Romans 13:13 – Light or Dark?
Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
Truth to Learn
Our words and deeds should show forth the light of Christ.
Behind the Words
The word in the previous verse translated “put on” is enduō, which means “to sink into” or “to put ourselves into.” It is expressed in the middle voice which means that it is something that we must do to ourselves; it is not something that someone else can do for us.
The word “walk” is from peripateō, which literally means “to walk around.” Figuratively, it refers to how a person lives his or her life (walking the road of life).
“Properly” is translated from a form of euschēmōn which is made up of eu, meaning “good or well” and schema, referring to “the external form or condition.” Thus, euschēmōn refers to something that is “well formed” or that has a good external appearance. It is often translated as honorably, decently, or honestly.
“Revelry” is from the Greek word kōmos, referring to conduct involving “feasting, drunkenness, impurity (especially sexual), and gross obscenity.”
Meaning Explained
In the previous two verses Paul told us to wake up and cast-off, or lay-aside, the works of darkness and put on the weapons of our spiritual warfare.
Now, having put on the weapons of our warfare, we should walk properly or honorably, and Paul tells us to do this “as in the day.” A literal translation of this expression would be, “as if in the daytime.” The point he is making is that it is not daylight yet; it is still nighttime and we are surrounded by the works of darkness, but we need to wake up and perform the deeds of righteousness as if we were fully exposed to the world by bright light, knowing that our Lord and His “light” are coming to destroy darkness. That is, we should be behaving as if Christ had already come. The Apostle John recorded a similar message in the following words of our Lord:
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:19-21)
Paul now goes on to make a short list of the types of activities that go on in darkness by those who love the darkness. These include partying, drunkenness, lewdness (implying illicit sexual activity), insatiable desire for pleasure, arguing, and jealousy or anger. These are the things that unsaved people do because they don’t have any way of restraining themselves. We, on the other hand, have the Holy Spirit, and we should be beacons in the night showing forth the light of our good deeds as an example of godliness.
Application
Do you yearn for the Light of Life, or do you prefer darkness? Are your words and actions a light to those in darkness around you? Or, do your actions resemble the deeds of darkness?
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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