The armor is of light in Romans 13:12 is meant for Christians. Every Christian, ya tswetsweng labobedi ho Kreste, 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. Ka hona, Christians shall not live in the kingdom of darkness, tsamaea lefifing, 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, tlhaho, le mmuso, 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
Bosiu bo se bo sebelisitsoe hole, Letsatsi le haufi: Ka hona, a re lahleng mesebetsing ea lefifi, and let us put on the armor of light. A re tsamaee ka botshepehi, Joalo ka letsatsi; eseng ka meferefere le botahoa, eseng ka kamoreng ea ho bamahana le ho etsa lintho, Eseng qubung le ho ntlafatsa. Empa behelisa Morena Jesu Kreste, mme o se ke oa fana ka phaello bakeng sa nama, to fulfill the lusts (Baroma 13:12-14)
The Day of the Lord is near. Ka hona, it’s time, that all the Christians, ba reng ba dumela, 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.
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, ho hloka molao, and the lukewarm state of people, who claim to be Christians.
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.
Ka hona, it’s time that those, ba reng ba dumela, become serious and show through their lives, that they believe in Jesus Christ; Lentswe, and are sons of God (sena se sebetsa ho banna le basali), who don’t belong to the darkness (lefatshe) hape, but the Light.
Lumella sebe se se se sa fetohe e le morena bophelong ba hau
Ka hona ho se sebe ka nako eo 'meleng oa hau ea shoang, hore le tla e mamela ka masene a ona. U se ke ua o laela litho tsa hao e le lisebelisoa tsa ho se loke?: I IURELA HO IGOELO MOLIMO, joalo ka tse ntseng li phela ho tloha bafung, 'Me litho tsa hao li le liletsa tsa ho loka ho Molimo (Baroma 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.
Ka hona, batho, 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 bophelong ba bona.
Empa Bibele (Lentswe la Modimo) 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.
Mme ha ba na botsoalle le mesebetsi e sa lokang ea lefifi, Empa ho fapana le ho li rata. Hobane ke lihlong esita le ho bua ka lintho tseo e entsoeng ho tsona sephiring. Empa lintho tsohle tse nyelisoang li bontšoa ke leseli: bakeng sa eng kapa eng eo u e bonang e le bobebe (Baefese 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 tlosa monnamoholo. It is an action that every believer is supposed to do. No one can do it for you. Not even God.
Ka hona le bolaee litho tsa lōna tse lefatšeng; bohlola, ho se hloeke, lerato le feteletseng, takatso e mpe, le ho chacheha ka mohono, e leng borapeli ba litšoantšo: Bakeng sa dintho life’ Sanya khalefo ea Molimo e tlela bana ba ho se mamele: tseo le lona le kileng la tsamaya ho tsona, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; Khalefo, khalefo, phenya, blasphemy, puisano e litšila molomong oa hau. Bua leshano eseng e mong, Ho se bone hore le ketsoe monna-moholo le liketso tsa hae; 'Me u beoe monna e mocha, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created Him (Bakolose 3:5-10)
Joale mesebetsi ea nama ea bonahala, Eo ke e; Bofebe, bohlola, ho se hloeke, LaScivillaness, Borapeli ba Litšoantšo, boloi, Lehloeo, phapang, LITLHOKOMELA, khalefo, ntoa, Sekhooa, heres, Menogano, LITLHAKISO, botahoa, TLHOKOMELISO, le joalo ka: eo ke u bolellang eona pele, Joalokaha ke u joetse nako e fetileng, Hore ba ke ke ba rua 'muso oa Molimo(Bagalata 5:19-22)
God has given you in Christ all authority and power to resist the devil and resist sin; mesebetsi ya lefifi.
After Jesus Christ, Mora Modimo, was baptized in water by Johanne Mokolobetsi and received the Holy Spirit from the Father, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness.
Lefeelleng, Jesu o ne a le joalo 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.
Mme joalo ka Jesu, 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, e isang sebeng.
And that’s only possible if you Rata Molimo ka pelo eohle ea hau, moea, kelello, le matla,h and know His will and yield yourself to His will, joalo ka Jesu, Who loved His Father with all His heart, moea, mind and strength and knew His Father’s will and yielded Himself to the will of the Father.
Thato ya Modimo ke eng?
Etsoe sena ke thato ea Molimo, esita le kgalalelo ya hao, hore le ile bohlola: Gore mongwe le mongwe wa lona a itse go tshola sejana sa gagwe ka boitshepiso le tlotlego; Eseng takatsong ea takatso, fela jaaka Baditšhaba ba ba sa itseng Modimo: Hore ho se be motho ea fetang ’me a qhekella mor’abo tabeng efe kapa efe: hobane Jehova ke mophetetsi oa tsohle tse joalo, jwalokaha le rona re le boleletse pele, ra ba ra paka. Gonne Modimo ga o a re biletsa boitshekologong, empa khalalelong. Ka baka leo, ya nyedisang, ha a nyelise motho, empa Modimo, o boetseng o re neile Moya wa Hae o Halalelang (1 Bathesalonika 4:3-8)
Mme ke tla kenya Moya wa Ka ka hare ho lona, mme ke etse hore le tsamaye ka dikomelo tsa ka, mme le boloke melao ya Ka, 'me u ba etse (Ezekiele 36:27)
Mme le se ke la ipapisa le lefatshe lena: empa le fetohe ka ntjhafatso ya kelello ya lona, le tle le lemohe se molemo, le ho amoheleha, le phethahetseng, thato ya Modimo (Baroma 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. Leha ho le joalo, 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 nchafatsa likelello tsa bona Ka Lentsoe la Molimo. E le hore, 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. Ka ho mamela ha bona Molimo, bona tsamaea ka lerato 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 (the kolobetso ya metsing Le Kolobetso ka Moea o Halalelang).
Ka hona, baena, re melato, eseng ho nama, ho phela ka thato ya nama. Hobane ha le phela ka nama, le tla shwa: empa ha le bolaya diketso tsa mmele ka Moya, le tla phela Bakeng sa bohle ba tataisoang ke Moea oa Molimo, ke bara ba Modimo. Gonne ga lo a ka lwa amogela mowa wa botlhanka gape gore lo tle lo boife; empa le amohetse Moya wa bongwana, moo re llang ka teng, Abba, Ntate (Baroma 8:12-15)
During the process of khalaletso, you shall put off the works of darkness. You’ll put off the old man, Ke mang ea nang le mofuta oa diabolosi, 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) Moya, 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, mme o batla ho bua leshano, rebel, bohlola, o feba, tlhalo, shebella Litšoantšo tsa bootsoa, 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 (Bochabela) lifilosofi, boloi, bonohe, consult spirits, envy others and be jealous, drink alcohol, utsoa, Lehloeo, bolaea, ho ba e hlokang tshwarelo towards others, recompense evil for evil, etc.
Because according to the Bible, all these works are the works of darkness that belong to the old man; Moetsalibe. 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.
Bohle, who has been baptized into Christ, have put on Christ
Hobane kaofela ke bana ba Molimo ka tumelo ho Kreste Jesu. Ho ba ba bangata ba lona ba kolobelitsoe ho Kreste ba apere ho Kreste (Bagalata 3:26-27)
The new man is clothed with Christ. Ka hona, the spiritual transformation of the monnamoholo into the new man should become visible in the natural realm in the life of the new man.
Monna e mocha, 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, moea, 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, bofebe, bohlola, leshano, utsoa, bolaea, 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 (Mattheu 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, moea, kelello, 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.
‘E be letsoai la lefatše’
