Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 248

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Living In Christ – 9

WALK IN LOVE

Ephesians 5:1-2
(1)  Therefore be followers of God, as dear children.
(2)  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

Followers of God have a daily lifestyle of sacrificial love.

It is a high calling to be  “follower of God”. To follow a philosopher is one thing, to follow a great leader another, but to follow God – that is the highest of all possible callings. 

We are to walk in the footsteps of Christ – who is God.  We are to live as He lived and do as He would do as the novel “In His Steps” made clear with its ethical question “What would Jesus do?” 

We are to follow, not as slaves being dragged along, or as prisoners at gunpoint, or as hypnotized followers of a draconian tyrant, but as children – as those who love their heavenly Father and follow out of freedom, out of likeness of nature, and out of love and relationship.

By saying “be followers of God” Paul indirectly tells the Ephesian Christians that they cannot follow the world, or the pagan rituals, or the Greek philosophers, or even each other - but Christ alone and God alone. 

When the Corinthians divided into factions over who they would follow “I follow Paul, I follow Apollos” they were rebuked with “Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:12,13)  We are to follow leaders “as they follow Christ”, and the role of a Christian leader is to get Christians to follow Christ alone – not the leader.

“And walk in love..” – In bible language “to walk” indicates a habitual lifestyle. It means  to “travel through life”.  In Exodus God tested Israel to see if they would ‘walk in My Law” (Exodus 16:4) the Israelites were not to walk in the ways of Egypt (Lev 18:3) or of Canaan (Lev 20:23) but were to walk in God’s ways (Deuteronomy 28:9). The cursed person “walked in  the stubbornness of their heart” (Deuteronomy 29:19, Jeremiah 13:10) and Ahab “walked in the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat” that is in traditional idolatry. (1 Kings 16:31). On the other hand the righteous walked in the fear of God (Nehemiah 5:9), truthfulness (Psalm 26:11) in the light of Jehovah (Isaiah 2:5) and in the name of God (Micah 4:5) and thus gained prosperity which is described as “walking in a broad place” (Psalm 119:45)

Life can be tough though and some can “walk in the midst of trouble” (Psalm 138:7) or through the valley of death (Psalm 23:4) and even in darkness and affliction (Isaiah 59:9) but God is with the righteous in such times. Sound wisdom and judgment keep the Christian from stumbling as they walk (Proverbs 3:23) and guide them from walking in the paths of the wicked and in their counsel (Proverbs 1:15, Micah 6:16) and in the ways of darkness. (Proverbs 2:13). The Holy Spirit is the voice that helps us to know which way to go as we walk. (Isaiah 30:21, Ezek 36:27)

 Isaiah 30:21
(21)	And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.

Walking after our own heart and thoughts has a certain integrity (Ecclesiastes 11:9) and is better than living a compromised life, but can lead to moral disaster and judgment (Eccl 11:9, Isaiah 65:2). We need to stick to the “old paths” and the good way not to the “by-paths” (Jeremiah 6:16, 18:15)

False prophets “walk in false-hood” (Jeremiah 23:14) while the Holy Spirit keeps us on the right track (Ezekiel 36:27). Those who “walk in pride” God is able to humble. (Daniel 4:37) and the Pharisees are described as “walking in long robes” indicating their pompousness. (Luke 20:46). Scoffers “walk after their own lusts” (2 Peter 3:3). Apostates turn back and do not walk with God. (Joh 6:66  From this time many of His disciples went back into the things behind, and walked no more with Him.) And lazy Christians “walk naked” for lack of spiritual attainment (Revelation 16;15). Jesus was criticized for “not walking in the traditions of the elders” and for abandoning man-made rules and regulations because He walked with God. (Mark 7:5)

In the New Testament the Christian does not “walk in darkness” but has the light of life (John 8:12) and is to walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7), in newness of life (Romans 6:4), in the rule of a new creation (Galatians 6:15,16) in the Spirit (Romans 8:1,4; Galatians 5:16, 25), in good works (Ephesians 2:10, Colossians 1:10), worthily of our high calling (Ephesians 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 2:12), in love (Ephesians 5:2), in the steps of the faith of Abraham (Romans 4:12), “becomingly” in attractive holiness (Romans 13:13), in the spiritual unity of a holy pattern (Philippians 3:16,17), in wisdom (Colossians 4:5) and circumspection (Ephesians 5:15), in the day (John 11:9), in the light - not in the darkness (1 John 1:7), and as children of light (Ephesians 5:8), in the truth (3 John 1:3,4) in God’s commandments ( 2 John 1:6), in the manner that Jesus walked (1 John 2:6) and in Christ by faith (Colossians 2:6).

Romans 13:13 tells us that Christians are not to walk in – carousings and drinking, co-habitation and lustful acts, strife and envy. Romans 14:15 says that if we  violate our brothers conscience we are not walking in love. Neither are we to walk in carnality (1 Corinthians 3:3) or craftiness (2 Corinthians 4:2), nor by sight ( 2 Corinthians 5:7), nor as the pagans walk (Ephesians 4;17) nor as fools (Ephesians 5:15) or in a  lazy and disorderly lifestyle (2 Thessalonians 3:6,11) or strange diets (Hebrews 13:9) or in darkness (1 John 1:6) or hatred (1 John 2:11) or after the flesh (Romans 8:1-6, 2Peter 2:10).

Thus to walk in love is to live a life governed by love as its main principle in the way we travel through life. Our example for this is Christ “as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.” (Ephesians 5:2). Thus our lifestyle is to reflect the loving and sacrificial lifestyle of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Love is patient and sacrifices its right to punish. Love is kind and sacrifices legalistic harshness. Love is gentle and sacrifices the wrong use of power. Love is generous and sacrifices what we otherwise would keep.  Love is not envious and sacrifices comparing and contrasting and walking in pride and boastfulness. Thus every act of love is also an act of sacrifice.  To walk in love is to live as a “offering and sacrifice to God”  putting self on the altar at every opportunity. 

Blessings,

John Edmiston johned@aibi.ph

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