Since the New Year is here and we are contemplating the passage of time, the inspired words of the apostle Paul in Romans 13:11-14 are apropos:

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. 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 fulfil the lusts thereof.

Three instructions stand out in this passage.

1. Wake Up

Paul says it is high time to awake out of sleep. The apostle was concerned about followers of Christ falling into a spiritual stupor. He frequently writes to Christians to wake up. Not only does he tell those in Rome to do so, but in Ephesians 5 Paul emphasizes the need to be awake and make the most of the time (v.16) after quoting from the prophet Isaiah: “Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light” (Eph. 5:14). To his converts at Thessalonica, whom he had to abruptly leave after their conversion (Acts 17:1-10), Paul wrote: “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 an helmet, the hope of salvation” (1 Thess. 5:6-8).

2. Get Dressed

Paul’s instructions to put on these pieces of the armor in 1 Thessalonians 5:8 brings us to the second instruction–being properly attired. The works of darkness are to be cast off; the armor of light must be donned (Rom. 13:12). We put on the Lord Jesus Christ initially in baptism (Gal. 3:27); yet, Paul exhorts Christians to put on the Lord Jesus Christ in their behavior (Rom. 13:14). Colossians 3:8 lists sins we must put off. Colossians 3:12 give virtues we must put on as the elect of God. A parallel in his epistle to the Ephesians is, “that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness” (Eph. 4:22-24). Ephesians goes on to detail certain sinful habits and dispositions to “put away” (Eph. 4:25-31); moreover, it details the whole armor of God which Christians must “put on” (Eph. 6:10-17).   Almost as if we were changing out of graveclothes (Jn. 11:44), the Christian has been given new life and must put off the former sins associated with spiritual death and put on the Christian armor associated with light and life.

3. Walk in the Light

The daily activity of the Christian is described as walking honestly, as in the day (Rom. 13:13). Paul warned Christians how to walk (Eph. 4:17, 5:15). This is similar to the familiar passage John gives on walking in the light (1 Jn. 1:5-9). What habits will you break, form, or continue in 2025? Let us examine ourselves so that our habit is to walk in the light of God’s word (Psa. 119:105).

The Holy Spirit is God as much as the Father and the Son are God (Mt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). When Ananias lied to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3), he indeed lied to God (Acts 5:4). The Holy Spirit was there in the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:2) The Holy Spirit is not some impersonal force. Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit using personal pronouns, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you” (Jn. 16:13, 14; cf. Jn. 14:26). The Holy Spirit can be grieved (Eph. 4:30); this statement would be nonsense if the Holy Spirit was merely energy or power but is entirely understandable since He is a person.

The Holy Spirit has worked in revealing the truth through inspired men and providing miraculous confirmation (2 Pet. 1:20-21; Heb. 2:1-4). David wrote, “The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue” (2 Sam. 23:2). The psalms David wrote came about by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus quoted Psalm 110:1, He prefaced it by saying, “For David himself said by the Holy Spirit: “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool,’” (Mk. 12:36). The Spirit inspired prophets like Elijah and Elisha who did not write books of the Old Testament, but nevertheless spoke to Israel to turn from their idolatry (1 Kings 17:1; 18:21, 22; 2 Kings 2:15). The Spirit also gave Samson miraculous strength to deliver Israel from their enemies (Judges 13:25; 14:6, 19; 15:14).

The Old Testament came about through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20-21). Likewise, the New Testament is what the Holy Spirit revealed through the apostles and prophets (Eph. 3:5). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit enabled the apostles to engage in miraculous activity which we do not see in the Old Testament. For example, speaking in other languages (Acts 2:6, 8, 11; 1 Cor. 14) and casting out demons (Mt. 10:8; Lk. 10:17) were abilities provided by the Holy Spirit in New Testament times, which we have no account of in the Old Testament (Mk. 16:17) —though the Holy Spirit did give an indication through Isaiah that speaking in other tongues was coming (Isa. 28:11; 1 Cor. 14:21).

