Make No Provision (Romans 13:14)

Romans 13:14

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

            How good it would be for Christians to take Romans 13:14b as a command from God.  Of course we believe it is a command, you might think, but do we indeed?  Do we really look to our lives and not only strive against sin but actually make no provision for the flesh?  Think through what that might look like.  [I readily acknowledge that I’m skipping the command of 14a, and that 14a is a key to obeying 14b,but we’ll get there another time.]

            Many pastors I know have an unbending policy never to be in a room alone with a woman who is not wife of the pastor in question.  This policy might seem over-rigid to some, but has prevented many a scandal or at least a raised eyebrow.  However, many more pastors I know have no such policy.  Add to this the fact that many married, Christian men I know have never considered such a standard for their lives, and you find a group of believers who are not making “no provision for the flesh.”

            Nearly every man I have ever met will honestly declare that he has to battle against the sin of lust.  Jesus himself told us not to even look at a woman lustfully lest we be guilty of the sinful heart of adultery (Mat 5:27-30).  Yet, how many of these same men regularly watch television shows or movies that display the bodies of unrealistically fit women with unrealistic appetites for men?  How many of these men fill their eyes with images unfair to the average woman who cannot work out for 4 hours per day and whose lines were not scripted by licentious men, but then wonder why their wives are not just the same?  Indeed, these men are not making “no provision for the flesh.”

            How many Christians are fighting the battle against obesity (if they are fighting at all)_ and losing the battle a pound at a time?  How many Christians bemoan their bodies’ rapid decline in health and elevation in girth?  Yet, how many of the same Christians are regulars at all-you-can-eat buffets?  While there may be nothing wrong with eating at such an establishment, is it not true that most who go to such a place have to go back for a second or even third round to “get their money’s worth?”  When we eat like this, are we making “no provision for the flesh?”

            Christians, I do not want to call us to prudishness or legalism.  I do not want to see us lose sight of grace.  But can we not be honest enough to know that we have not done well in obeying the clear command of God not to make provision for the appetites of our flesh?  What tempts you?  What is a weakness for you?  Stand, square your shoulders, and fight it.  Battle against sin with everything you’ve got.  If that means you turn off the TV, turn away an unaccompanied visitor from your office, or turn down a dinner invitation, at least you will be turning your strength to the battle against the lusts of your flesh.  We are called by God to organize our lives so that our flesh simply cannot win, and that kind of ordering requires solid, violent action against what tempts us.  Indeed, let us obey, making no provision for the flesh, that we might live lives of joy in the glorification of our Lord and master who is worth far more than any simple pleasure that this life can boast.