LOVE DOES (absolutely) NO WRONG TO A NEIGHBOR (literally "one who is near"): e agape to plesion kakon ouk ergazetai (3SPMI): (evil Mic 2:1) (1Co 13:4-note, 1Co 13:5, 6-note, 1Co 13:7, 8-note)

Love (26) (agape [word study] from agapao =  love) means unconditional, sacrificial love. Agape is the love that God is and in that sense is divine love. It is the quality of love that is commanded by God, empowered by His Spirit, activated by personal choice of our will, not based on our feelings toward the object of our love and manifested by specific actions (see esp 1Cor 13 - see notes 1Cor 13:4; 5; 6; 7; 8)

William Barclay writes that agape is...

Unconquerable benevolence = nothing the other person can do will make us seek anything but their highest good. Though he injure us and insult us, we will never feel anything but kindness towards him. That quite clearly means that this Christian love is not an emotional thing. Agape is not only not of the emotions, but it is of the will. It is the ability to retain unconquerable goodwill to the unlovely and the unlovable, towards those who do not love us, and even towards those whom we do not like. Agape is that quality of mind and heart which compels a Christian never to feel any bitterness, never to feel any desire for revenge, but always to seek the highest good of every man no matter what he may be. (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press or Logos)

Agape love is not sentimental or emotional but is obedient, being an manifestation of the act of one's will that desires another's highest good.

Agape is unconditional so that if given and not returned then you don't stop giving it.

Agape gives and gives and gives.

Agape takes slaps in the face and still gives even as Jesus did saying Father forgive them.

Agape is not withheld.

Agape is the badge of discipleship, the landmark of heaven, for Jesus clearly declared that "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love (agape) one for another." (Jn 13:35)

Tertullian described the love of the early church writing that...

"It is our care for the helpless, our practice of lovingkindness, that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponents. 'Look!' they say, 'How they love one another!' Look how they are prepared to die for one another."

The old adage really is true...

People do not care how much we know
Until they know how much we care.

Here Paul "personifies" love as that which does no harm to its neighbor. An understatement! But this in a sense restates the prohibitive commands  ("shall not's") in Ro 13:9. It is a sin not only to devise evil against your neighbor, but also to withhold good from those to whom it is due [cp Pr 3:27] Who is our "neighbor"? According to Christ, any other man irrespective of race or religion with whom we live or we chance to meet & especially anyone in need (Lk 10:36, 37)

Does (2038) (ergazomai from érgon = work) means to engage in an activity involving considerable expenditure of effort. Note present tense indicating love continually does no wrong.

Ergazomai is used 41 times in the NT - Mt. 7:23; 21:28; 25:16; 26:10; Mk. 14:6; Lk. 13:14; Jn. 3:21; 5:17; 6:27, 28, 30; 9:4; Acts 10:35; 13:41; 18:3; Ro 2:10; 4:4, 5; 13:10; 1Co 4:12; 9:6, 13; 16:10; 2 Co. 7:10; Gal. 6:10; Eph. 4:28; Col. 3:23; 1Th 2:9; 4:11; 2Th 3:8, 10, 11, 12; He 11:33; Jas. 1:20; 2:9; 2Jn. 1:8; 3Jn. 1:5; Re 18:17

No (3756) (ou) signifies no, and expresses full, absolute and objective negation.

Wrong (2556) (kakos) means evil, bad, destructive, damaging, unjust. It is basically, a lack of something. It describes something as it ought to be. Morally kakos describes a person characterized by godlessness or evil,

Kakos is used 50 times in the NT - Mt 21:41; 24:48; 27:23; Mk 7:21; 15:14; Lk 16:25; 23:22; Jn. 18:23, 30; Acts 9:13; 16:28; 23:9; 28:5; Ro 1:30; 2:9; 3:8; 7:19, 21; 12:17, 21; 13:3, 4, 10; 14:20; 16:19; 1Co 10:6; 13:5; 15:33; 2Co 13:7; Php 3:2; Col. 3:5; 1Th 5:15; 1Ti 6:10; 2Ti 4:14; Titus 1:12; He 5:14; Jas. 1:13; 3:8; 1Pe 3:9, 10, 11; 3Jn 1:11; Re 2:2; 16:2

Neighbor (4139) (plesion from pélas = near, near to) literally means near, quite near, nearby = position quite close to another position. Figuratively, plesion means to be near someone and thus be a neighbor.

Plesion is used 17 times in the NT - Mt. 9:16; Mk. 2:21; 6:43; 8:20; Jn. 1:16; Ro 11:12, 25; 13:10; 15:29; 1Co. 10:26; Ga 4:4; Ep 1:10, 23; 3:19; 4:13; Col. 1:19; 2:9

Who is your neighbor? The person who is near! Are you treating them with love?

LOVE THEREFORE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW: pleroma oun nomou e agape: (Ro 13:8; Matthew 22:40)

Therefore (3767) (oun) introduces a logical result or inference from what precedes. In the present context it introduces a consequence of loving one's neighbor.

Fulfillment (4138) (pleroma from pleroo = make full, fill, fill up) means fullness, full measure, abundance, completion or what fills. It describes a full measure with emphasis upon completeness.

Loving your neighbor is the fullness of the Law. This love is the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-note) Love for God and for your neighbor is the highest motive for obedience. Love does what is right and just and seeks the best for others. By nature, we do not have this kind of love (Titus 3:3-note); the Lord gives it to us (Ro 5:5-note) (Paul prayed for this righteous "seed" of "love" which all believer's possess positionally to bear fruit experientially when he prayed for the Philippians in (Php 1:9, 10, 11-see notes). To love others with the love that Christ exhibited (Jn 3:16) is His new commandment (Jn 13:34). And when His love in us in present and dynamic, we are enabled to keep all of the other commandments (Jn 14:15). Love promotes obedience from the heart (Ro 6:17-note).

G Campbell Morgan writes that...

Here again is a simple statement of a most profound truth, and its apprehension will correct many mistakes. Man is at least inclined to think of law and love as being antagonistic. We have heard John's Words, "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ," so recited as to give the impression that there was radical difference between them. Indeed, over and over again a "but" is introduced between the two parts of the one declaration. There is no differ­ence. The only distinction is that law tells us what to do, and grace enables us to do it. Thus not only is there no antagonism between love and law, there is no separation between them. Law is an expression of love. To understand that, is to realize that love is also the fulfilling of law. Paul's method of showing this is most simple and most conclusive. It is impossi­ble to sin against our fellowmen if we love them; or we may say that every sin we commit against them is due to some cooling or failure of love. Love is the most vigilant and severe sentinel of all our actions. It is the only motive strong enough to make us true under all circum­stances and at all times. Fear will carry us far, but under stress of fierce temptation it will break down. Love will carry us all the way, and leave us still desiring better things than we have ever attained. (Morgan, G. C. Life Applications from Every Chapter of the Bible).

Do what? In context Paul is referring to what he has just emphasized - LOVE.

We are never to stop offering our bodies as a living & holy sacrifice acceptable to God (Ro 12:1-note).

Loving and living wholeheartedly for Christ should be our primary objectives in view of the brevity of time.

Note how Paul "piles" up time phrases to emphasize the urgency of his message in this section (see Ro 13:12-note).

"the time...already the hour… now salvation is nearer… night is almost gone… day is at hand" 

Clearly Paul is expressing an urgency. Time is limited, opportunity is brief. The time to heed and to obey is now. There is no time for apathy, complacency, or indifference. I have a plaque my wife had made for me several years ago which says:
 

Calvin comments that Paul...

enters now on another subject of exhortation, that as the rays of celestial life had begun to shine on us as it were at the dawn, we ought to do what they are wont to do who are in public life and in the sight of men, who take diligent care lest they should commit anything that is base or unbecoming; for if they do anything amiss, they see that they are exposed to the view of many witnesses. But we, who always stand in the sight of God and of angels, and whom Christ, the true sun of righteousness, invites to his presence, we indeed ought to be much more careful to beware of every kind of pollution.

