Every Christian, who by faith is born again in Jesus Christ by faith, is redeemed from the power of darkness and transferred into the light. The person doesn’t belong to the darkness anymore and shall not live in the kingdom of darkness, but the person belongs to the Light and shall live in the Kingdom of God. Through the change of sonship (from son of the devil to son of God), the change of nature (the nature of the devil to the nature of God) and the change of kingdom (the kingdom of darkness to Kingdom of God), the person shall put off the works of darkness, so that (s)he shall no longer walk in darkness and shall put on the armor of light, so that (s)he shall walk in the light. What does the Bible say about the armor of light? What is the armor of light in Romans 13:12? And what does it mean to put on the armor of light?
Put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of 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 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 fulfill the lusts (Mga Romano 13:12-14)
The Day of the Lord is near. Busa, it’s time, that everyone, who says they believe, wakeup 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, who claim to be Christians.
Many believers don’t speak the truth and keep their mouths closed about the Truth in order to prevent conflicts or rejection by people.
Instead of standing on the Word, they compromise with the world and approve the works of darkness and even be partakers of the works of darkness.
There is hardly any distinction between good and evil and the majority of believers and unbelievers. Busa, it’s time that those, who say they believe, get serious and show through their lives, that they believe in Jesus Christ; the Word and are sons of God (lalaki ug babaye), who don’t belong to the darkness; the world anymore, but belong to the Light.
Himoa nga ang sala dili na maghari isip hari sa imong kinabuhi
Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God (Mga Romano 6:12-13)
Because those, who keep walking in darkness and keep doing the works of darkness and obey and serve sin and death through their flesh, shall not walk in the light.
Mga, who keep walking in darkness shall not be the light in the world.
They shall not be able to deliver others from the power of darkness, nor to teach them in the truth of the Word, since they are blinded and walk in darkness and sin still reigns as king in their lives.
But 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, putting on the armor of light and yielding their members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 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.
Put off the old man
Busa patya ang inyong mga bahin nga ania sa yuta; pakighilawas, kahugawan, sobra nga pagmahal, daotang pangibog, ug kahakog, nga mao ang idolatriya: For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: Nga niini kamo usab naglakaw sa pipila ka panahon, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; kasuko, kasuko, 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)
Karon ang mga buhat sa unod dayag, nga mao kini; Panapaw, pakighilawas, kahugawan, kalaw-ay, Idolatriya, pagpang-ungo, pagdumot, kalainan, mga emulasyon, kasuko, panag-away, mga sedisyon, mga erehes, Mga kasina, mga pagpatay, pagkahubog, mga paghudyaka, ug ingon niana: niini nga gisulti ko kanimo kaniadto, ingon sa gisulti ko usab kaninyo sa nangaging panahon, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God(Mga taga-Galacia 5:19-22)
To put off the old man 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 sa Dios, was baptized in water by John the Baptist and received the Holy Spirit by the Father, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness.
In the wilderness, Jesus was 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 for the devil, but Jesus only bowed for 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, to resist the devil and don’t give into his deceptions and temptations, which lead to sin.
And that’s only feasible, if you higugmaa ang Dios with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and know His will and yield yourself to His will, sama ni Jesus, Who loved His Father with all His heart, soul, mind and strength and knew His Father’s will and yielded Himself to the will of the Father.
Unsa ang kabubut-on sa Dios?
Kay kini mao ang kabubut-on sa Dios, bisan ang imong pagkabalaan, nga maglikay kamo sa pakighilawas: Nga ang matag usa kaninyo kinahanglang mahibalo kon unsaon sa pagpanag-iya sa iyang sudlanan diha sa pagkabalaan ug kadungganan; Dili sa kaibog sa kaibog, sama sa mga Gentil nga wala makaila sa Dios: Nga walay tawo nga molapas ug makalimbong sa iyang igsoon sa bisan unsa nga butang: tungod kay ang Ginoo mao ang tigpanimalus niining tanan, ingon nga kami usab nagpasidaan kanimo ug nagpamatuod. Kay ang Dios wala magtawag kanato ngadto sa kahugawan, apan ngadto sa pagkabalaan. Busa siya nga nagatamay, wala magtamay sa tawo, apan ang Dios, nga naghatag usab kanato sa Iyang Balaang 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, and do them (Ezekiel 36:27)
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God (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. Hinuon, the carnal mind, which is not renewed with the Word and thinks like the world, can become an hindrance in the life of the believer and ensure that (s)he keeps walking in disobedience to the Word in unbelief.
But by the renewing of the mind uban sa Pulong sa Dios, the new man gets to know the Father and His will.
Through the love for God and by faith in God and His Word, the person shall obey the words of God and apply His words in his or her life and walk after the words of God and abide in the Word. Through obedience to God, the person shall walk in love after the will of God.
Sanctification
Busa, mga igsoon, kami mga utangan, dili sa unod, sa pagkinabuhi subay sa unod. Kay kon kamo magkinabuhi uyon sa unod, oo mamatay: apan kon kamo pinaagi sa Espiritu mopatay sa mga buhat sa lawas, mangabuhi kamo. Kay kutob sa gimandoan sa Espiritu sa Dios, sila mga anak sa Dios. Kay kamo wala makadawat sa espiritu sa pagkaulipon pag-usab ngadto sa kahadlok; apan kamo nakadawat sa Espiritu sa pagkasinagop, diin kita naghilak, Abba, Amahan (Mga Romano 8:12-15)
Every person, who has repented 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, through the baptism in water and the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
During the process of sanctification, you shall put off the works of darkness and put off the old man, who has the nature of the devil and shall put on the armor of light and put on the new man and be clothed with Jesus Christ.
You shall no longer do the works of the flesh, but through the Spirit, 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, to lie, to rebel, to commit adultery, to diborsyo, to watch porno, to commit fornication and have sexual relationships with someone of the same gender, multiple persons, yourself, someone, kinsa dili imong kapikas, children or animals.
You shall no longer listen to your flesh, that commands you to get involved with strange religions and/or (Eastern) mga pilosopiya, pagpang-ungo, divination, to consult spirits, to walk in pride, to envy others and be jealous, to drink, to steal, to hate, sa pagpatay, to be unforgiving towards others, to recompense evil for evil, ug uban pa..
Because according to the Word, all these works are works of darkness that belong to the old man; the sinner and 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.
Everyone, who has been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.t (Mga taga-Galacia 3:26-27)
The new man is clothed with Christ. Busa, the spiritual transformation of the tigulang nga 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 shall 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, soul, 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, pagpanapaw, pakighilawas, bakak, steal, kill, envy etc.
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 do 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). Everything 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, soul, mind, 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,
- and stand in the faith.
‘Mahimong asin sa yuta’
