Living in Light of Jesus' Return

 

“But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

1 Thessalonians 5:4-11

 

Many of us, who profess faith in Christ, live a contradiction. While we confess faith in Jesus, and while we confess faith in his promises, we live like those who surround us. We live like those who have no faith in Jesus whatsoever.

 

Our life is not one of repentance, nor is it one of faith. It’s a life of sin and rebellion. It’s a life of depravity and immorality.

 

Earlier in the fifth chapter of 1 Thessalonians, Paul discussed the return of Christ. He recounted the fact that we do not know the day of Jesus’ return. But he drew a distinction between people of faith and those who are without.

 

This day, he said, should not surprise us. And it should not surprise us because we’re not of the night or of the darkness. In other words, we aren’t living in unrepentance. We are not living in sin. Although we still commit acts of sin, our life is not one of ongoing rebellion against the Lord.

 

For this reason, he calls us to keep awake. He calls us to remain sober. And he calls us to do so because God has not destined us to wrath, but to salvation.

 

In this way, Paul is calling us to live in light of Jesus’ return. After all, his return is our hope. And, believing his promise, we’re to live in this world expecting his coming.

 

What this means for us, as believers, is living a life of constant contrition and faith. It means doing so, knowing that he died on the cross for our salvation. It means doing so, knowing that he gave his life to free us from sin and its consequences and to bestow upon us redemption and life.

 

What does this mean for us, practically? It means a constant acknowledgment and confession of our sin. It means looking always to Jesus for forgiveness and mercy. And it means, by his grace, living according to his will.