a message would not be unscriptural if properly handled. But it would be out of the context of Paul’s message here because, he was talking to people who were already children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. He was telling Christians to put on Christ. Besides, unless carefully handled, that kind of message would make salvation up to the choice and whim of the sinner himself. If we wanted to pursue that course, we’d be forced to describe the Holy Spirit, holding out the robe of the righteousness of Christ like the salesman at The Men’s Warehouse. All we are doing is slipping our arms into the proffered sleeves. Five years ago, when I bought my last suit, if when the salesman had held it up and offered it to me, Judy jumped up and thrust her arms into the sleeves, I’m sure that salesman would have been just a little nonplused, upset and bewildered. The suit was for me, not my wife. In salvation, the robe of Christ’s righteousness is thrown over our shoulders by the grace of God. It is not picked off the rack by the man who has just walked in off the street.

But then that is not the Apostle’s intent here, because he is talking to people who are already Christians.

So HOW can we put on the Lord Jesus Christ?This is related to what Paul said in Philippians 2:5: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” You and I as Christians, have a lot to say about what we think about and meditate upon. But I would venture to guess that 95% of Christians spend 95% of their time thinking about things other than the Lord Jesus. I’m not accusing you, just stating an fact which, generally speaking, is forced upon us by life. And yet, we could all spend more time in the things of God than we actually do.

How can we put on the Lord Jesus Christ? By deliberately putting him in our thoughts, in our affections and in our conversations. We put on the Lord by cultivating the doctrines of His word in our hearts through meditation. Paul probably wouldn’t have been angry if we applied this statement to Bible memorization. “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might no sin against thee.” “Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” I recently heard of a man who tried his very best to look for the hand of God in every event in his life. “Why did the Lord send me to this bank teller instead of that one, and this particular grocery clerk. My car broke down without warning, so I’m sure the Lord has a purpose in it, but what is that purpose?” In other words, assuming that the things which take place in our lives are there by the command of God, then we might even picture the Lord Jesus standing in our shoes for each of those events.

I’ve mentioned the book “In His Steps” on several occasions. Do you remember the fad a few years back using the anachronism “WWJD” – What Would Jesus Do? Along time ago, J. M. Sheldon wrote an immensely popular book called “In His Steps” – predating WWJD. As a new Christian I was somewhat impressed with the book, because the principle behind it was good. Unfortunately, Sheldon was a heretic, and he was teaching that by trying to live like Jesus, we become children of God like Jesus. And yet, “what would Jesus do in this situation” is a very good question to ask. If we are already children of God, the question is a part of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Every Christian needs to have an honest desire to be more like the Lord. Look at the kind way in which He treated others – both his friends and his enemies. Study His meekness, His hospitality, His forthright honesty, and His devotion to the Heavenly Father. I need to be more like Christ Jesus – I need to deliberately put Him on every morning like a clean shirt. I need to profess His name before friend and foe alike. I need to be more consistent in sharing His gospel with the world.

These are all a part of putting on the Lord Jesus Christ.

And WHY should we put on Christ?As I was thinking about an outline to use this morning, I came up with one which is pretty standard: What, how and why. When I came to the question of why, I had to ask why, I even have to ask why. We live in a society which is so liberal and open that we are taught to question just about everything. The Lord is not particularly against this sort of attitude, but I’m sure that it must exasperate Him sometimes – if that is possible. We are like the little child who learns to use the word “why,” but who doesn’t have enough wisdom to handle the answer, so with every answer, he asks another “why” and another “why” and another, until we have to cut him off. There doesn’t need to be an explanation for the exhortation “put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Lord doesn’t owe us an explanation for any of the commands that He give to us. We are supposed to obey whether we understand it, or like it, or not. When Dad takes his family camping in an area known to contain lots of rattlesnakes, and he reminds his children that when he commands them to come to him, he expects them to instantly obey, it is for their own good. They may not have time to ask a reason for the command.

