But put on the Lord Jesus Christ
Romans 13:13-14 HCSB
What is carousing? “In the Greek writings, it is a nocturnal and riotous procession of half-drunken and frolicsome fellows who after supper parade through the streets with torches and music in honor of Bacchus or some other deity, and sing and play before the houses of their male and female friends; hence, used generally, of feasts and drinking-parties that are protracted till late at night and indulge in revelry” (copied from Thayer's Greek Lexicon). So it is a public display of drunkenness. Not a fair comparison but if the church was to do anything similar it would be Christmas caroling. Driving house to house singing for our friends to spend the cheer that we feel in our hearts.
What is drunkenness? Being under the control of another controlling force. The Greek word is methē or German meth (mead), alcohol. Could it also be any substance that we consume that alters our state of mind, whether it be drunk, high, tripped out, or anything similar? Paul warns us about alcohol in Ephesians 5:18
“And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit:”
Being drunk on wine leads to actions we would rather forget and probably will forget, but being filled with the Holy Spirit will lead to a life full of joy and peace. Alcohol is water-based and the Holy Spirit is oil-based so they do not mix.
Sexual impurity is next,
“Run from sexual immorality! “Every sin a person can commit is outside the body.” On the contrary, the person who is sexually immoral sins against his own body.”
1 Corinthians 6:18 HCSB
“Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers.”
“Do not deprive one another sexually — except when you agree for a time, to devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again; otherwise, Satan may tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
1 Corinthians 7:5 HCSB
Anything you and your spouse agree upon as long as it is between you and your spouse is to be holy. If you do not have a spouse then everything is a sin!
What is promiscuity? Some other translations call it sensuality.
“Unbridled lust, excess, licentiousness (lacking restraint), lasciviousness (lude and lust), wantonness (unrestrained behavior), outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence (rude and disrespectful), gluttony, venery (hunting for sport or pursuit of sexual pleasure), carnality, filthy words, indecent bodily movements, and unchaste handling of males and females, etc.” (copied from Thayer's Greek Lexicon). Anything that is not holy, good, and uplifting behavior.
The next behavior to avoid is quarreling. Quarreling is an opportunity for the devil to drive a wedge between friends. Quarreling may lead to anger and if left unresolved may lead to various hurtful feelings and actions.
“But now you must also put away all the following: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and filthy language from your mouth.”
“All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice.”
Read my blog post on bitterness and malice here.
My post touches on our next action to avoid, jealousy. We ought to be people who when we see others get blessed by God, we rejoice with them and not be filled with jealousy. For we know that we too will receive a reward for our destination to God.
“So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.”
So what should we do if all these behaviors are to be avoided?
We should put on The Lord Jesus Christ!
What does that look like?
“Summoning the crowd along with His disciples, He said to them, “If anyone wants to be My follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of Me and the gospel will save it.”
We must pick up our cross. Just as Jesus had to carry His cross to His final battle on earth. So too we must carry the cross of Jesus into every last battle we face in this life. When we forget the cross we soon too will be defeated and have to repent and seek the mercy of God once again. In doing so we will not make plans to satisfy the flesh in all its lusts.
“Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar. I tell you about these things in advance — as I told you before — that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
Galatians 5:19-21 HCSB
“For everything that belongs to the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s lifestyle — is not from the Father, but is from the world.”
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