The Holy Spirit has been the great revealer of divine truth throughout time. The Bible, the completed revelation of God to us, is a result of the Spirit’s work. The Spirit confirmed the word through accompanying miraculous signs (Mk. 16:17-20). God has not asked us to believe someone is speaking for Him without proof. The miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit serve as authentication. We must then beware of any who claim to be a spokesperson for God when miraculous confirmation is lacking, and the content of the teaching contradicts the Bible (Rev. 2:20). The Spirit’s work today will not oppose what He has revealed in the Scriptures.

We are to have a mindset of humble, sacrificial service for others (Phil. 2:5). The example of Jesus Christ is the greatest incentive for us in this regard because His total, voluntary humiliation for the benefit of others (Phil. 2:6-8) was followed by His great exaltation by the Father (Phil. 2:9-11). Jesus as deity is so much better than the angels (Heb. 1:4); however, He became man, made lower than the angels, to experience death (Psa. 8:5; Heb. 2:7-9).

Jesus did not use His divine position and power to assert Himself. He was tempted to take the selfish shortcut to have all the earthly authority and carnal glory of the kingdoms of this world without sacrifice for others (Lk. 4:5-7), but His firm resolve was to serve God (Lk. 4:8) by giving His life as a ransom (Mk. 10:45). He endured the cross, then sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Heb. 12:2). He now has all authority in heaven and earth (Mt. 28:18).

In light of the absolute sacrifice of Christ, where then does our self-assertion stand? What of our claims to supremacy over others? They vanish. To Christ belongs the highest glory we can offer. Our knees should bow in submission to His authority (Phil. 2:10); our tongues should confess His Lordship over us (Phil. 2:11). While this submission and confession will come from all on the day we stand before Christ’s judgment seat (Rom. 14:11), Christians offer them voluntarily now in response to His great love for us, “For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14, 15).

Let us follow the example of Christ. Jesus taught us to humble ourselves that we may be exalted in due time (Mt. 18:4; 23:12; Lk. 14:11; 18:14). James 4:10 commands, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” The first epistle of Peter is filled with exhortations to submit to those to whom the Lord has delegated authority and surrender to suffering which will come our way as Christians. At the end of these exhortations, Peter sums them up by saying, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,” (1 Pet. 5:6). Before I receive the crown of life, I must take up the cross daily by enduring suffering and tribulation (Rev. 2:10; Lk. 9:23).

Lord, help us to learn from you the motivation of love which serves others (Gal. 5:13). While we are here on earth, shape us to be servants like Jesus Christ so that we one day hear those words, “Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Mt. 25:21, 23).

Many of us are familiar with the KJV rendering of this proverbial statement, “For the love of money is the root of all evil,” (1 Tim. 6:10). However, many modern translations render this as indefinite “a root” (NKJV, ESV, NASB, CSB, NIV, NRSV). They are trying to give the sense that money is not the root of all evil without exception. While loving money plays a significant role in leading people to do evil, it is not the one and only factor. Is the KJV wrong then in rendering “root” as a definite noun “the root”?

Is there something in the original language to indicate whether this should be “a” or “the”? We could get into the weeds of the Greek. We could note how there is no article before the noun translated “root,” but a rule of Greek grammar called “Colwell’s Canon” indicates that because this is a predicate nominative which precedes the copulative verb it does not include the article. But really all this shows is that in cases such as this, context must determine whether this is “a root” or “the root.”