Ray Stedman adds

A Christian faith that doesn't change your life isn't worth a 'snap of the finger,' (cp 2Co 5:17, 2Co 13:5, 1Co 6:9, 10, 11, Ga 5:21-note; Eph 5:5, 6-note) but when Christ changes a heart and a life, the change that he makes is going to affect everyone around you! This is really the theme of what we have in Ch12-16 of Romans. It is a picture of a Christian 'up to his ears' in life. The result of a truly Christ-like life, lived out in the world, is going to be that some around you will be upset by the way you act. You will be upsetting some and comforting others. As someone has said, "The ministry of a Christian is to comfort the afflicted, and afflict the comfortable."  (Read the full sermon The Demand of the Hour)

KNOWING THE TIME: eidotes (RAPMPN) ton kairon: (Isa 21:11,12; Mt 16:3; 24:42, 43, 44; 1Th 5:1, 2, 3-see notes)

Bethany Bible sermon notes writes...

I once heard about a man who took to heart what it says in Psalm 90. Perhaps you know that psalm; it says that God gives a man seventy years - or, if by reason of strength, perhaps eighty; and it encourages us to "number our days" so we may gain a heart of wisdom (Ps 90:10, 11, 12). And so, starting with his current age and computing how many days he had left, this man filled a jar with marbles - one marble for every remaining day of life, according to this Psalm. Every day, he took a marble out of the jar - a marble that represented one day spent; and put it into another jar.

For years, he faithfully transferred marbles from one jar to the other - progressively emptying one jar, and filling the other. And then, one day, he called his wife up and said, "Honey, let's go out to dinner tonight. This is an important day for me. Today, I have taken the last marble out of the jar." Can you imagine what an impact a daily habit like that would have on the way you live each day of your life?

When you put things into perspective, you and I really only have a short time on this earth - even in the case of what we call a 'long life'. Each day is going by for us; and we will not be able to retrieve it. You could say that we are, each one of us, slowly losing our marbles! And these relatively few years are all that's given to us by God to prepare for eternity. These few years - and what we do with them - will determine the character of our eternity.

And yet, we're here right now. This day, God has given us the invaluable grace of "time" - time right now to do the work He has given us to do in His service, and to prepare for eternity. What are you and I doing with the time we have - while we still have a few of our marbles left? (See the full message on Romans 13:11-14 Now's the Time!)

Knowing (1492) (eido) literally means perception by sight (perceive, see) as in Mt 2:2 where the wise men "saw His star". The meaning of eido is somewhat difficult to convey but in general this type of "knowing" is distinguished from ginosko (and epiginosko, epignosis), the other major NT word for knowing, because ginosko refers to knowledge obtained by experience or "experiential knowledge" whereas eido often refers to more intuitive knowledge, although the distinction is not always crystal clear.

Time (2540) (kairos) means a point of time or period of time, time, period, frequently with the implication of being especially fit for something and without emphasis on precise chronology. It means a moment or period as especially appropriate the right, proper, favorable time (at the right time).

Kairos can refer to a fixed and definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for or a strategic point in time.

Kairos speaks of a limited period of time, with the added notion of suitableness ("the suitable time", "the right moment", "the convenient time"). Kairos refers to a distinct, fixed time period, rather than occasional moments.

Kairos is not so much a succession of minutes (Greek chronos 5550), but a period of opportunity. Chronos refers to chronological time, to clock time or calendar time, to a general space or succession of time. Kairos, on the other hand, refers to a specific and often predetermined period or moment of time and so views time in terms of events, eras, or seasons, such as the times of the Gentiles (see below) In other words, kairos defines the best time to do something, the moment when circumstances are most suitable, the psychologically "ripe" moment.

In rhetoric kairos is "a passing instant when an opening appears which must be driven through with force if success is to be achieved." (E. C. White, Kaironomia p. 13)

Kairos is used 86 times in the NT in the NASB (Mt 10x; Mk 5x; Lk 12x; Jn 3x;Acts 9x; Ro 6x; 1Co 3x; 2Co 2x;Gal 3x; Ep 4x; Col 1Th 2x;2Th; 1Ti 3x; 2Ti 3x; Titus; Heb 4x; 1P 4x; Rev 5x) (If you have the time and the inclination, a study of these uses - remembering to read them in context -  will give the reader a blessed insight into the nuances of meaning of kairos) and is translated as: age, 1; epochs, 2; occasion, 1; opportune time, 1; opportunity, 3; proper time, 5; right time, 1; season, 1; seasons, 4; short, 1; time, 54; times, 11; while, 1.

Kairos is found some 252 times in the Septuagint (LXX) (Ge 1:14; 6:13; 17:21, 23, 26; 18:10, 14; 21:2, 22; 29:34; 30:20, 41; 38:1; Ex 8:32; 9:4, 14; 13:10; 23:14f, 17; 34:18, 23f; Lev. 15:25; 23:4; 26:4; Nu 9:3, 7, 13; 14:9; 22:4; 23:23; Dt. 1:9, 16, 18; 2:34; 3:4, 8, 12, 18, 21, 23; 4:14; 5:5; 9:19f; 10:1, 8, 10; 16:6, 16; 28:12; 31:10; 32:35; Jos. 5:2; 11:10, 21; Jdg. 4:4; 10:8, 14; 11:26; 12:6; 13:23; 14:4; 21:14, 22, 24; 1Sa 1:20; 4:20; 9:16; 20:12; 2Sa 11:1; 20:5; 23:5; 1 Ki. 11:4, 29; 15:23; 16:22; 18:29; 2 Ki. 4:16f; 8:22; 16:6; 18:16; 20:12; 24:10; 1 Chr. 9:25; 11:11, 20; 12:32; 21:28f; 29:30; 2 Chr. 7:2, 8; 8:13; 15:5; 16:7, 10; 21:10, 19; 25:27; 28:16; 30:3; 35:17; Ezra 5:3; 8:34; 10:13f; Neh. 4:22; 6:1; 9:27; 10:34; 12:17; 13:21, 31; Est. 2:12; 4:14, 17; 8:12; 10:3; Job 5:26; 19:4; 38:32; 39:1, 18; Ps. 1:3; 4:7; 10:5; 21:9; 31:15; 32:6; 34:1; 37:19, 39; 69:13; 71:9; 75:1; 81:15; 102:13; 104:19; 106:3; 119:20, 126; Prov. 5:3, 19; 6:14; 8:30; 17:17; 18:1; Eccl. 3:1ff, 11, 17; 7:17; 8:5f; 9:8, 11f; 10:17; Song 2:12; Isa. 9:1; 18:7; 30:8; 33:2; 38:1; 39:1; 49:8; 50:4; 60:22; 64:9; Jer. 2:27f; 3:17; 4:11; 5:24; 6:15; 8:1, 7, 15; 10:15; 11:12, 14; 14:8, 19; 15:11; 16:21; 18:23; 46:21; 50:4, 16, 20, 26f, 31; 51:6, 18; Lam. 1:15, 21; 4:18; Ezek. 4:10f; 7:7, 12; 12:27; 16:8; 21:25, 29; 22:3f, 30; 35:5; Da 2:8f, 21; 3:7f; 4:1, 16, 23, 25f, 32, 36; 6:10, 13; 7:12, 22, 25; 8:17, 19; 9:25ff; 11:6, 13f, 24, 27, 29, 35, 40; 12:1, 4, 7ff, 11; Hos. 2:9; Joel 3:1; Amos 5:13; Mic. 2:3; 3:4; 5:3; Hab. 2:3; 3:2; Zeph. 3:16, 19f; Hag. 1:2, 4) and the first use in the OT gives good sense of the meaning of kairos...

Genesis 1:14 Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons (kairos), and for days and years. (Comment: Even our English dictionary definitions give us the sense of kairos in definitions of season as  period of the year characterized by or associated with a particular activity or phenomenon or a a time characterized by a particular circumstance or feature. When the season is past, it is over. Yes it returns the next year but for that year it is past. That is the idea of kairos - when the time has passed, one cannot go back and retrieve that time.)

Genesis 17:21 "But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season (kairos) next year."

Genesis 21:2 So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time (kairos) of which God had spoken to him.

