“The Just Shall Live By Faith”
New King James Version Written by: David Hicks
Romans 1:17 “ For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
Galatians 3:11 “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith."
Hebrews 10:38 “Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him."
“Articles of Faith”
The Church of Christ
(A Study in Ephesians)
Lesson 11. The Walk:
Ephesians 2:10
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them .”
This particular statement by Paul adequately outlines our study in Ephesians. In Chapters 1-3 , we learned in detail that we were created ‘IN' Christ Jesus for good works. Within this theme we also examined the hope of His calling; the riches of His inheritance in the saints, and the greatness of His power toward us who believe.
The remainder of the book deals with the good works that were prepared beforehand that we should walk in them ( Chapters 4-6 ). In the remainder of this study we are going to examine the exhortations of Paul to these Christians; that they walk in a manner worthy of their calling.
• The Walk.
Before we get into our study, we want to take a look at the illustration the inspired word makes of the concept of walking. In Biblical times walking was the most common way of going somewhere, even over long distances. It is not surprising, then, that the references to walking in the Bible number well over 200. Beyond the literal mechanics of movement by foot, walking was used in a much more figurative method. The concept of a walk became a motif for a person's lifestyle (with the image of walking suggesting continuing progress in time and a chosen direction).
Throughout the scriptures, walking is frequently paired with the image of the path or way to picture the lifestyle and choices people should make, as well as the ones they should avoid, note:
Psalm 1:1 “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;”
Proverbs 4:14 “Do not enter the path of the wicked, And do not walk in the way of evil.”
Isaiah 2:3 “Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord , To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law, And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem .”
Psalm 119:2-3 “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, Who seek Him with the whole heart! 3 They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.”
John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
1 John 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
Walking is one of the Bible's most dramatic similes for how godly people should live, both positively in terms of what to follow and negatively in warnings about what to avoid. I heard a saying this last week that serves well at this junction, “ We are not citizens of earth, trying to make it to heaven, and we are citizens of heaven trying to make it through this earth ” .
• Our Lesson.
With this understanding of the illustration of how the term ‘walk' is used in scripture, let's make application to our text before we begin to dive into the next chapter .
Ephesians 2:19 “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God ,”
Paul has established in detail in the first 3 chapters that we have been united with Christ in His body, thus ‘IN' Christ. This new creature has been given several synonymous designations; citizens, saints, members, and Christians. This new creature now walks according to the responsibilities due citizens in such a glorious community ; as those separated by God , as effective working parts of the body , and as those who pertain to Christ .
Paul would establish this very line of thinking in the first verse of the chapter, note: Ephesians 4:1 “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,”
To walk worthy is to walk or conduct one's self in a manner suitable to his vocation. The last word technically means first, the divine call or invitation to serve the Lord, and next it denotes that service, itself. From this we can conclude that a Christian's chief occupation or vocation is service to the Lord.
This sets the stage for the remainder of the lesson. We will travel with the teachings of Paul through the good works that God has prepared from beforehand that we should walk in them.
In our walk we will discover the kinds of works that we should be engaged in both as a collective (the church) and as individuals. The works given for us as a collective will become the foundation for the things that a church should be engaged in. In addition, the works of the individual Christian on behalf of the collective will establish precedence for the true growth of the church. Finally, as citizens of heaven; Paul will teach that there are good works that individual Christians must engage in among men, on behalf of our King.
As we move through the teachings of Paul concerning the works we should be engaged in as individuals and as individuals in a collective, it is vital that we examine our present service in comparison. This comparison will help us define the extent by which we as the distinctive parts of the body are doing our part for the effective working that causes the body to grow, for edifying itself in love.
Next: “ Walk in Unity ”