Walk in Love

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

In this study of Ephesians that our Friday night Bible Study group is examining, I have never really paid attention to how may times the word “walk” actually appears in these lines of Holy Scripture, and easily see how we get that term: “walk the talk”. We are to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God. Now we are to walk according to the truth that is in Jesus Christ. The study talks about someone who claims to be a Christian and yet lives in a way that is contrary to the commandments of God. Those who are sure that they would go to heaven when they died because they made a profession of faith, yet live just like the world lives. Can a person walk one foot in darkness when they claim to belong to the Light of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ? How are Believers to walk … and not walk?

Ephesians 5:3-6 But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints; neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor coarse joking, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

The word “saints” in the Greek is ἅγιος – hagios and means holy (set apart from ungodliness, by God, for God’s sacred purposes) and could also be translated as “holy ones”. Saints comes from the same Greek root as the word “sanctified”, being ἁγιάζω – hagiazō, so saints are all those who have been sanctified, consecrated Believers, genuine regenerated Christians, walking in love, following and imitating the Lord with an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. But why the warnings: the “must not’s”, “the there must be no’s”, the let no one deceive you with empty words? The word “empty” is the Greek word “κενός – kenos, which means vain, useless, void of truth and void of reality. It indicates the hollowness of something or somebody. Could it be that ones trying to deceive the saints are proclaiming that a person can walk though life with one foot in the darkness of what God calls Sin, when they claim to a Christian belonging to the Light of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ? Does this happen today? This is what verses 3-6 explains clearly. As with any transgression of the Laws on earth, there are consequences for Sin also, and they are eternal separation from God. But our Creator Father in heaven, out of His love and mercy sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay that price and penalty for the world, so that who-so-ever repents of those sins (turns away from the darkness of sin and unbelief, and walks towards the Light of their Lord God in holiness and righteousness, in believing faith), accepts the free gift of atoning grace in Jesus on the Cross, will be justified in His sacrificial death in our place, by His blood, and shall receive salvation, become a child of God by His grafting adoption into the kingdom family and a permanent Holy Spirit sealed citizenship in heaven. Do not be deceived that the Child of God can walk in sin any longer. Those in rebellion against their all-knowing, ever-existing sovereign Maker God, who is sovereign over everything past, present and future, will attempt to justify their sin with argument, temptations and peer shame against all opposition. Those set apart from God will try to lead us away from the true Savior by separating the godly from God also, by sin. Which leads us right back to Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

In Christ, Brian