What is the context? False teachers were a problem in Ephesus (1 Tim. 1:6, 7). Their warped thinking approached godliness as a means of financial gain (1 Tim. 6:5). Paul, however, maintained that godliness with contentment is great gain (1 Tim. 6:6) if we will be satisfied with simple food and clothing (1 Tim. 6:8). Desiring to be rich, however, has plunged people into ruin and destruction (1 Tim. 6:9). To establish this point, Paul quotes a proverb, “for the love of money is the root of all evil.” Proverbs are usually set in absolute terms even though there are exceptions. We know this in reading the book of Proverbs. A soft answer turns away wrath, but not always without exception (Prov. 15:1). “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Prov. 16:7). However, this was not the case with Jesus. He pleased the Lord (Jn. 8:29), but enemies crucified him (Mk. 15:13). The proverbial explanation in 1 Timothy 6:10 is structured like the words Jesus had for Peter in the garden, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt. 26:52). Again, the proverb, though stated in absolute terms, has exceptions. Some soldiers are decommissioned or retire and die of natural causes. Not all who take the sword die by the sword. However, the statement would not be as powerful if Jesus said, “many who take the sword will perish by the sword.” When we understand 1 Timothy 6:10 is a proverb, it makes sense. The question is more an issue of interpretation than translation.

This proverb Paul quotes should make us mindful of greed. Many evils, such as false teaching, are a result of loving money rather than God. Jesus warned of the “deceitfulness of riches” (Mt. 13:22; Mk. 4:19), so a man may think earthly wealth doesn’t affect him when really it does.  However, we recognize there are other spiritual pitfalls than money including the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 Jn. 2:16). Sin is deceitful (Heb. 3:13). We should be on guard against the devil’s schemes (1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 6:11; 2 Cor. 2:11). If one lure doesn’t work with us, he will use another. Let us not be blind to our spiritual ruin by boasting of one sort of sin we don’t have trouble with to the neglect of another sin that so easily ensnares us (Heb. 12:1; Gal. 6:1).

We were created to seek after God (Acts 17:24-27). However, for generations, those in power in the scientific and educational arenas have had a commitment to Naturalism and sought to remove God from our lives like the description in Romans 1:18-32. As Paul noted the implications of the false doctrine which denied the Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:12-18, we should also think through the implications of Naturalism. If all that exists is material, then God, who is Spirit (Jn. 4:24), must not exist. All of us, then, must be made entirely of matter, and our conduct must then be a result of physical laws and processes without any mind or spirit above the physical. Free will, then, must not exist for every “decision” would really be the outcome of a physical process which, given our brain states, could not have any other result. People, then, are not morally responsible for their acts any more than a rock is responsible for falling down a hillside.

To be free of God and moral responsibility seems attractive for many, but what results is a lack of purpose in life which leads to despair. Arthur Miller, in his play, “After the Fall” noted this in a statement by his seemingly autobiographical character Quentin, “You know, more and more I think that for many years I looked at life like a case at law, a series of proofs. When you’re young you prove how brave you are, or smart; then, what a good lover; then a good father; finally, how wise, or powerful…I think now that my disaster really began when I looked up one day—and the bench was empty. No judge in sight. And all that remained was this endless argument with oneself—this pointless litigation of existence before an empty bench. Which, of course, is another way of saying—despair.”[1] These are not just misguided conclusions of an artist. Naturalism, with its lack of free will, lack of foundation for right and wrong, and lack of an afterlife leads to Nihilism.

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon considers what is the ultimate meaning in all that is done “under the sun”; thus, limiting his scope to just this life with no final judgment, he concludes, “Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled; and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun” (2:11). His only recourse from this despair was realizing man’s duty to God, the judge of good and evil, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Ecc. 12:13-14).

Naturalism is missing something. It wants to limit reality to only material processes, but then it finds itself at odds with free will. Determinism is the only way to remain consistent with naturalism. But when determinism is realized to be devoid of morality and meaning, consistency demands that one conclude that reality is not limited to natural processes. God must exist. Our lives do have meaning. The Judge of all is at the bench (Rev. 20:12). We will live beyond our physical bodies and give an account before the Lord of what we have done in our bodies (2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27). We must repent and humble ourselves before Him (Acts 17:30, 31).

[1] Arthur Miller. The Portable Arthur Miller. Edited By Christopher Bigsby. New York: Penguin, 1995. P. 262