Closer than you think

Not as Obvious as we think

When I read this short passage I thought – “This isn’t as obvious as it looks – is it Lord?”

Romans 13:9-11 “The commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not covet, and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: Love your neighbour as yourself. Love does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law. And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.”

I mean – of course I am nearer now than when I first believed – I’m around 50 years nearer!! The next thought was just as bad – “But Lord, I received salvation then didn’t I? What on earth does Paul mean by this?” I discussed this with my wife. Is the word ‘salvation’ perhaps the wrong word? Does he mean that the Lords return is nearer now? Or does he mean that salvation as at the time of our first believing was the entrusting of our heart and soul to Jesus whereas the salvation at Jesus return is our physical salvation when we will be removed physically from all of this here on earth?

Makes you think doesn’t it??

I think he is saying to love our neighbours as ourselves because it’s time to wake up to the signs of the times, to prepare ourselves as the Bride of Christ, because Jesus is coming again very soon. That’s a very rough paraphrase anyway.

I don’t know about you but I find it utterly delightful and amazing how a letter written 2000 years ago to a group of people in a long since dead civilisation can stand the test of time and still be so wonderfully meaningful for the 21^st century. Whatever the Church has failed to do over the last millennia, the one thing it has consistently actually done is to preach Jesus teaching on loving our neighbours as ourselves. Another thing it has done, perhaps recently with vastly differing degrees of believing its own preaching, is to preach about Jesus return.

What Paul has done here is to draw attention to both teachings and told us all to wake up to all that is happening all around us. If we haven’t done so before, then NOW is the time to start loving our neighbours as ourselves. All the signs – the unrest, the earthquakes, the storms, the wars or threats of war – all the signs point to Jesus imminent return. Paul’s emphasis is that our salvation, whether initial salvation or final salvation, rests on our response to these two teachings – and, time-wise, it is closer than we may think.