Psalm 1:3 And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season (kairos), And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers. (Comment: The soil of this man's heart is prepared by his godly conduct and his continual delight in and meditation upon the Law of the Lord, so that he is ready to bear fruit when the opportunity presents itself).

Psalm 31:15 My times (kairos) are in Thy hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

Psalm 34:1  I Will bless the LORD at all times (kairos - every opportunity!); His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psalm 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time (kairos) of trouble.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is an appointed time (chronos) for everything. And there is a time (kairos) for every event under heaven-- 3:2 A time (kairos) to give birth, and a time (kairos) to die; A time (kairos) to plant, time (kairos) a time to uproot what is planted. (In verses 4-8 there are 19 more uses of kairos all for the word "time"!)

Vincent writes that kairos

"implies a particular time; as related to some event, a convenient, appropriate time; absolutely, a particular point of time, or a particular season, like spring or winter." (Vincent, M. R Word Studies in the New Testament. Vol. 1, Page 3-70)

TDNT writes that kairos

"has the sense of a “decisive moment,” again with positive, neutral, or negative implications, though the positive one of fortune is the most common. Fortune in this sense is not fate, but the chance that must be boldly grasped...a cult of the god Kairos is also found...a statue of Kairos by Lysippos, (depicted a naked young man) with winged feet poised (prepared, ready, all set)… His only attribute apart from the winged feet was a striking hair-style, a lock at the front with short hair behind.” The latter characteristic confirms the fact that even religiously Kairos originally had the character of decision, since the lock of hair is a symbol that one must take the favorable opportunity by the forelock, so that even religiously a summons to action is implied." (Ed note: See the epigram below...this annotation is not meant to condone the futility of pagan mythology but I do believe that this pagan epigram conveys a reasonable portrayal of what all Christians should seek to do - Carpe Diem - Seize the day, redeem the time,  take advantage of every kairos opportunity while there is yet time [opportunum tempus - opportunity flees] and the night is coming when no man can work.) (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W.  Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans)

Application: As someone has well said “Seize your opportunities as they come.” God presents believers with all kinds of opportunities and one of the tragedies of life is that we so often fail to even see them (unconfessed sin being a great impediment to spiritual vision), much less to grasp them for our good and God's glory.

An old adage says

“There are three things which come not back—the spent arrow, the spoken word, and the lost opportunity.”

Spurgeon writes...

Opportunities do not wait. We must seize them as they pass us. The tide remains not long at flood.

The first occasion offer'd, quickly take,
Lest thou repine at what thou didst forsake.

Dearly beloved, making the most of your time is another way of saying you are to make the most of your opportunities—opportunities that can be passed and be your loss or can be grasped and bring God glory. O Lord,

So teach us to number our days, that we may present to Thee a heart of wisdom. (Amen!) (Ps 90:12)

Spurgeon comments: Instruct us to set store by time, mourning for that time past wherein we have wrought the will of the flesh, using diligently the time present, which is the accepted hour and the day of salvation, and reckoning the time which lieth in the future to be too uncertain to allow us safely to delay any gracious work or prayer. Numeration is a child's exercise in arithmetic, but in order to number their days aright the best of men need the Lord's teaching. We are more anxious to count the stars than our days, and yet the latter is by far more practical.

That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Men are led by reflections upon the brevity of time to give their earnest attention to eternal things; they become humble as they look into the grave which is so soon to be their bed, their passions cool in the presence of mortality, and they yield themselves up to the dictates of unerring wisdom; but this is only the case when the Lord himself is the teacher; he alone can teach to real and lasting profit. Thus Moses prayed that the dispensations of justice might be sanctified in mercy. "The law is our school master to bring us to Christ", when the Lord himself speaks by the law. It is most meet that the heart which will so soon cease to beat should while it moves be regulated by wisdom's hand. A short life should be wisely spent. We have not enough time at our disposal to justify us in misspending a single quarter of an hour. Neither are we sure of enough life to justify us in procrastinating for a moment. If we were wise in heart we should see this, but mere head wisdom will not guide us aright.

Ponder this quote by Horace Mann as you study the meaning of kairos...

Lost, yesterday, somewhere between sunrise and sunset,
Two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes.
No reward is offered,
For they are gone forever.
 

Charles Hummel wisely warned that...

Our greatest danger in life is in permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important.

Modern day believers need the resolve and focus of George Whitfield who when asked what he would do if he knew Christ would return in three days replied

"I would do just what I have scheduled to do."

Read the following poem by Jarvis Anderson entitled "Unfinished Cathedral"...

The query comes: How long is Life?
Threescore and ten, the Good Book reads,
Is time enough for men to write
The record of his life in deeds.

Threescore and ten—how fast they fly!
Threescore and ten—they're almost gone!
And I, who dreamed of castles high,
Have only laid the cornerstone.

William Manning gives us good advice as we study kairos noting that...

The chief value of an anniversary is to call us to greater faithfulness in the time that is left.
 

Believers need to be like the converted Hindu who upon being given a Bible and a clock said

"The clock will tell me how time goes, and the Bible will tell me how to spend it."

Paul J Meyer declared that...

Most time is wasted, not in hours, but in minutes. A bucket with a small hole in the bottom gets just as empty as a bucket that is deliberately kicked over.

A Tiny Little Minute
Just a tiny little minute.
Sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me;
Didn't ask it,. didn't choose it.
Yet, it's up to me to use it;
Must give account if I abuse it.
Just a little minute.
ANONYMOUS

John MacArthur adds that...

"Wisdom numbers the days, sees the limited time, and buys the opportunity. Don’t be foolish—shun opportunities for evil, but seize opportunities for good." (MacArthur, J. Strength for Today. Nov 26. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books)

Kairos (according to Bauer and Gingrich) is one of the chief eschatological terms in the Bible - kairos is supremely God’s time. For example, Luke records Jesus' prophecy that the Jews would

"fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times (kairos) of the Gentiles be fulfilled." (Lk 21:24)

Here kairos refers to a period (the origin and termination of which are not agreed upon by all scholars) which appears to begin with the time of Nebuchadnezzar's sacking of Jerusalem and will end with the final battle against Jerusalem during Daniel's Seventieth Week (Click timeline and tabular overview of God's Plan for Jerusalem in Scripture. Note especially the chart at the bottom of the page and the section entitled "The Times of the Gentiles" that ends with "Prophetic Peak #3")

As a parenthetical comment it is interesting to note that our Lord's words will be fulfilled literally when this specific kairos time has run its course. Down through the centuries from the time of the Savior’s words, Jerusalem has been largely controlled by Gentile powers. Emperor Julian the Apostate (331–363AD) sought to discredit Christianity by disproving this prophecy of the Lord. He therefore encouraged the Jews to rebuild the temple. They went to the work eagerly, even using silver shovels in their extravagance, and carrying the dirt in purple veils. But while they were working, they were interrupted by an earthquake and by balls of fire coming from the ground. They had to abandon the project. Why? It was not yet the completion of God's time (kairos)!

Kairos emphasizes quality or kind of time. Kairos does not refer to chronological but epochal time (an epoch is defined as an extended period of time usually characterized by a distinctive development or by a memorable series of events; applies to a period begun or set off by some significant or striking quality, change, or series of events)

For example, when Jesus came into Galilee, He came preaching the gospel of God, saying

"saying “The (appointed period of) time (kairos) is fulfilled (completed), and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” (Mk 1:15).

Jesus' announcement views time (kairos) from the aspect of the opportunity it provided, and not simply as a change from the past and so not merely speaking of duration. The appropriate season or golden opportunity for the fulfillment of God’s redemptive promises had arrived including the time (kairos) for the proclamation of the gospel. The hour for the realization of the events predicted by Isaiah had arrived:

there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish. In earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. Those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them. (Isa 9:1-2)

So here kairos is not so much time in a chronological sense, but the time for decisive action on God’s part. With the arrival of the King, a new "epoch" in God’s dealings with men had come.

Wuest adds that kairos can refer to "seasons" which

represent the critical epoch-making periods (fore-ordained of God) when all that has been maturing (slowly, often without observation, ripening) through long ages comes to a head in grand decisive events which constitute at once the close of one period and the commencement or beginning of another. 

