Romans 13:13-14 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.… The soul requires a garment as well as the body, and the true garment of the soul is the character of Christ. This is — I. A MOST INDISPENSABLE GARMENT. Sin has stripped the soul of its true attire, and three things mark its history everywhere. 1. Moral shame. It shrinks from the eye of scrutiny. 2. Painful exposure. It is at the mercy of the elements around it. 3. Robing expedients. From the time that our first parents sewed their fig leaves, every, soul has been busy at some garment. The old Pagan world was full of such manufactures, nor is the modern religious world destitute of such self-made robes, but they are all "filthy rags." II. A MOST PRECIOUS GARMENT. The most valuable thing in the world is moral goodness, whose most perfect form is the character of Christ. This garment is — 1. Ever beautiful. "How great is His beauty." "We beheld His glory," etc. The highest beings in the universe admire this robe. 2. Ever enduring. The costly robes of princes shall rot, even the heavens themselves shall be folded up as a vesture, but the character of Christ shall last for ever. III. A MOST AVAILABLE GARMENT. We are constantly putting on the characters of others. This assimilation is a law of our social being. Our characters are formed on the principle of imitation. The character of Him is most easily attainable by us. He has the most — 1. Lovableness. He whom we love most we shall imitate most. Christ is infinitely lovable. 2. Accessibleness. He, if lovable, with whom we can have the most free, constant, and uninterrupted access, will impress us most easily with his characteristics. Christ is ever with us. "Our fellowship is indeed with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." (D. Thomas, D.D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. |
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