Halloween is just around the corner and it’s a time of dressing up. We dress to imitate another being such as witches, angels, heroes or a magnitude of other beings usually intended to scare us.
Halloween, however, is a one-night event and when the night time is over the next day is All Saints’ Day when traditionally people recalled the saints and commit to being more like them.
Romans 13 catches the spirit of Halloween. In the light of day we see that it’s time that we must move on from dressing like evil beasts and lesser beings and to dress like Jesus Christ who is the epitome of the ultimate human being.
We must commit to being like he was and doing what he did. I don’t mean we are to literally dress up in the garb of the first century man like Jesus would have done but in a spiritual sense dress up to be imitators of Jesus’ character.
Romans mentions some examples of this.
The Day Is Near – Romans 13:11-14
11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armour of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. Writing to the Ephesians he describes the armour of God they are to dress in in further detail.(Ephesians 6:10-18)
The Armour of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armour of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes…. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
What a wonderful world it would be if we all put on the Lord Jesus and went about dressed in the armour of God.
No more nasty tricks, no more dangerous blackness but only the beauty of the eternal day and to see the face of Christ in everyone we meet.