(Kairos speaks of) those strategic times in the calendar of God during which events come to a culmination and ripen to usher in a new age... (kairos is) a strategic time, a time determined by a set of circumstances which make that particular point of time part of the efficient working of an action or set of actions. (Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans)

In another use Paul in discussing the fate of Israel, most of whom had rejected their Messiah, writes that

"there has also come to be at the present time (kairos) a remnant (of believing Jews) according to God’s gracious choice." (see note Romans 11:5)

The kairos time to which Paul was making reference was a strategic one, a time period marked by the inclusion of the Gentiles together with the Jews in the one Body of Christ, a time at which, while the Gentiles gladly received the Word, Israel was apostate, a time during which in spite of the apostasy of most of Israel, there was still a remnant of Israel who was being saved by the sovereign grace of God. In another use of kairos by Luke (with a meaning similar to Paul's in Romans 11), Peter exhorts his Jewish listeners at Pentecost to

"Repent therefore and return, that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times (kairos) of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you." (Acts 3:19-20)

Paul encourages the saints at Galatia to

"not lose heart in doing good, for in due time (kairos - at the appointed season) we shall reap if we do not grow weary ( becoming exhausted and giving up). So then, while we have opportunity, (kairos) let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith." (Gal 6:9-10)

Paul is encouraging his readers and us who live in the last days, that in the spiritual realm, the rewards surely follow faithful sowing in due season. This encouraging word about a "kairos" time to come, reminds me of John Wesley's exhortation to

"Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can,
to all the people you can, as long as ever you can."

Since there is no good English equivalent to kairos, the essence of it's meaning can be somewhat difficult to grasp. Study the following verses and see if you can discern the "window of opportunity" aspect in each verse to help give you a "feel" for the meaning of Kairos

Mt 13:30 'Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."'

Mt 21:34 "And when the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce.

Mk 11:13 And seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs

Mk 13:33 Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is.

Lk 4:13 And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.

Lk 19:44  and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation." (Comment: This refers to Messiah's first advent, which the Jews failed to recognize and acknowledge)

Acts 17:26 and He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times, and the boundaries of their habitation,

2Cor 6:2 for He says, "At the acceptable time I listened to you, And on the day of salvation I helped you"; behold, now is "the acceptable time," behold, now is "the day of salvation "

Colossians 4:5 (see note) Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

Revelation 2:9 (see note) Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near.
 

The following quote from Napoleon illustrates the idea inherent in kairos:

“There is in the midst of every great battle a ten to fifteen minute period that is the crucial point. Take that period and you win the battle; lose it and you will be defeated.”

Paul uses kairos to exhort the saints at Ephesus to be

"making the most of your time, because the days are evil." (see note Ephesians 5:16)

God has set boundaries around our lives, and our opportunity (a state of affairs or combination of circumstances favorable to some end) for service exists only within those boundaries. We are to make the most of our time on this evil earth in fulfilling God’s purposes, lining up every opportunity for useful worship and service.

An old Chinese adage says, “Opportunity has a forelock so you can seize it when you meet it. Once it is past, you cannot seize it again.”

Some other common sayings that convey a similar thought include:

"Strike while the iron is hot", "There is no time like the present" and "He who hesitates is lost".

Our English word opportunity comes from the Latin and means “toward the port.” It suggests a ship taking advantage of the wind and tide to arrive safely in the harbor. The brevity of life is a strong argument for making the best use of every opportunity God gives us.

Richard DeHaan notes that...

If we had to buy time, would there be any difference in how we would spend it? Would the days of our lives be used more wisely?” That’s what time management consultant Antonio Herrera asked the participants in a seminar he conducted on the subject. Then Dr. Herrera became more specific. He asked, “What if you had to pay in advance $100 an hour for the time allotted to you? Would you waste it?” The answer should be obvious. Of course, we can’t put a price tag on the minutes and hours we possess. They are given to us freely. But that doesn’t excuse us from using them conscientiously, carefully, and wisely. The giver of time is God Himself, and that places a far greater value upon it than any monetary figure could suggest. We must therefore use our time intelligently, taking advantage of opportunities it provides for us to serve the Lord and to do His will. - R. W. De Haan (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Redeem the time! God only knows
How soon our little life may close,
With all its pleasures and its woes,
Redeem the time! — Anonymous

For example in (Eph 2:10-note) Paul clearly states that believers now are God's

workmanship (Greek = poiema = "masterpiece") created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Our goal as believers is to enter into those works that He has already prepared for us, for those are the only eternally lasting and "good" works. The idea of kairos is that God gives each believer opportunities -  each new day brings its opened doors, its vast potential. It behooves believers to live in such a way that we are sensitive to when God gives us one of those "kairos" opportunities, because when it passes, it is gone. We can achieve our potential in His service only as we utilize those opportunities He has given us. If this admonition was urgent during Paul's day, how much more urgent today!

This is not a New Testament idea -- during the time of David,

"the sons of Issachar" "knew the time" being described as "men who understood the times with knowledge of what Israel should do" (1Chr 12:32).

The Geneva Study Bible makes this statement --

"Spiritual discernment is rooted in the apprehension of divine revelation."

We know Winter is near when the Fall comes. John wrote

"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time (kairos) is near." (Rev 1:3-note)

Beloved, the next great epoch (kairos) of God’s redemptive history is imminent. Sadly, although Christ’s coming is the next glorious event, it has been delayed so long that many, even in the church, have begun to question whether He will ever come and to live like it!

Harry Ironside once wisely said that

"Time is given us to use in view of eternity."

Given the preciousness of each new day in light of the truth of about kairos, ponder the words of the following hymn that speaks of beginning each new day "with the sun" and "with the Son"...

In this closing section then Paul sets off an alarm clock to waken believers who have gone to sleep spiritually.

The world lives as though human history were destined to continue for ever.

The Christian knows that God is sovereign and in control of all events, not only in the lives of individuals but also in the rise and fall of nations. Our sovereign God is directing history to a predetermined end.

Phillips paraphrases Paul's charge to believers as

"It is time to wake up to reality."

Believers are to wake up from spiritual lethargy and love their neighbors while they have opportunity (time) (Col 4:5, 6-see notes; 4:6, Eph 5:16-note, both use "kairos" see below). Show love while you can.

The emphasis by Paul is on the brevity of our life on earth and the eminency and hope (certainty) of Christ's appearance should motivate us to pursue godliness & purity (1Jn 2:28 3:2, 3, Jas 5:8, 9, 2Pe 3:11, 12, 13-see notes, 2Pe 3:14-note).

Kent Hughes says that believers...

ought to be like the little boy whose family clock malfunctioned and struck 15x so that he rushed wide-eyed to his mother crying, “Mommy, it’s later than it’s ever been before!” What sanctifying logic! We should also keep in mind that if Christ does not return in our time, He will certainly come individually for us in death. Each ache, pain, gray hair, new wrinkle or funeral is another reminder that it is later than it has ever been before. It is time to love our neighbors as ourselves. IT'S LATER THAN YOU THINK. Redeem the time!" (Hughes, R. K. Romans: Righteousness from heaven. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books)

William Newell writes:

"This verse sets before us the awful tendency to sink down (as did the ten virgins! [Mt 25:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]) into slumber & sleep, —into a state of spiritual torpor in which no Christian duties are effectively done. Believers are to "know the season." Our Lord sternly arraigned the Jews of His day for their ignorance concerning "the time"; "When ye see a cloud rising in the West, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it cometh to pass. And when ye see a south wind blowing, ye say, There will be a scorching heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye know how to interpret the face of the earth and the heaven; but how is it that ye know not how to interpret this time (same Gk word "kairos" as in Ro 13:11)? And why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right? (Luke12:54, 55, 56)

There their Messiah was, in their midst, and they knew Him not! Why? Because they did not apply themselves to know the time they were in, although they could have known it, both from the prophetic Word which was being fulfilled before their eyes in Christ; and also "of their own selves, " if they had set themselves to judge truly of the moral conditions about them and the necessities of action involved therein. If the Jews even then were called by our Lord "hypocrites, " for applying their God-given discernment to the signs of the weather, and neglecting to apply it to spiritual things, and so going on blindly to judgment; how much more this should arouse us who have so much greater light and knowledge, in view of Christ’s death and resurrection, and the presence of the Holy Spirit; and the certainty of our Lord’s coming, and our uncertainty as to the day and hour! " (Bolding added) (Newell, W: Romans: Verse by Verse)

Kent Hughes adds one last encouraging thought writing...

