Walk Worthy
In our vernacular, there are many allusions to walking. There’s the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the bride walks the aisle, people wonder if we’re the real deal, and we “walk the talk” or just pontificate. Then there’s the moon walk perfected by Michael Jackson. And all are interesting in their own way. But the Bible talks about a type of walking that we should all pay attention to: In Ephesians 4, we’re told to “walk worthy.”
What does that even mean, and how do we do it? Here’s the verse: “Walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called; with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love.”
Let’s be honest with ourselves.
Apart from God’s declaration that we are worthy because of our faith in His Son, we have nothing to boast about. Maybe a verse from Micah 6 will help flesh it out, “He has told you O man, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Remember, our last post was all about kindness, and here it is again, accompanied by humility. So, apparently, walking worthy includes kindness and humility. Hmmm. Back to Ephesians, Paul goes on to say v.17-19, “that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.”
How do Gentiles walk?
In this context, Gentiles are a synonym for unbelievers. So they are ignorant, darkened in understanding, and excluded from the life of God. Did God do this to them? No. The verse explains it’s because of their hardness of heart (rejecting God’s goodness and plan for salvation) which has caused them to become callous and give themselves over to sensuality, practicing every kind of impurity and greediness.
Paul does a great job of identifying the attributes of our worthy walk. Verse 31 continues, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. V.31 Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven you.” Two posts ago, we talked about what God has done in the past tense. Here again, we’re reminded of already having been forgiven.
And then Paul caps this idea with a warning to us,
“Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Chap. 5:15-17).
The first step in understanding what the will of the Lord is, is to commit to a daily time in His word. Paul writing, this time to the Roman church (12:2), “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” We must think differently if we’re to act differently.
We should ask ourselves each day,
How am I walking? God’s word provides two types of light, one for our feet so we don’t stumble, and one for the path so we know where we’re going (Ps.119:105). Apart from that, walking is an action verb. It encompasses our preparation, but in the end, we just need to walk.
If you’ve read this and think you might be in the Gentile camp, click here for the Appendix, Steps To Salvation for a map that will lead you to the truth God wants you to know. Thanks for reading.