What does it mean that the hour has come to wake from sleep?

In Romans 13:11–12a Paul provides a brief rationale for the Christian duty to exhibit love, namely that the sacrifice of our body cannot be postponed or delayed: 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. The night is far gone; the day is at hand (Romans 13:11–12a). The time we sleep is a time when we do not take God the Creator into account and pay no attention to our calling to live out our priestly duties. Paul is therefore here highlighting that it is becoming high time to prepare yourself for the sacrifice of your body in the service of the Lord: for the Lord is near, and it is time to be ready for him. The right attitude for a Christian attitude is not the goal in itself, but rather the attitude itself looks forward with great expectation to the Lord and to the deliverance of heaven and earth. Living in love entails hoping for that deliverance—a deliverance that is approaching rapidly. Not many years have passed since the people in Rome came to faith. Yet the apostle tells his readers that they are already closer to deliverance that they were when they were first baptized. Christians do not have to engage in long-term planning for Christendom. The sacrifice of our bodies to God already kindles the flame, for redemption is coming soon. In fact, the sacrifice ought to happen now before it is too late to begin.

Paul did not write these words because he knew the duration of the period between the ascension and Christ’s return. He was well-aware of Jesus’ teaching that concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32; compare also 1 Thessalonians 5:1–3). Instead, he is writing this because of he has certainty regarding Christ’s return. The certainty of that expectation requires his readers to make timely preparations and to provide the secure feeling that the time continues to become shorter, for God has certainly fixed the day, even if we do not know the date.¹