The armor is of light in Romans 13:12 is meant for Christians. Au Peresitene uma, O ai e toe fanauina ia Keriso, 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. O lea la, 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, natura, and kingdom, Christians shall put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light and walk in the light. let’s look at the armor of light in Romans 13:12 and how you put on the armor of light according to the Bible.
Put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light
Ua faaalu le po, O loo i ai le aso: Sei o tatou lafoaʻia galuega o le pogisa, and let us put on the armor of light. Tatou savavali faamaoni, E pei o le aso; e le i le vevesi ma le le fiafia, e le o le potu ma le naunau, e le i misa ma le malosi. Ae na ia tuuina Oe i luga o le Alii o Iesu Keriso, ma aua le faia mo le tino, to fulfill the lusts (Roma 13:12-14)
The Day of the Lord is near. O lea la, ua oo i le taimi, that all the Christians, o ai e faapea latou te talitonu, wake up from their spiritual sleep. It’s time to arise in Christ and walk in boldness after the Spirit in obedience to the Word in the light.
Faataamilo i tatou, 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, leai se tulafono, and the lukewarm state of people, o ē fai mai o i latou o Kerisiano.
Many Christians don’t speak the truth but 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.
O lea la, it’s time that those, o ai e faapea latou te talitonu, become serious and show through their lives, that they believe in Jesus Christ; le Upu, and are sons of God (e faatatau lenei mea i alii ma tamaitai), who don’t belong to the darkness (le lalolagi) toe, but the Light.
Ia le toe pule le agasala o se tupu i lou olaga
Aua le avea le agasala o le a nofoleia i lou tino faitino, e tatau ona outou usitaia le luko lo oi ai. Le Fōia Oe Outou Tam ¯ o Faipule le Agalelei ia Aʻu: ae ia epa ia te Oe Lava i le Atua, O i latou e ola mai le oti, ma ou te auai i mea faigaluega o le amiotonu i le Atua (Roma 6:12-13)
People 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.
O lea la, tagata, who walk in darkness are not 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 i o latou olaga.
Ae o le Tusi Paia (Le Afioga a le Atua) commands everyone, to put off the works of darkness and no longer walk after the lusts of the flesh. The Bible commands everyone to walk as children of light and put on the armor of light and yield their members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
Ma e leai ni uo ma le le masani ai galuega o le pogisa, Ae e toe tali mai. Auā o se mea e māsiasi ai le tautala i mea ‘ua faia fa‘alilolilo e i latou. ‘Ae peita‘i o mea uma lava e a‘oa‘iina, ‘ua fa‘aalia mai i le malamalama: auā o mea uma e fa‘aalia o le malamalama lea (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?
Every believer should cast off the works of darkness and tuu ese le toeaina. It is an action that every believer is supposed to do. No one can do it for you. Not even God.
Mokesi o lo o ou sui i luga o le fogaeleele; faitaaga, le mama, Le tele o alofa, tu'inanau leaga, ma le manamea, o le ifo i tupua: Mo mea’ Le toʻafilemu o le Atua o loʻo afio mai i fanau o le le usitaʻi: O lea na ou ui ai i se taimi, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; ita, ita, loto leaga, upu leaga, mamao le fesoʻotaʻiga mai lou gutu. Pepelo le tasi i le isi, O le vaʻai na e tuʻu ese mai le toeaina o le toeaina ma ana galuega; Ma tuu i luga o le tagata fou, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created Him (Kolose 3:5-10)
O lenei o galuega o le tino e faaalia, o nei mea; mulilua, faitaaga, le mama, tu'inanau, Ifo i tupua, faataulaitu, inoino, feeseesea'iga, fa'ata'ita'iga, ita, misa, fouvalega, a'oa'oga sese, Matatioata, fasioti tagata, onana, faaaliga, ma e pei: o le mea lea ou te taʻu atu ia te oe, E pei ona ou fai atu foi ia te oe i le taimi ua tuanai, O Latou e faia ai mea faapena o le a lefouina le malo o le Atua(Kalatia 5:19-22)
God has given you in Christ all authority and power to resist the devil and resist sin; o galuega o le pouliuli.
Ina ua mavae Iesu Keriso, o le Alo o le Atua, was baptized in water by Ioane le Papatiso and received the Holy Spirit from the Father, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness.
I le vao, O Iesu sa faaosoosoina e le tiapolo mo aso e fagafulu. 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.
Ma e pei lava o Iesu, 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, lea e tau atu i le agasala.