"May God help us to love with a sense of urgency & selflessness. Let us cultivate a sense of debt. Just as when we owe someone money and our debt is the first thing we think of when we see him, so may it be with our debt of love. Let us enlarge our definition of neighbor as, “My neighbor is not necessarily someone like me. It is any person God has put in my way whom I can help.” Let us cultivate a sense of the time—“It is later than it has ever been before.” Let us consciously put off the deeds of darkness (we individually know what these are) and put on Jesus—every day! Let us not be planning out in our mind beforehand how we will carry out the sinful desires that deceptively, continually emanate from our old nature (which will constantly wage war with us until we are home). (Hughes, R. K. Romans: Righteousness from heaven. Preaching the Word. Wheaton, Ill.: Crossway Books)

THAT IT IS ALREADY THE HOUR FOR YOU TO AWAKEN FROM SLEEP: hoti ora ede humas ex hupnou egerthenai (APN): (Jonah 1:6; Mt 25:5, 6, 7; 26:40,41; Mk 13:35, 36, 37; 1Co 15:34; Ep 5:14-note; 1Th 5:5-note, 1Th 5:6, 7-notes, 1Th 5:8-note)

Awaken from sleep - No Christian should be asleep, yet the ordinary life of most of us is but a drowsy state of spirituality compared with what it should be and what it would be if our Christian hope (certainty) were perpetually present in our minds to spur us onward. In Ephesians 5:14 Paul is speaking to the "spiritually asleep" believers.

For this reason it says, "Awake (present imperative), sleeper, and arise (aorist imperative - do this now, it's urgent!) from the dead, and Christ will shine on you." (Ep 5:14-note)

Comment: Not everyone agrees this verse is directed to believers, but I feel the context and tenor of the latter half of Ephesians 4-6 [which calls for a worthy walk in believers] favors this verse as also directed to believers.

Compare a similar admonition to believers in Corinth...

Become sober-minded (aorist imperative - do this now, it's urgent!) as you ought, and stop (not sinning) sinning (present imperative with a negative conveys sense of stop an action already occurring); for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.  (1Cor 15:34)

Awaken (1453) (egeiro) means to rouse from sleep, from sitting or lying, metaphorically from disease, from death , from inactivity, from ruin.

Egeiro is used 144 times in the NT - Matt. 1:24; 2:13f, 20f; 3:9; 8:15, 25f; 9:5ff, 19, 25; 10:8; 11:5, 11; 12:11, 42; 14:2; 16:21; 17:7, 9, 23; 20:19; 24:7, 11, 24; 25:7; 26:32, 46; 27:52, 63f; 28:6f; Mk. 1:31; 2:9, 11f; 3:3; 4:27, 38; 5:41; 6:14, 16; 9:27; 10:49; 12:26; 13:8, 22; 14:28, 42; 16:6, 14; Lk. 1:69; 3:8; 5:23f; 6:8; 7:14, 16, 22; 8:54; 9:7, 22; 11:8, 31; 13:25; 20:37; 21:10; 24:6, 34; Jn. 2:19f, 22; 5:8, 21; 7:52; 11:29; 12:1, 9, 17; 13:4; 14:31; 21:14; Acts 3:6f, 15; 4:10; 5:30; 9:8; 10:26, 40; 12:7; 13:22, 30, 37; 26:8; Rom. 4:24f; 6:4, 9; 7:4; 8:11, 34; 10:9; 13:11; 1 Co. 6:14; 15:4, 12ff, 20, 29, 32, 35, 42ff, 52; 2 Co. 1:9; 4:14; 5:15; Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:20; 5:14; Phil. 1:17; Col. 2:12; 1 Thess. 1:10; 2 Tim. 2:8; Heb. 11:19; Jas. 5:15; 1 Pet. 1:21; Rev. 11:1

Already gives a touch of urgency to Paul's exhortation. He is not speaking of some remote period for which they could make leisurely preparation for, but of one that called for action now. He is sounding a "Paul Revere" call for alertness.

Encyclopedia Britannica defines sleep as

a state of inactivity with a loss of consciousness & a decrease in responsiveness to events taking place.

Here Paul is referring to a believer being "spiritually" asleep. 

Sleep (5258) (hupnos) is the source of our English words "hypnotic, hypnosis, etc". Paul is saying let us awaken from our "hypnotic state" produced by the enticements of the flesh, the world and the devil. The hour of our Lord's return is drawing nigh!

Hupnos is used 6 times in the NT - Matt. 1:24; Lk. 9:32; Jn. 11:13; Acts 20:9; Rom. 13:11

Sleep is a metaphor (see terms of comparison simile metaphor) which pictures spiritual apathy and lethargy or unresponsiveness to the things of eternal value that please God.

Vine notes that...

hupnos is never used of death. In five places in the NT it is used of physical "sleep;" in Ro13:11, metaphorically, of a slumbering state of soul, i.e., of spiritual conformity to the world, out of which believers are warned to awake.

Christian citizens are to live in the light of the eminency of the Lord's return. Paul admonishes us to

"Wake up-dress up-clean up-look up!"

Are we "listening up"?

Let us not be lulled to sleep by indulgence in pleasure or be influenced by the specious words of mockers who suggest that the Lord has delayed His coming or that He will not return at all (2Pe 3:3,4 -note).

Bethany Bible sermon notes asks...

What do Christians look like who are "asleep" in this way? I believe such "spiritual slumber" shows itself in a slackening of the intensity of their faith. They may read their Bibles, but not with much excitement or application. They don't "tremble" at God's word (Isaiah 66:2). They may pray, but not with much earnestness, or effectiveness, or expectation (James 5:16). They may go to church, but only as "spectators" and "consumers", and not as a properly working part of the Body that contributes to its growth (Ephesians 4:16). They may be around non-believers, but they're not excited enough about their own faith to present it to others as "ambassadors of Christ"" (2 Cor. 5:20). They're saved; but are just sort of taking a "spiritual siesta" all the time.

"Sleep" is the perfect word to use to describe the state of a passive, uninvolved, indifferent Christian. Great potential is there in them; but there's nothing happening.

Many years ago, I worked in a moving and storage warehouse; and a young guy started working in the warehouse that, for some reason, we just couldn't find. He'd come to work - I mean, we'd see him enter the warehouse - but we just couldn't find him after that.

Well, we finally found him - or, I should say, we heard him snoring. He had pulled a bunch of warehouse crates around himself, made a little hiding place, and was sleeping on the job. The rest of us all gathered around this sleeping beauty, and on the count of three, shouted, "Wake up!!" And that's what Paul is doing here. This is a call to the sleepy Christian to wake up!

Let me make a suggestion. Pray about this before God. It'll take guts; because God will answer your prayer. Ask Him to show you whether or not you are a sleepy Christian. Ask Him to reveal to you where you might be dozing off. And then, ask Him to set you ablaze with the expectation of the Lord's return. He will.  (See the full message on Romans 13:11-14 Now's the Time!)

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What Time Is It?-There are many ways of keeping time. Let's look at three of them. The first is called "world time." For many years this was how the world set its clocks. World time was determined by the relationship of the earth to the sun, and it enabled man to measure time by the movements of the heavens.

A second way of keeping time was adopted in 1972 when the switch was made to "atomic time." This method measures hours, minutes, and seconds not merely by the big picture of the heavens but by the highly accurate vibrations of the atom.

Then there's a third method. It's based on our relationship to God, and His timekeeping is perfect. Let me explain. When we recognize our accountability to God, we see that now is the time to surround ourselves with the values, thoughts, and attitudes of the Lord Jesus Christ (Ro 13:14-note). We become aware that our eternal rescue is closer than ever before (Ro 13:11). Because of our relationship to the Lord, we should heed the warning that time is running out for this world (Ro 13:12). If we are going to live honestly and lovingly, we must do so now!

