But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
Romans 13:14 (ESV)
As believers in the Lord Jesus, how are we to live our lives? The latter part of the letter to the Romans contains instructions for practical Christian living. And included in that is Romans 13:11-14, a call to be transformed (Rom. 12:1). Paul tells us here to “cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light” (Rom. 13:12). And to “walk properly as in the daytime” and not in a variety of sinful activities (Rom. 13:13).
Put on Jesus
He concludes by telling us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, making no provision to gratify the desires of the flesh. The word the ESV translates as “put on” carries the idea of putting on clothes. We are to clothe ourselves with Jesus.
This is not referring to coming to faith in Christ. Paul is writing to those who already are believers. It is something that, as believers, we are called to do. It is a conscious act of the will. Something that we need to do every day. Just like we put on our clothes every morning, so we need to put on Jesus every day.
To put on Jesus is to immerse yourself in him. Meditate on his teachings. Talk with him as you walk through your day. Listen to what he has to say to you. Seek to be like him in what you do. Let his love fill you and overflow from you. Make him your life, finding joy in him.
In contrast, Paul tells us to make no provision for gratifying the desires of the flesh. This could be taken to refer to any desire that this body has. But, given the context, he is more likely referring to the sinful desires of the flesh. If it is something that you would be ashamed to have Jesus watch you do, then you should not even think about doing it.
Make it your goal to live like Jesus, reflecting his love to those around you.
