“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 20 - Walk in Light:
As we have engaged in examining closely the product of the “ New Man ”, we have begun to take a look at the, “ Walk Ins ”. The first of which was a walk in love!
A walk of love is a walk of righteousness, obedience, and knowledge. This is combined with a motivation of knowing that our Father is love and has acted in our best interest by providing us all things that pertain to life and godliness, ‘ In ' Christ and His church; as well as a pattern in Christ ( Hebrews 5:8-9 ).
Our next “ Walk In ” is that of light. Before we get to the text and examine the teachings of Christ through Paul, let's take a look at the concept of light.
Light: In its most basic form and use in the scriptures, light represents goodness and holiness as opposed to evil. Note what the Lord would say concerning this:
John 3:20 “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
In the New Testament the set apart and sanctified life is often associated with that of light, note:
Romans 13:12 “The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light .”
Philippians 2:15 “that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world ,”
In these passages we see that a walk of light is that which sheds the works of evil (darkness) and illuminates one's self in the righteous acts of faith (good works).
In addition to representing goodness and holiness, light also represents truth! For in fact, one cannot know the righteous acts of faith unless guided by the work of the Spirit (the scriptures), note:
2 Peter 1:19 “And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts;”
What we learn most importantly in these descriptions of light, is that light is not self generating within each of us (that is, it does not come of our own intuition), it is a shinning (realization) that comes from God, through Christ and His enlightened doctrine. 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Now with this definition under our belts, let's take a look at our text!
Ephesians 5:8-14 “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 finding out what is acceptable to the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. 14 Therefore He says: "Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light."
Once Darkness: Here Paul uses the imagery of light and darkness in the same way he used life and death in Chapter 2:1 , note: “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,” having been made alive in the divine truth (light) ‘In' Christ, their walk or general conduct should be in harmony with such divine truth.
Fruit: A tree is known by its fruit, note: Matthew 7:16-20 “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit , but a bad tree bears bad fruit . 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them .”
The kind of character a man maintains can be known only by the fruit or outward deeds in his life . The Spirit cannot produce anything but that which is goodness, righteousness, and truth (see also: Galatians 5:22-23 ).
When a man walks according to the truth (light) that has been given to them by the Spirit (through the word), it produces the good fruit of righteousness. This will prove through practical demonstration that the Lord's way is best.
-Fact- There cannot be a walk of light without the practical demonstration. Remember that we are His workmanship created for good works ( 2:10 ).
James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”
In addition the practical demonstration has to be doctrinally correct, with the continuous humility needed to conform to His doctrine as the truth of His word enlightens us, note: 2 John 9 “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.”
Fellowship: This has the same meaning as one who partakes, endorses, or even is indifferent towards. In Paul's 2 nd letter to the Corinthians , in chapter 6 ( 11-18 ), he would ask some Rhetorical questions, dealing with those who would teach contrary to the truth. The second of these rhetorical questions is, “What communion has light with darkness? ” Well the rhetorical response is none!
Expose Them: According to the laws of this land, even to conceal a crime constitutes another crime. If the servants of God know of the existence of evil (darkness) and do not condemn it, they thereby become partakers of it. Remember that all active things, good or evil, produce fruit, good or evil.
Works of darkness are any that are knowingly contrary to the truth (or light), and those that are not fully known are to be corrected as enlightened.
Light Exposes Them: I am reminded of when I lived in Florida . Regardless of how hard you try to clean or spray to avoid, because of the moisture, when you turn the lights on, you see a cockroach scurry across the floor. In darkness, you did not know they were there, however, as the light came on, they were exposed. Evil and unrighteousness are exposed by the truth.
57 years after the death of Hezekiah (king of Judah , during the divided kingdom), and after the evil reigns of Manasseh, and Amon, Josiah would sit on the throne of Judah . He reigned for 31 years, but in the eighteenth year he sent a scribe to the house of the Lord (the temple) to ascertain funds to rebuild the house of God. However, what was found was more important, Hilkiah found a book of the Law. There is every indication that Josiah and Judah during his reign were doing what God expected based on what they knew. However, note what happened when the king heard the words of the book:
2 Kings 22:11-13 “Now it happened, when the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, that he tore his clothes . 12 Then the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, Ahikam the son of Shaphan, Achbor the son of Michaiah, Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king, saying, 13 "Go, inquire of the Lord for me, for the people and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is aroused against us , because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book , to do according to all that is written concerning us ."
Now note God's response to Josiah and the state of his mind towards what God wanted (enlightenment):
2 Kings 22:19-20 “because your heart was tender , and you humbled yourself before the L ord when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its inhabitants , that they would become a desolation and a curse, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I also have heard you," says the Lord . 20 Surely, therefore, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace; and your eyes shall not see all the calamity which I will bring on this place." ' " So they brought back word to the king.”
The truth of God's word exposed their condition. However, Josiah did not attempt to cover it up, or ignore it. He did however, expose it and attempt to restore the will of God for himself and all the people. Because he humbled himself to the will of God, he avoided the punishment of those who had practiced darkness.
Now consider this lesson in light. There are those who say that doctrine is without merit, and that grace is enough regardless of what you practice. Does this fit what Paul has taught in this passage? Is this light or darkness? These are rhetorical questions, because the obvious answer is NO! Such a concept is not found in the words of truth, thus it is a practice of darkness!
The conclusion therefore, is found in the last verse of our text:
Ephesians 5:14 “Therefore He says:
"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light."
Paul is exhorting the brethren to bestir themselves from spiritual slumber, and arise from their spiritually dead condition so as to be ready for the light that Christ offers in the word of truth. In the context of our study, we must then humble ourselves to this word of truth and produce fruit!
I have one last thought to share in coordination with this lesson. It is the teaching of Jesus concerning many leaders of the Jews who believed Him to be the Son of God in the flesh, yet would not confess Him for fear of their contemporaries, note His teaching and its application to this lesson:
John 12:42-50 “Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 44 Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. 45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. 46 I have come as a light into the world , that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness . 47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects Me , and does not receive My words , has that which judges him -- the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day . 49 For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. 50 And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak."
If there are one church, one faith, one baptism, one Spirit, one Lord, and one Father; is light being practiced in the world today? Awake, you who sleep!
Next: “ Walk in Wisdom ”