As you look at the clock today, remember that you should also figure time by your relationship to the Lord. --M R De Haan II (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

God set a goal, yet gave the choice
To mortals how time may be spent;
Admonishing that worth, not length,
Will value time's accomplishment. --Mortenson

Counting time is not as important as making time count

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Asleep On The Job - The following notice was posted on the bulletin board in a business office: "It has come to management's attention that workers dying on the job are failing to fall down. This practice must stop, as it becomes impossible to distinguish between death and the natural movement of the staff. Any employee found dead in an upright position will be dropped from the payroll."

This humorous description finds a serious parallel among Christians. We can go through the motions of obedience without any real heart involvement. Behind our business-as-usual appearance is a lack of enthusiasm for righteous living and serving God. We need Paul's admonition: "It is high time to awake out of sleep" (Romans 13:11).

We must remain intense in our desire to please the Lord. Centuries ago the psalmist prayed that he wouldn't settle for a casual religious experience (Ps 119:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8). He longed for a total commitment to love what God loves and hate what He hates. He sensed that he would have to give his whole heart, mind, and strength to the task.

We will accomplish much for the Lord if we set our will against the current of the world and the pull of our sinful flesh. Let's not fall asleep on the job. —M R De Haan II  (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

Go, labor on; spend and be spent,
Thy joy to do the Father's will;
It is the way the Master went;
Should not the servant tread it still? —Bonar

Living for Jesus is not a part-time job. (see also How To Have A Revival)

Ray Stedman sounds an alarm writing...

"I am afraid that we often hear men preaching who are aware of the fact that the age is drawing to a close, but their word to us is not to wake up, but to hurry up. Yet, as I turn to the pages of the New Testament, I never find that word "hurry" occurring. It isn't "hurry up," it is "wake up" that the Lord is continually saying to us. It is not hurry that is needed. Back in Isaiah, Isaiah says, "He that believeth need not make haste" {cf, Is 28:16 KJV}. That is a wonderful word: "He that believeth need not make haste... It is not hurry that is needed, it is awareness. "Watch," Jesus said over and over to his disciples. "What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch," {Mk 13:37 KJV}. Act intelligently. Don't act in panic, but in knowledge. Be aware of what you are doing. Act purposefully and intelligently, Wake up! "

The following notice was posted on the bulletin board in a business office:

"It has come to management's attention that workers dying on the job are failing to fall down. This practice must stop, as it becomes impossible to distinguish between death and the natural movement of the staff. Any employee found dead in an upright position will be dropped from the payroll."

This humorous description finds a serious parallel among Christians. We can go through the motions of obedience without any real heart involvement. Behind our business-as-usual appearance is a lack of enthusiasm for righteous living and serving God. We need Paul's admonition here in (Ro 13:11). We will accomplish much for the Lord if we set our will against the current of the world and the pull of our sinful flesh. Let's not fall asleep on the job. Living for Jesus is not a part-time job.

Go, labor on; spend and be spent,
        Thy joy to do the Father's will;
        It is the way the Master went;
        Should not the servant tread it still? —Bonar

FOR NOW (future tense) SALVATION: nun gar egguteron hemon e soteria:  (1Jn 3:2 1Pe 1:5, 13)

Now salvation is nearer - What salvation is he referring to? Paul is emphasizing the summation of all that is implied in what it means to be saved, and specifically is speaking of our future tense salvation or state of eternal glorification, free from the presence of sin and even it's pleasure in perfect conformity with the will of God. (see study of Three Tenses of Salvation)

Salvation (4991) (soteria) (used 5x in Romans) (Click in depth study of soteria) as discussed in earlier chapters can be understood as something already accomplished in the past (by a one time event, justification, when we by faith were declared righteous - see Ro 3:28-note; Ro 5:1-note), is being accomplished in the present time (sanctification) and which is yet future when our our bodies will be redeemed and glorified (Ro 8:30-note, 1Pe 1:5-note; 1Pe 1:13-note, cf 1Jn 3:2). In a similar way, Jesus was alluding to this "future tense" of salvation in Luke 21:28 when He said

"But when these things begin to take place, straighten up (look up) and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."

IS NEARER TO US THAN WHEN WE BELIEVED: nun gar egguteron hemon e soteria e hote episteusamen (1PAAI): (Eccl 9:10; Lk 21:28; 1Co 7:29, 30, 31; 1Pe 4:7; 2Pe 3:13, 14, 15; Re 22:12,20)

WE ARE NEARING
(Play Hymn)
by Fanny Crosby

We are drifting towards the waters
Of a calm and tranquil sea,
And we soon shall anchor safely
In that port where we should be.

Refrain
We are nearing, we are nearing,
Nearing the golden strand;
We are nearing, we are nearing,
Nearing the soul’s bright land.

We are drifting from the sorrows
That for us will soon be o’er;
We are drifting from the trials
That will vex the heart no more.
Refrain

We are drifting from the shadows
Into pure and perfect day;
’Tis the Savior guides our vessel,
And His presence cheers our way.
Refrain

Oh, the morning and the meeting,
When our happy souls shall rest,
By the fount of life eternal,
With the ransomed ever blest.
Refrain

Nearer (1452) (egguteron which is the comparative of eggus - 1451) describes a point of time subsequent to another point of time, but relatively close. The verb form eggizo (move nearer to a reference point) is used in Ro 13:12 (see note).

When we believed - Paul including himself in this category describes the moment of salvation when moved and convicted by the Spirit,  we first placed our trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, receiving His gift of eternal life in this life and the one to come.

Believed (4100) (pisteuo - see study of related word pistis) means to be persuaded of, place one's confidence in, to trust, express reliance upon. Belief in the New Testament sense that effects the new birth denotes more than intellectual assent to a set of facts or truths. The demons believe but they are clearly not saved. Genuine belief does involve an intellectual assent and consent of one's mind, but also includes an act of one's heart and will. Biblical saving faith is not passive assent but an active staking of one's life on the claims of God. The respected Greek lexicon author W E Vine defines belief as consisting of (1) a firm conviction which produces full acknowledgment of God's revelation of Truth, (2) a personal surrender to the Truth and (3) a conduct inspired by and consistent with that surrender.

Paul had explained this belief in Romans 10 writing...

But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe (pisteuo) in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes (pisteuo), resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES (pisteuo) IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED. (see notes Ro 10:8; 9; 10; 11)

We will be glorified when Jesus returns, which draws closer with each passing day. The Bible frequently uses the return of Jesus Christ to motivate believers to holy living (2Co 5:9,10; Titus 2:11-note; Titus 2:12-note; Titus 2:13-note; He 10:24,2 5-note; Ja 5:7,8; 1Pe 4:7, 8, 9-notes, 1Pe 4:10, 11-notes; 2Pe 3:11, 12-notes, 2Pe 3:14-note) and this fact may also explain why approximately 1 in 20 of every NT verses refers either directly or indirectly to the Second Coming of our Lord. We are one day closer to His return then we were yesterday. 

The era between the advents of Christ then is critical, because the promise of the return of Christ hovers over the believer. We must not be lulled to sleep by indulgence in pleasure or be influenced by the specious reasoning of those who would suggest that the day of the Lord's return can't be known so why worry...after all some reason, He may not return at all (2Pe 3:7ff-notes). Paul does not say how near the day of the Lord's appearing is. As a matter of fact, he does not know. He is content to advance the reminder that "our salvation is nearer now than when we believed"

C H Spurgeon writes...

Oh, you unconverted men, must I read the text as it would have to run if it were written to you?

"It is high time that you should awake out of sleep, for now is your damnation nearer than when you first heard the gospel and rejected it."

God grant you grace to take heed and believe in Christ.

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The golden age of the Church lies, not in the past, but in the future. We may be humiliated by the passionate devotion to Christ which glowed in the hearts of the apostles and of many of their immediate converts; we may wonder at the courage and fortitude which during the early Christian generations confronted fearlessly all that was mightiest and most venerable in the ancient civilization, and endured imprisonment, torture, and death in the power of an exulting hope and a triumphant faith; but it is apparent, both from the apostolic epistles and from later Christian writings, that even in those heroic times there were vast numbers of Christian men and women who fell far short of the saintly life. The glory of God which dwells in the Church of every age was clouded then, as it is clouded now, by human infirmity and sin.

