Every Christian, who is born again in Christ, is delivered from the power of darkness and transferred into the light. Christians don’t belong to the darkness anymore, but to the Kingdom of Light. Samakatuwid, Christians shall not live in the kingdom of darkness, walk in darkness, and do the works of darkness. But Christians shall live in the Kingdom of God and do righteous works. Through the new birth and the change of sonship, kalikasan, and kingdom, Christians shall put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light and walk in the light. What is the armor of light in Romans 13:12 and how do you put on the armor of light?
Put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light
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 armor 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 fulfill the lusts (mga Romano 13:12-14)
The Day of the Lord is near. Samakatuwid, it’s time, that all the people, who say they believe, wake up from their spiritual sleep and arise in Christ and walk in boldness after the Spirit in obedience to the Word in the light.
All around us, we see an increase of the power of darkness). More and more spiritual ground is being taken by the power of darkness, which is visible in the natural realm in nature and the lives of people.
The main reasons for the increase of darkness are the increase of apostasy, lawlessness, and the lukewarm state of people, na nagsasabing sila ay mga Kristiyano.
Many Christians don’t speak the truth and keep their mouths shut about the Truth of God to prevent conflicts or rejection by people.
Instead of standing on the Word, they compromise with the world and approve the works of darkness. They even partake in the works of darkness.
There is hardly any distinction between good and evil and the majority of believers and unbelievers.
Samakatuwid, it’s time that those, who say they believe, become serious and show through their lives, that they believe in Jesus Christ; ang salita, and are sons of God (naaangkop ito sa kapwa lalaki at babae), who don’t belong to the darkness (ang mundo) wala na, but the Light.
Hayaang huwag nang maghari ang kasalanan bilang hari sa iyong buhay
Huwag hayaang maghari ang kasalanan sa iyong katawang may kamatayan, na dapat ninyong sundin ito sa mga pita nito. Ni huwag ninyong ibigay ang inyong mga sangkap bilang kasangkapan ng kalikuan sa kasalanan: ngunit ibigay ang inyong sarili sa Diyos, gaya ng mga nabubuhay mula sa mga patay, at ang inyong mga sangkap bilang mga kasangkapan ng katuwiran sa Diyos (mga Romano 6:12-13)
Yung, who keep walking in darkness and doing the works of darkness and obey and serve sin and death through their flesh, don’t walk in the light.
Samakatuwid, mga, who keep walking in darkness shall not be the light in the world.
They shall not be able to deliver other people from the power of darkness. They shall also not be able to teach others in the truth of God’s Word. Since they are blinded and walk in darkness themselves and sin still reigns as king in their lives.
But the Bible; the Word commands everyone, to put off the works of darkness and no longer walk after the lusts of the flesh, but to walk as children of light and put on the armor of light and yield their members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
At huwag kayong makiisa sa mga walang bungang gawa ng kadiliman, kundi sawayin mo sila. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light (Mga Taga-Efeso 5:11-13)
The Word commands, to not have fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but to reprove the works of darkness by the truth of God.
How do you cast off the works of darkness and put off the old man?
Patayin nga ang inyong mga sangkap na nasa lupa; pakikiapid, karumihan, labis na pagmamahal, masamang pagnanasa, at kaimbutan, na idolatriya: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: Doon din kayo lumakad ng ilang panahon, noong kayo ay nanirahan sa kanila. But now ye also put off all these; anger, galit, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created Him (Mga taga-Colosas 3:5-10)
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, pakikiapid, karumihan, lasciviousness, Idolatry, pangkukulam, poot, variance, mga emulasyon, galit, alitan, seditions, maling pananampalataya, Envyings, murders, kalasingan, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God (Galacia 5:19-22)
Every believer should cast off the works of darkness and tanggalin ang matanda. It is an action that every believer is supposed to do. No one can do it for you. Not even God.
God has given you in Christ all authority and power to resist the devil and resist sin; the works of darkness.
After Jesus Christ, ang Anak ng Diyos, was baptized in water by Juan Bautista and received the Holy Spirit from the Father, Si Hesus ay dinala ng Banal na Espiritu sa ilang.
Sa ilang, Si Jesus ay tempted by the devil for forty days. During those forty days, Jesus learned to stay obedient to His Father and resist the devil and all his temptations.
Jesus didn’t compromise and didn’t bow to the devil. But Jesus only bowed to His Father, by staying faithful and obedient to His Father and His will.
And just like Jesus, the sons of God should also walk in obedience to the Word and the Holy Spirit. They should resist the devil and don’t give into his deceptions and temptations, which lead to sin.
And that’s only possible if you love God nang buong puso, kaluluwa, isip, at lakas,h and know His will and yield yourself to His will, tulad ni Hesus, Who loved His Father with all His heart, kaluluwa, mind and strength and knew His Father’s will and yielded Himself to the will of the Father.
Ano ang kalooban ng Diyos?