The Lord doesn’t offer any explanations for this command, but we can surmise some reasons. Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ brings glory to His name. Obviously, when we are living in sin, to be shouting the praise of Jesus, is a most dishonoring thing. But putting on the Lord Jesus means that we are trying to follow His example. Our lives in that case, and with our open declaration of Christ as the source of our lives and the pattern for our character, this really does magnify the Name of the Lord. And in putting on Christ, we can have a positive influence in a wicked world over which governments seem to have no control. This command at the end of the chapter can have an impact, whereas the object of the first part of the chapter is impotent.

Then the second part of the verse suggests another reason why we should put on Christ. “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” Some people foolishly think that Paul is forbidding the wise care and maintenance of our bodies. Elsewhere he proves that this is not the case. We must eat well, and get enough sleep so that these bodily tabernacles will remain functional until the Lord calls for us. “Bodily exercise profiteth little,” he tells us, but that it has a little profit, there is no doubt. We need to keep our bodies clean, both on the inside and outside, so that we can remain of service to the Lord. Paul is not talking about neglecting and starving our bodies. Rather he is talking about “the flesh” – the sense of our sinful nature. That flesh is constantly warring against our spiritual natures, trying to pull us down to the level of the unsaved worldling. I won’t say that our best defense against this decaying flesh is the putting on of the Lord Jesus Christ, but this action of ours is certainly one of our best defenses, and that does seem to be what Paul is saying in this verse. “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, because this will leave less room for the flesh to fulfil its lusts.” So put on the Lord Jesus as part of our spiritual protection and armor.

Why should we put on the Lord Jesus Christ? Because with it moves hand in hand with the peace of God. When we know that we are doing the Lord’s will, and we experience the Lord’s blessings in doing so, there is a joy and comfort in that relationship. Perhaps the illustration is feeble, but picture a mother teaching her son right from wrong. At her knee, for example, he learns that stealing is a crime and a sin. Eventually he grows into a young man; he gets into debt; and he finds himself in a position where embezzlement from his employer would be easy and undetected. But the memory of his dying mother’s face is ever before him. He could steal his way out of debt to the shame of his mother’s name, or he could struggle for the next ten years. Finally, he makes up his mind and lives in obedience and honesty. That choice gives him a joy and peace which makes the next ten years even more than bearable.

Why should the Christian put on the Lord Jesus Christ? Because that is the command of God.

As I thought about this verse, some analogies came to mind.For example there is I Corinthians 1:30 – “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” In properly putting on and wearing the Lord Jesus we become wiser than the wise men of the world. And if Christ is greater than Solomon, then in putting on the Saviour, we become greater than Solomon. As the Rose of Sharon, putting on Christ is like applying a wonderful cologne. Putting on the Lord Jesus should make us sweet people. As the infinite Son of God wearing the Lord Jesus, should render us well-protected. And it should give us strength and abilities that normally we wouldn’t have. Our Saviour is the arm of the Lord. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Since Christ is the light of the world, shouldn’t the more we have of Him give us more spiritual insight? What about the joy that Jesus promised and which He enjoyed Himself. And since He is the Bread of life, shouldn’t we find our souls filled and satisfied?

On the other hand, remember that he was hated and persecuted by the world and its governments. Putting on the Lord will bring that same kind of treatment upon us. Putting on the Lord will put a target on our backs, just like the one that He wore. We could probably pursue this theme with great blessing.

But let me close at just about the place that I began.Even though it is not Paul’s intent in this verse, still it is absolutely necessary that you be wrapped in the righteousness of Christ, before anything else. We are spiritually poor and naked, in fact we are naked corpses on the Devil’s autopsy table. How can we possibly stand before the holy God in this exposed and filthy condition? The answer is: we can’t.

It is essential that we be clothed in the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to be justified; we need to have the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. Do you want the perfection necessary to stand before the King of Kings? Then repent before God; believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.