And that’s only possible if you Alofa i le Atua ma lou loto atoa, agaga, mafaufau, ma le malosi,h and know His will and yield yourself to His will, e pei lava o Iesu, Who loved His Father with all His heart, agaga, mind and strength and knew His Father’s will and yielded Himself to the will of the Father.
O le a le finagalo o le Atua?
Aua o le finagalo lea o le Atua, E oʻo foʻi i lau maunu, e tatau ona e aloese mai le faitaaga: O oe uma e tatau ona iloa lelei ona maua lona vaʻa i le faʻamanatuga ma le mamalu; E le i le tuinanau o le tagi, E pei o tagata o Nuʻuʻese e le iloa le Atua: ‘Ia ‘aua ne‘i alu atu se tagata ma fa‘atauvalea lona uso i so o se mea: auā o le ALI‘I o le taui ma sui o ia mea uma, e pei ‘ona matou mua‘i fa‘ailoa atu ma molimau atu ai ‘iā te ‘outou. Auā e le‘i vala‘auina i tatou e le Atua i mea leaga, ae i le paia. O le mea lea o le ua inoino, e le inoino i tagata, Peitai o le Atua, o lē na foa‘iina mai fo‘i lona Agaga Pa‘ia ‘iā te i tatou (1 Tesalonia 4:3-8)
Ma o le a ou tuuina atu loʻu Agaga i totonu ia te outou, ma ‘ia ‘outou savavali i a‘u tulafono, ‘ia ‘outou tausiusi fo‘i i a‘u fa‘amasinoga, ma faia (Esekielu 36:27)
Ma aua le taliaina i lenei lalolagi: Ae ia outou liua mai le faʻafouina o lou mafaufau, e mafai ona e faamaonia le mea lelei, ma taliaina, ma atoatoa, finagalo o le Atua (Roma 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. Ae peitai, the carnal mind is not renewed with the Word and thinks like the world, and can become a hindrance in the lives of Christians. A carnal mind ensure that people keep walking in disobedience to the Word in unbelief.
Therefore Christians need to faafou o latou mafaufau Faatasi ai ma le afioga a le Atua. O lena la, 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. E ala i lo latou usiusitai i le Atua, latou savali i le alofa according to the will of God.
What does the Bible say about the process of sanctification?
The process of sanctification is a process that every person, who has repented and has become a new creation in Jesus Christ shall go through. Even when you are raised in a Christian family, you shall go through the process of sanctification after you’ve become born again (o le papatisoga i le vai ma le papatisoga i le Agaga Paia).
O lea la, Uso, o i matou o tagata nofo aitalafu, e le o le tino, ia ola i la le tino. Aua afai tou te ola i le tino, e oti o le a: ae afai o outou i le Agaga e faʻamalosia ai galuega a le tino, o le a outou ola Mo i latou uma ua taitaiina e le Agaga o le Atua, O Atalii o le Atua. Auā ‘ua ‘outou lē maua le agaga o le pologa e toe matata‘u ai; a ‘ua maua e ‘outou le Agaga o le tamafai, ua tatou alalaga ai, Abba, Tama (Roma 8:12-15)
During the process of faapaiaina, you shall put off the works of darkness. You’ll put off the old man, o ai le natura o le tiapolo, 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) O LE FOLAFOLAGA, 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 commands you to love yourself and the world and reject the words of God, ma manao e pepelo, rebel, faitaaga, mulilua, tatala faaipoipoga, mataala 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 that wants you to walk in pride and commands you to get involved with strange religions and/or (Sasa'e) filosofia, faataulaitu, fua, fefautuaai Agaga, envy others and be jealous, drink alcohol, gaoi, inoino, fasioti, ia le mafaagaina towards others, recompense evil for evil, ma isi.
Because according to the Bible, all these works are the works of darkness that belong to the old man; le tagata agasala. These works of darkness don’t belong in the life of the new man, who has been made holy and righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ and regeneration in Him.
Tagata uma, who has been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ
Aua o outou uma o fanau a le Atua i le faatuatua ia Keriso Iesu. Aua o le toatele o outou ua papatiso ia Keriso ua outou ofuina Keriso (Kalatia 3:26-27)
The new man is clothed with Christ. O lea la, the spiritual transformation of the toeaina into the new man should become visible in the natural realm in the life of the new man.
Le Tagata Fou, 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, agaga, 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, mulilua, faitaaga, pepelo, gaoi, fasioti, envy etc.
How do you put on the armor of light?
You 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 (Mataio 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, agaga, mafaufau, and strength and stay obedient to the Word and the Holy Spirit and walk by faith in righteousness after the will of God, e te mafaia:
- 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.
‘Ia fai ma masima o le lalolagi’
