QT 7 Jan 15,Rom 13:12-14, Witnessing is important for our spiritual growth

Rom 13:12-14 (ESV) The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13  Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

NOTE: Romans 13 transitions from our relationships within the body, also called Christian fellowship, to our relationships with the unbelieving world, also called witnessing. Our witness is a vital aspect of our sanctification, the process of becoming more like Christ. We have been saved, justified when we placed our faith in Christ. We are in the process of being saved, sanctification, as we seek to become more like Christ in this life. Someday, we will be glorified when we receive our new bodies and are like Jesus. But becoming more like Jesus requires that we seek to be better witnesses to the outside, unsaved world. It is not an aftermath or result, it is an essential aspect to our maturity and growth. To fail to live as a witness is to remain a babe in Christ, as 1 Peter and Hebrews both teach. To reach maturity in Christ, Romans teaches us to surrender our lives to God, to transform our minds through the word of God, to serve in a Christian fellowship, and to be a witness to the unbelieving world through how we live, talk, love, and serve.