Sapagkat ito ang kalooban ng Diyos, maging ang iyong pagpapakabanal, na kayo ay dapat umiwas sa pakikiapid: Na ang bawat isa sa inyo ay dapat malaman kung paano angkinin ang kanyang sisidlan sa pagpapakabanal at karangalan; Hindi sa pagnanasa ng kagustuhan, gaya ng mga Gentil na hindi nakakakilala sa Dios: Na walang taong hihigit at mandaya sa kanyang kapatid sa anumang bagay: sapagka't ang Panginoon ang tagapaghiganti sa lahat ng gayon, gaya rin naman namin na binalaan ka at pinatotohanan. Sapagkat hindi tayo tinawag ng Diyos sa karumihan, kundi sa kabanalan. Siya nga na humahamak, hindi hinahamak ang tao, ngunit ang Diyos, na nagbigay din sa atin ng Kanyang Banal na Espiritu (1 Mga taga-Tesalonica 4:3-8)
And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, at gawin ang mga ito (Ezekiel 36:27)
At huwag kayong umayon sa mundong ito: ngunit mag-iba kayo sa pamamagitan ng pagbabago ng inyong pag-iisip, upang mapatunayan ninyo kung ano ang mabuti, at katanggap-tanggap, at perpekto, kalooban ng Diyos (mga Romano 12:2)
Through the resurrection of the spirit from the dead and the baptism with the Holy Spirit, God’s will is written in the mind and heart of the new man. Gayunpaman, the carnal mind, which is not renewed with the Word and thinks like the world, can become a hindrance in the lives of Christians and ensure that they keep walking in disobedience to the Word in unbelief.
Therefore they need to renew their mind kasama ang Salita ng Diyos. Kaya iyon, they will get to know the Father and His will.
Through their love for God and by faith in God and His Word, they shall obey the words of God. They shall apply His words in their lives and walk according to His words and abide in the Word. Through their obedience to God, sila walk in love according to the will of God.
What does the Bible say about the process of sanctification?
Samakatuwid, mga kapatid, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. Sapagka't kung kayo'y namumuhay ayon sa laman, oo mamamatay: ngunit kung inyong pinapatay sa pamamagitan ng Espiritu ang mga gawa ng katawan, ye shall live For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, sila ang mga anak ng Diyos. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Ama (mga Romano 8:12-15)
Bawat tao, who has nagsisi and has become a new creation in Jesus Christ shall go through the process of sanctification. Even when you are raised in a Christian family, you shall go through the process of sanctification after you’ve become born again (ang baptism in water and the baptism with the Holy Spirit).
During the process of pagpapabanal, you shall put off the works of darkness. You’ll put off the old man, who has the nature of the devil, and put on the armor of light. You will put on the new man and be clothed with Jesus Christ.
You shall no longer do the works of the flesh. But through (the power of) ang Espiritu, you shall kill the works of the flesh and do the works of the Spirit, which produces life and peace.
You shall no longer listen to the lusts and desires of your flesh, that command you to love yourself and the world and reject the words of God, and wants to lie, rebel, fornicate, gumawa ng pangangalunya, diborsyo, watch porn, and have sexual relationships with someone, who isn’t your spouse/of the same gender/multiple persons/yourself/children or animals.
You’ll no longer listen to your flesh, which commands you to get involved with strange religions and/or (Silangan) mga pilosopiya, pangkukulam, divination, consult spirits, walk in pride, envy others and be jealous, drink alcohol, steal, hate, pumatay, be unforgiving towards others, recompense evil for evil, atbp.
Because according to the Bible, all these works are the works of darkness that belong to the old man; ang makasalanan. These works of darkness no longer belong in the life of the new man, who has been made holy and righteous by the blood of Jesus and regeneration in Him.
lahat, who has been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ
Sapagka't kayong lahat ay mga anak ng Dios sa pamamagitan ng pananampalataya kay Cristo Jesus. Sapagka't ang lahat sa inyo na nabautismuhan kay Cristo ay nagbihis kay Cristo (Galacia 3:26-27)
The new man is clothed with Christ. Samakatuwid, the spiritual transformation of the matandang lalaki into the new man should become visible in the natural realm in the life of the new man.
The new man, who has been made in the image of the Creator, shall put on Jesus Christ; the Word and walk in the light; in the truth of God, in the armor of light.
When you have become the new man, you shall walk after the Spirit and shall love God with all your heart, kaluluwa, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself, which means that you shall serve no other gods and have no idols, you shall not commit spiritual adultery with other religions and/or philosophies, and shall not commit witchcraft, pangangalunya, pakikiapid, lie, steal, pumatay, envy etc.
How do you put on the armor of light?
How do you put on the armor of light? You will put on the armor of light, by yielding to Jesus Christ; the Word and the Holy Spirit and doing what is written in the Word.
As long as you stay faithful to Jesus Christ and walk after the will of the Father you shall do righteous works; the works of light and shall walk in righteousness.
The path of righteousness is not the path of the world. It’s a narrow path and only few shall find it or keep walking on this path (Mateo 7:14). Your walk in life depends on your love for Jesus Christ and the Father.
Only if you are born again in Christ and love God with all your heart, kaluluwa, isip, and strength and stay obedient to the Word and the Holy Spirit and walk by faith in righteousness after the will of God, you shall be able to:
- Resist all the temptations of the devil,
- Fulfill your task in the Kingdom of God on earth,
- Be a witness of Jesus Christ,
- Do the works of light,
- Stand in the faith.
‘Maging asin ng lupa’
