Romans 13 11

Romans 13:11 kjv

And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Romans 13:11 nkjv

And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.

Romans 13:11 niv

And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Romans 13:11 esv

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

Romans 13:11 nlt

This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

Romans 13 verses

Romans 13 11 Meaning

This verse serves as an urgent call to moral and spiritual vigilance, stemming from an awareness of the decisive moment in salvation history. It exhorts believers to shed spiritual apathy and embrace righteous living because the culmination of their salvation, understood as glorification and complete redemption, is continuously drawing nearer with each passing day since their initial conversion. The phrase "And do this" links the exhortation directly to the preceding ethical commands, especially the call to love (Rom 13:8-10).

Romans 13 11 Context

Romans chapter 13 begins with instruction on the Christian's duty to governmental authorities (vv. 1-7), advocating submission and tax payment, not out of fear, but conscience. It then pivots to the all-encompassing command to love one's neighbor as oneself, explaining that love fulfills the entire law (vv. 8-10), meaning it encompasses all ethical and moral responsibilities toward others. Verse 11 introduces a powerful eschatological motivation, linking the call to love and live righteously to the critical nature of the present age and the imminent approach of salvation's final consummation. The historical context for the original Roman believers involved living within a pagan empire, often facing social pressures and potential persecutions. There was a strong early Christian expectation of the Lord's return, fueling a sense of urgency for holy living and moral distinctiveness, particularly in contrast to the surrounding societal norms that might encourage moral laxity or complacency. This verse serves as a crucial theological and practical bridge, motivating ethical behavior not just by duty, but by divine eschatological promise.

Romans 13 11 Word analysis

• And do this: `Kai touto (Καὶ τοῦτο)`. "And this [do]." This directly links to the preceding ethical instructions, particularly the command to love found in Rom 13:8-10, forming a practical conclusion. The spiritual urgency necessitates acting on these responsibilities.
• understanding the present time: `eidotes ton kairon (εἰδότες τὸν καιρόν)`.
  • `Eidotes (εἰδότες)`: "knowing" or "understanding," from `oida` (to know intuitively, experientially). Implies not just intellectual awareness but a profound recognition.
  • `Kairon (καιρόν)`: "time," but critically it's `kairos` not `chronos`. `Kairos` refers to a specific, appointed, critical, or opportune time; a moment pregnant with destiny. It emphasizes quality and significance over mere chronological duration. Here, it denotes the crucial era of redemptive history inaugurated by Christ, characterized by urgency before His return.
• The hour has already come: `hoti hora ēdē hymas egerthenai ek hypnou (ὅτι ὥρα ἤδη ὑμᾶς ἐγερθῆναι ἐκ ὕπνου)`.
  • `Hora (ὥρα)`: "hour," here also signifying a decisive or appointed moment, akin to `kairos` but often more specific to a moment of action.
  • `Ēdē (ἤδη)`: "already" or "now." This adverb underscores the immediate and present reality. It's not future, but an established fact that demands current response.
• for you to wake up: `hymas egerthenai (ὑμᾶς ἐγερθῆναι)`.
  • `Egerthenai (ἐγερθῆναι)`: Aorist passive infinitive of `egeirō`, "to awaken," "to be raised." This can apply to waking from physical sleep or rising from death/spiritual stupor. Here, it's a strong call for spiritual awakening from apathy or moral lethargy. The passive voice implies being roused by an external power (the Holy Spirit or God's truth) or a responsibility to allow oneself to be awakened.
• from your slumber: `ek hypnou (ἐκ ὕπνου)`.
  • `Hypnou (ὕπνου)`: "sleep." In a spiritual sense, this signifies moral indifference, spiritual ignorance, inactivity, complacency, or insensitivity to divine things, as opposed to spiritual alertness.
• because our salvation is nearer now: `gar nyn eggiteron hēmōn ē sotēria (γὰρ νῦν ἐγγύτερον ἡμῶν ἡ σωτηρία)`.
  • `Gar (γὰρ)`: "for" or "because," introducing the reason or motivation.
  • `Nyn (νῦν)`: "now," again emphasizing the present reality and increasing proximity.
  • `Eggeriteron (ἐγγύτερον)`: "nearer," comparative degree of `eggys` (near). It indicates a continuous, ongoing process of drawing closer.
  • `Soteria (σωτηρία)`: "salvation." In this eschatological context, "salvation" primarily refers to its consummation: final deliverance, glorification of the body, and entrance into the fullness of God's presence at Christ's return or resurrection. Believers already possess salvation (justification) and are being saved (sanctification), but they also await the fullness of salvation (glorification).
• than when we first believed: `ē hote episteusamen (ἢ ὅτε ἐπιστεύσαμεν)`.
  • `Ote (ὅτε)`: "when."
  • `Episteusamen (ἐπιστεύσαμεν)`: Aorist active indicative of `pisteuō`, "to believe." Refers to the definite point in the past when conversion occurred, the beginning of the Christian life. The journey from initial faith to final glorification is consistently emphasized.

Words-group analysis

• understanding the present time: The hour has already come: This phrase powerfully conveys the inaugurated eschatology of the New Testament. The decisive 'time' (kairos) has already broken in with Christ's first coming. The "hour" for action is present and urgent because of this inaugurated reality. It refutes spiritual complacency, urging believers to recognize the historical significance of their lives in the gap between Christ's comings.
• for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now: This highlights the crucial motivation for awakening: the progressively approaching day of full salvation. Spiritual "slumber" represents a state antithetical to Christ's imminent return and implies being unprepared for the Lord or living inconsistently with Christian identity. The "nearer salvation" provides both encouragement and urgency for consistent, awake Christian living. It refers to the final, completed phase of God's redemptive plan for the believer.

Romans 13 11 Bonus section

The concept of "slumber" in this verse is not merely physical sleep but a deeper spiritual lassitude, analogous to being spiritually unaware or unprepared. The Old Testament often used "waking up" imagery (e.g., Isa 51:9, 52:1) for Israel's renewal and returning to God. For New Testament believers, it means actively disengaging from the world's values and practices (often called "works of darkness" in the following verse) and re-engaging with the transformative power of the gospel in daily life. This dynamic understanding of salvation ("already" received in justification, "being received" in sanctification, and "to be received" in glorification) fuels a persistent Christian hope and provides continuous motivation for righteous conduct and spiritual vigilance. It’s a call to live with the sober understanding that every moment brings us closer to the grand culmination of God’s purposes in Christ.

Romans 13 11 Commentary

Romans 13:11 provides an acute eschatological imperative for Christian living, drawing on the anticipation of Christ's return or the believer's final glorification. The verse acts as a powerful exhortation, urging believers to embody the ethical teachings just laid out (particularly love as the fulfillment of the law) with profound urgency. Paul highlights that "the present time" is a "kairos"—a strategic, opportune moment—calling for active spiritual and moral vigilance rather than passive observation. The metaphorical call to "wake up from your slumber" challenges any form of spiritual apathy, moral complacency, or indifference to the responsibilities of Christian discipleship. This awakening is motivated by the foundational Christian hope: "our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." This refers not to justification (which is already past at belief) or sanctification (which is ongoing), but to glorification, the full and final redemption of body and soul. Each day lived since conversion brings believers closer to the consummation of God's redemptive plan for them. This deepening proximity of salvation acts as a potent spur for putting away "works of darkness" and putting on "the armor of light" (as explained in the subsequent verses). It underscores that our present moral choices are directly tied to our future hope.