Nor do we look back with regret upon the brief years during which our Lord Himself was visibly present in the world: it was expedient for us that He should go away. The great hour is yet to come: we move forwards to it day by day, year by year. 'Now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed.' (R W Dale)

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Charles Simeon's sermon on Romans 13:11...

If you don't know who this great brother in Christ is, you need to take a moment and listen to the Mp3 Audio of John Piper's survey of Simeon's life entitled "Brothers, We Must Not Mind a Little Suffering" (to download to desktop or Ipod right click and select "Save Target As...") - you will be as riveted to your seat as I was when I first heard the powerful and convicting testimony of this saint of old. You can also read a summary but the audio is better - Transcript...

THE NEARNESS OF SALVATION
A MOTIVE TO DILIGENCE
by Charles Simeon

Ro 13:11. Now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

SO contracted are the views which many have of the Gospel, that they account nothing worthy of that name, except what relates primarily and expressly to the great subject of redemption. But the Gospel comprehends duties as well as privileges: nor can any minister preach it aright, if he do not guard his audience against every species of sin, and inculcate the performance of every kind of duty. Nor are any persons to be excepted from such pastoral charges. The Apostles themselves needed to be warned against hypocrisy and a recurrence to corrupt habits: and they also in their turn have transmitted similar warnings to the Christian world in all ages. It was to “believers” that St. Paul addressed the words before us: and I conceive myself to be discharging a most solemn duty whilst I call your attention to,

I. His injunction—

Every believer is prone to relapse into a state of stupor—

The “wise virgins slumbered and slept,” no less than the foolish. The Church of Ephesus, too, amidst their many exalted virtues, needed to be reproved for having “left their first love.” And who does not feel that the caution given to “the children of light” in the Thessalonian Church, is applicable to himself?- In truth, there are seasons, even with the best of men, when the divine life comparatively languishes within them, and when “the things which remain in them are in appearance at least ready to die -

This may arise from different causes: sometimes from “the cares of this world” pressing upon the mind; sometimes from “the deceitfulness of riches,” or the gratifications of sense beguiling the soul; and sometimes from “the abounding of iniquity in those around us.” But from whatever it proceeds,

“It is high time that we awake out of sleep”

With all of us much time has been lost: and how little remains, who can tell? At all events we have a great work to do; and no man should relax his labours, till he can say, “Father, I have glorified thee on earth; I have finished the work which thou hast given me to do.”

I call you then, my brethren, to arise, and “do your first works,” lest God abandon you to the power of your great adversary, and to the evils of your own hearts. If St. Paul felt the need of “keeping his body under and bringing it into subjection, lest by any means, after having preached to others he himself should become a cast-away,” think not that such care and such fear are unsuitable to you. To the most stable amongst you I would say, “Beware, lest being led away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own steadfastness; and to the most confident amongst you all, “Be not high-minded, but fear.” Let every one of you look to himself, that he lose not the things which he has wrought, but that he receive a full reward.”

To impress on your minds this admonition, let me call your attention to,

II. The consideration with which it is enforced—

“Salvation” is the prize held forth to all who believe in Christ: and who shall adequately express or conceive what is comprehended under this term? - Yet this, with all the blessedness attached to it, is daily hastening towards you.

You are daily “nearer” to,

1. The termination of all your conflicts—

Whilst you are in this life, you must of necessity have trials of some kind to sustain. A corruptible crown is not gained without much exertion, much less is a heavenly crown: “the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence; and the violent take it by force.” But “there is a rest remaining for you;” and that rest is now very near at hand. Look then at the racer in his course: does not the thought of his having nearly finished his labours animate him to increased exertions? So then should you “forget the things that are behind, and press on to the goal for the prize of your high calling;” and never think that you have attained any thing as long as any thing remains to be attained.

2. The completion of all your hopes—

Soon will God’s work of grace be perfected within you, and “a crown of glory be awarded to you as having been faithful unto death.” And will you by listlessness and indifference endanger the loss of all the glory and felicity of heaven? Awake, I say, and “run with patience the race that is set before you, looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of your faith.” Make more use of the great principles of the Gospel than ever you have yet done. “Look more to Christ:” “live more entirely by faith upon him.” Get his image more formed upon your hearts. Live only for him, and “to him:” and speedily shall you be “seated with him upon his throne,” and be a joint-heir with him of his inheritance.

But let me not close without a few words to unbelievers—

If believers need such an admonition as this, what, think ye, do ye need? What words can ever be too strong for you, who have never fled to Christ for refuge, or believed in him for the saving of your souls? Truly your end also is near: but “who can tell what that end shall be?” Alas! an inspired Apostle declares to you, that “your judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and your damnation slumbereth not.” Surely then “it is high time for you to awake out of sleep;” for, if death find you unprepared to meet your God, your condition will be such, that it would be “better for you that you had never been born.”

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A sermon by Alexander Maclaren

Salvation Nearer
by Alexander Maclaren

‘Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.’—Romans 13:11.

THERE is no doubt, I suppose, that the Apostle, in common with the whole of the early Church, entertained more or less consistently the expectation of living to witness the second coming of Jesus Christ. There are in Paul’s letters passages which look both in the direction of that anticipation, and in the other one of expecting to taste death. ‘We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord,’ he says twice in one chapter. ‘I am ready to be offered, and the hour of my departure is at hand,’ he says in his last letter.

Now this contrariety of anticipation is but the natural result of what our Lord Himself said, ‘It is not for you to know the times and the seasons,’ and no one, who is content to form his doctrine of the knowledge resulting from inspiration from the words of Jesus Christ Himself, need stumble in the least degree in recognising. the plain fact that Paul and his brother Apostles did not know when the Master was to come. Christ Himself had told them that there was a chamber locked against their entrance, and therefore we do not need to think that it militates against the authoritative inspiration of these early teachers of the Church, if they, too, searched ‘what manner of time the Spirit which was in them did signify when it testified beforehand ? the glory that should follow.’

Now, my text is evidently the result of the former of these two anticipations, viz. that Paul and his generation were probably to see the coming of the Lord from heaven. And to him the thought that’ the night was far spent,’ as the context says, ‘and the day was at hand,’ underlay his most buoyant hope, and was the inspiration and motive-spring of his most strenuous effort.

Now, our relation to the closing moments of our own earthly lives, to the fact of death, is precisely the same as that of the Apostle and his brethren to the coining of the Lord. We, too, stand in that position of partial ignorance, and for us practically the words of my text, and all their parallel words, point to how we should think of, and how we should be affected by, the end to which we are coming. And this is the grand characteristic of the Christian view of that last solemn moment. ‘Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.’ So I would note, first of all, what these words teach us should be the Christian view of our own end; and, second, to what conduct that view should lead us.

I. The Christian View Of Death.

‘Now is our salvation nearer.’ We have to think away by faith and hope all the grim externals of death, and to get to the heart of the thing. And then everything that is repulsive, everything that makes flesh and blood shrink, disappears and is evaporated, and beneath the folds of his black garment, there is revealed God’s last, sweetest, most triumphant angel-messenger to Christian souls, the great, strong, silent Angel of Death, and he carries in his hand the gift of a full salvation. That is what our Apostle rose to the rapture of beholding, when he knew that the thought of his surviving till Christ came again must be put away, and when close to the last moment of his life, he said, ‘The Lord shall deliver me, and save me into His everlasting kingdom.’ What was the deliverance and being saved that he expected and expresses in these words? Immunity from punishment? Escape from the headsman’s axe? Being’ delivered from the mouth of the lion,’ the persecuting fangs of the bloody Nero? By no means. He knew that death was at hand, and he said, ‘He will save me ’—not from it, but through it —‘into His everlasting kingdom.’ And so in the words of my text we may say—though Paul did not mean them so—as we see the distance between us, and that certain close, dwindling, dwindling, dwindling: ‘Now,’ as moment after moment ticks itself into the past, ‘now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.’ Children, when they are getting near their holidays, take strips of paper, and tear off a piece as each day passes. And as we tear off the days let us feel that we are drawing closer to our home, and that the blessedness laid up for us in it is drawing nearer to us. ‘Our salvation,’ not our destruction, our fuller life, not in any true sense of the word our ‘death,’ is ‘nearer than when we believed.’

