Jump Right In

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.” (Ro 13:14 AV)

 

Most who know the LORD and have a deep desire to walk with Him know how difficult the flesh can be.  The flesh is one of our three main opponents.  The Devil and the world being the other two.  The flesh is that opponent which we carry with us where ever we go.  We cannot escape it.  And it is a formidable enemy to be sure.  When looking at this verse, we are instructed there is a key to overcoming the flesh.  There is a way to defeat it.  There are keys not mentioned here such as prayer and bible verse memorization.  In this verse, we have another.  If we are to defeat the flesh, we are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.  We are to make no provision for the flesh.  We want to dwell upon the first, for the first will make the second all that much easier.  To ‘put on’ here means something different than we would normally expect.  When we think of putting on clothes, we think of placing them on and over our stationary bodies.  However, this phrase means to sink into.  This implies a deep truth here.

But first, let us consider what it would mean to put on the Lord Jesus Christ before we consider the method of doing so.  That is, the putting on or sinking into.  To put on the Lord Jesus Christ literally means to become the appearance of Jesus Christ.  We might use the word ‘Christlikeness’ to describe this.  To put on Christ means to appear as though Christ would appear.  At least in the life in which we have chosen to live.  Now, to expound on the sinking into the person of Christ.  What does that mean?  The closest example I can think of is the suit which astronauts must wear.  It is not the easiest of suits to don.  Once the inner layers are attired, then the outside shell has to be placed.  The bottom half are ridged slacks.  One would not attire them in a normal fashion.  Then comes the upper half.  This upper half hangs on a lift because of the weight of the life support unit.  The astronaut would squat down under the upper half and stand erect to enter that suit.  This suit does not conform to the wearer as much as the wear conforms to it.  To enter the suit, the wearer must surrender to the nature of the suit.  This is the idea of sinking into or putting on, the Lord Jesus Christ.  It requires a yielding.  Like the astronaut suit, Jesus Christ is what He is and does not conform to the nature and image of the saint.  Just the opposite is supposed to happen.

Superheros were all the rage just a few short years ago.  Even among believers.  There was no shortage of costumes.  I have two grandsons who also dress up in their favorite superhero costume.  One of my sons sent me a video of one of them admiring how he appeared as he gazed upon his reflexing.  He didn’t know he was being videoed, so it was extra amusing.  This little boy took on the persona of the costume of the one he was wearing.  The same should be true of the believer.  If we would sink into the appearance of Christlikeness, then we would be transformed into that Christlikeness.  Not to say that Christlikeness is limited to a mere outward appearance.  It is not.  Christlikeness has more to do with the inside than it does with the outside.  However, if we were to sink into Christlikeness, both outwardly and inwardly, then our flesh would die a quick death.  There would be no provision for the flesh because there is a barrier between the flesh and the temptation.  That barrier would be Christlikeness.  So, sink into Christ.  Jump right in!  Let Him be that which the rest of creation can see and your fight with the flesh will be a short one.