Romans Chapter 13 Vs. 11

 

Fulfilling the Law Through Love

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Rom 13:11

knowing the time... This isn’t speaking of a chronological time, but time as in a period or era.

high time to... The sleep spoken of here is one of spiritual apathy or indifference or unresponsiveness to the things of God.

now is our... Therefore, the salvation here is not speaking of our salvation, but our glorification at the time of our death. Each day we live, our salvation comes nearer.

When Jesus returns, we will be glorified and that time draws nearer with each passing day. The bible frequently uses the return of Jesus to motivate believers to holy living.

Ecc. 9:10 “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

We see from (verses 10 and 11), that in these two Scriptures, that whatever we plan to do for God we better get after it. Salvation is for today, because we are not assured of tomorrow. We are warned in Matthew.

Mat. 24:42 “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.”

1Cor. 7:29-31 “But this I say, brethren, the time [is] short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;” “And they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;” “And they that use this world, as not abusing [it]: for the fashion of this world passeth away.”

We must awake, because the coming of the Lord is near, and then the judgment.

1Thes. 5:1-3 “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.” “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.”

1Thes. 5:5-8″ Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” “Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.” “For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.” “But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.”

We can easily see that we must not put off salvation, it might be too late.

Expressing divine love is a Christian’s constant responsibility, but it is especially crucial in understanding the present time (lit., “knowing the season”). Paul was not referring to time in general but to the end-time and to the imminent return of the Lord Jesus. It is a time, therefore, for spiritual vigilance and industriousness: wake up from your (some mss. have “our,” which conforms to the context) slumber (cf. Eph. 5:14; 1Pet. 5:8). This need for alertness is because our salvation (ultimate or final salvation realized at the return of the Savior; cf. Rom. 8:23; Heb. 9:28; 1Pet. 1:5) is nearer now than when we first believed (cf. Jas. 5:8). Each passing day in the faith brings final salvation and deliverance closer.