But some one may say, ‘Is a man not saved till after he is dead?’ Is salvation future, not coming till after the grave? No, certainly not. There are three aspects of that word in Scripture. Sometimes the New Testament writers treat salvation as past, and represent a Christian as being invested with the possession of it all at the very moment of his first faith. That is true, that whatever is yet to be evolved from what is given to the poorest and foulest sinner, in the moment of his initial faith in Christ, there is nothing to be added to it. The salvation which the penitent thief received on the cross is all the salvation that he was ever to get. But out of it there came welling and welling and welling, when he had passed into the region’ where beyond these voices there is peace’—there came welling out from that inexhaustible fountain which was opened in him all the fullnesses of an eternal progress in the heavens. And so it is with us. Salvation is a past gift which we received when we believed.

But in another aspect, which is also emphatically stated in Scripture, it is a progressive process, and not merely a gift bestowed once for all in the past. I do not dwell upon that thought, but just remind you of a turn of expression which occurs in various connections more than once. ‘The Lord added to the Church daily such as were being saved,’ says Luke. Still more emphatically in the Epistle to the Corinthians, the Apostle puts into antithesis the two progressive processes, and speaks of the Gospel as being preached, and being a savour of life unto life ‘to them that are being saved,’ and a savour of destruction ‘to them that are being lost.’ No moral or spiritual condition is stereotyped or stagnant. It is all progressive. And so the salvation that is given once for all is ever being unfolded, and the Christian life on earth is the unfolding of it.

But in another aspect still, such as is presented in my text, and in other parallel passages, that salvation is regarded as lying on the other side of the flood, because the manifestations of it there, the evolving there of what is in it, and the great gifts that come then, are so transcendently above all even of our selectest experiences here, that they are, as it were, new, though still their roots are in the old. The salvation which culminates in the absolute removal from our whole being of all manner of evil, whether it be sorrow or sin, and in the conclusive bestowal upon us of all manner of good, whether it be righteousness or joy, and which has for its seal ‘the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body,’ so that body, soul, and spirit’ make one music as before, but vaster,’ is so far beyond the germs of itself which here we experience that my text and its like are amply vindicated. And the man who is most fully persuaded and conscious that he possesses the salvation of God, and most fully and blessedly aware that that salvation is gradually gaining power in his life, is the very man who will most feel that between its highest manifestation on earth, and its lowest in the heavens there is such a gulf as that the wine that he will drink there at the Father’s table is indeed new wine. And so ‘is our salvation nearer,’ though we already possess it, ‘than when we believed.’

Dear brethren, if these things be true, and if to die is to be saved into the kingdom, do not two thoughts result? The one is that that blessed consummation should occupy more of our thoughts than I am afraid it does. As life goes on, and the space dwindles between us and it, we older people naturally fall into the way, unless we are fools, of more seriously and frequently turning our thoughts to the end. I suppose the last week of a voyage to Australia has far more thoughts in it about the landing next week than the two or three first days of beating down the English Channel had. I do not want to put old heads on young shoulders in this or in any other respect. But sure I am that it does belong very intimately to the strength of our Christian characters that we should, as the Psalmist says, be ‘wise’ to ‘consider our latter end.’

The other thought that follows is as plain, viz. that that anticipation should always be buoyant, hopeful, joyous. We have nothing to do with the sad aspects of parting from earth. They are all but non-existent, for the Christian consciousness, when it is as vigorous and God-directed as it ought to be. They drop into the background, and sometimes are lost to sight altogether. Remember how this Apostle, when he does think about death, looks at it with—I was going to quote words which may strike you as being inappropriate—‘a frolic welcome’; how, at all events, he is neither a bit afraid of it, nor does he see in it anything from which to shrink. He speaks of being with Christ, which is far better; ‘absent from the body, present with the Lord’; ‘the dissolution of the earthly house of this tabernacle’-the tumbling down of the old clay cottage in order that a stately palace of marble and precious stones may be reared upon its site; ‘the hour of my departure is at hand; I have finished the fight.’ Peter, too, chimes in with his words: ‘My exodus; my departure,’ and both of the two are looking, if not longingly, at all events without a tremor of the eyelid, into the very eyeballs of the messenger whom most men feel so hideous. Is it not a wonderful gift to Christian souls that by faith in Jesus Christ, the realm in which their hope can expatiate is more than doubled, and annexes the dim lands beyond the frontier of death? Dear friends, if we are living in Christ, the thought of the end and that here we are absent from home, ought to be infinitely sweet, of whatever superficial terrors this poor, shrinking flesh may still be conscious. And I am sure that the nearer we got to our Saviour, and the more we realise the joyous possession of salvation as already ours, and the more we are conscious of the expanding of that gift in our hearts, the more we shall be delivered from that fear of death which makes men all their ‘lifetime subject to bondage.’ So I beseech you to aim at this, that, when you look forward, the furthest thing you see on the horizon of earth may be that great Angel of Death coming to save you into the everlasting kingdom.
Now, just a word about

II. The Conduct To Which Such A Hope Should Incite.

The Apostle puts it very plainly in the context, and we need but expand in a word or two what he teaches us there. ‘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.’ To what does he refer by ‘that’? The whole of the practical exhortations to a Christian life which have been given before. Everything that is duty becomes tenfold more stringent and imperative when we apprehend the true meaning of that last moment. They tell us that it is unwholesome to be thinking about death and the beyond, because to do so takes away interest from much of our present occupations and weakens energy. If there is anything from which a man is wrenched away because he steadily contemplates the fact of being wrenched away altogether from everything before long, it is something that he had better be wrenched from. And if there be any occupations which dwindle into nothingness, and into which a man cannot for the life of him fling himself with any thoroughgoing enthusiasm or interest, if once the thought of death stirs in him, depend upon it they are occupations which are in themselves contemptible and unworthy. All good aims will gain greater power over us; we shall have a saner estimate of what is worth living for; we shall have a new standard of what is the relative importance of things; and if some that looked very great turn out to be very small when we let that searching light in upon them, and others which seemed very insignificant spring suddenly up into dominating magnitude—that new and truer perspective will be all clear gain. The more we feel that our salvation is sweeping towards us, as it were, from the throne of God through the blue abysses, the more diligently we shall ‘work while it is called day,’ and the more earnestly we shall seek, when the Saviour and His salvation come, to be found with loins girt for all strenuous work, and lamps burning in all the brightness of the light of a Christian character.

Further, says Paul, this hopeful, cheerful contemplation of approaching salvation should lead us to cast off the evil, and to put on the good. You will remember the heart-stirring imagery which the Apostle employs in the context, where he says, ‘The day is at hand; let us therefore fling off the works of darkness’—as men in the morning, when the daylight comes through the window, and makes them lift their eyelids, fling off their night-gear—‘and let us put on the armour of light.’ We are soldiers, and must be clad in what will be bullet-proof, and will turn a sword’s edge. And where shall steel of celestial temper be found that can resist the fiery darts shot at the Christian soldier? His armour must be ‘of light.’ Clad in the radiance of Christian character he will be invulnerable. And how can we, who have robed ourselves in the works of darkness, either cast them off or array ourselves in sparkling armour of light? Paul tells us, ‘Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh.’ The picture is of a camp of sleeping soldiers; the night wears thin, the streaks of saffron are coming in the dawning east. One after another the sleepers awake; they cast aside their night-gear, and they brace on the armour that sparkles in the beams of the morning sun. So they are ready when the trumpet sounds the reveille, and with the morning comes the Captain of the Lord’s host, and with the Captain comes the perfecting of the salvation which is drawing nearer and nearer to us, as our moments glide through our fingers like the beads of a rosary. Many men think of death and fear; the Christian should think of death—and hope.