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As a minister, I officiate at numerous weddings and funerals every year. I wear the same thing for both: dark suit, white shirt, subdued tie, and black shoes. My sartorial intention is not to stand out, to keep everyone’s focus on who’s getting married or buried. But lately, I’ve stood out nonetheless. With more and more people dressing casually for milestone events—including wearing shorts, T-shirts, and flip-flops to funerals—I’m often the only suit in the room. Doesn’t anyone dress appropriately for the occasion anymore? 

In Romans 13.11-14, Paul uses the image of dressing appropriately for the occasion to describe our ethical life in Christ: 

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 

What occasion is Paul talking about? And how do we dress appropriately? Let’s answer each question in turn. First, the occasion. Notice Paul’s time markers: “the present time,” “the hour,” “the night,” and “the day.” All these markers remind us of the second coming of Jesus Christ. The first coming happened 2000 years ago when Christ entered human history to die for our sins and rise again for our eternal life. His advent made possible an era of grace in God’s relationship to sinful humanity.

And yet, in addition to being loving, God is holy. He will not tolerate human sin and its evil effects forever. In the words of the Apostles Creed, Christ will return “to judge the living and the dead.” Every day that comes and goes, “our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.” Consequently, now—right now!—is the time to make a decision about where we stand with God. Have we received his grace? Have we repented of our sins? Are we replacing sin with holiness? 

Those questions bring us to the issue of dressing appropriately. Paul commands us to “put on the armor of light” and to “clothe [ourselves] with the Lord Jesus Christ.” These are powerful metaphors of the kind of ethics we ought to practice. First, our ethics should be visible. People should see how we are dressed. They should note the change in our lives. Second, our ethics should be discerning. Paul speaks of “armor.” There is a spiritual war going on between good and evil, and we should arm ourselves for the battle to do good. Finally, our ethics should be imitative. We should wear Jesus Christ. His thoughts, feelings, character, speech, and actions should become our own.

What would Jesus do? That’s an appropriate question for any occasion.