The New Testament explains to Christians how to “walk” in faith. A “walk” in this context is a metaphor for practical daily living. The Christian life is a journey on a Godly path, and we are to walk it—realizing and demonstrating consistent forward progress in our life and faith.
1 John 2:6: “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.”
- Grammatical Usage: “abides” or in the Greek, “menein” means, “dwell; endure without argument”.
- Literal Interpretation: The life of a man who professes to be living in God must bear the stamp of Christ without argument.
- Contextual/Comparison: God keeps His Word: God continually uses His Word. The Bible tells us in Micah 6:8 to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God.” To walk Godly means to live a life grounded in faith, guided by the Holy Spirit and centered on God’s convictions impacting every aspect of your life: work, relationships, finances, everything—so that you can honor Him while pursuing His call upon your life…at every stage and age. The instruction is to trust Him to guide you as you take each step of life in faith by:
- equipping you with biblical truths to navigate daily life
- inspiring you to set Christ-centered goals and achieve them
- encouraging you to trust God’s plan and walk boldly in faith
Seven essentials are involved in a successful, affirming, fulfilling walk:
-
- The Christian walk involves a full surrender. God has a plan for our lives, and surrendering to Him means we set aside our own plans and eagerly seek His. The good news is that God’s plan for us is always in our best interest (Jeremiah 29:11), unlike our own plans that often lead to destruction (Proverbs 14:12). Our Lord is a wise and beneficent victor; He conquers us to bless us.
There are different levels of surrender, all of which impact our relationship with God. Initial surrender to the drawing of the Holy Spirit leads to salvation (John 6:44; Acts 2:21). But there are times of greater surrender during a Christian’s life that brings deeper intimacy with God and greater power in service. The more areas of our lives we surrender to Him, the more room there is for the filling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
-
- The Christian walk involves Christlikeness. Christians are people who follow Christ. Becoming more like Christ is the desire of every believer, and it is encouraging to know that God has the same desire for us. In fact, the Bible says that God “predestined [believers] to be conformed to the likeness of his Son” (Romans 8:29). Making us Christlike is God’s work, and He will see it through to the end (Philippians 1:6). As John the Baptist said, “He must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30), so we focus more and more on Jesus and His glory, losing ourselves in His will. The more we consider ourselves “dead to sin” (Romans 6:11) and live a life of purity, the more like Jesus we will be. As we, “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) we sense His abiding peace confirmed in our hearts.
-
- The Christian walk involves righteousness. Romans 8:4 explains God’s purpose “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” So the Christian walk requires saying no to the lust of the flesh but characterized by good works (Ephesians 2:10).
-
- The Christian walk involves obedience. The apostle John taught that we show our love for God as “we walk in obedience to his commands” (2 John 1:6). There are many paths open to us as we travel through this world, but God’s commandments direct us away from the harmful paths and onto the Godly path of life (Psalm 16:11). God’s Word, the Bible, is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105) including the path upon which God has intended for you.
-
- The Christian walk involves faith. 2 Corinthians 5:7 teaches, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” This is a foundational truth for believers. We live in light of eternity; we focus on unseen realities such as Jesus and the rewards of heaven. We live according to what God has revealed to us, rather than trust our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5–6).
-
- The Christian walk involves a new way of thinking. When we follow Christ, we put away the old ways and embrace the new: “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds,” Paul said (Ephesians 4:17). The command for those on the Godly path is “to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:23–24).
-
- The Christian walk involves fidelity to the Lord—our character should “match up” to His. Ephesians 4:1–3 lists some of the qualities that will result: “Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” In Colossians 1:10–12, walking “worthy” is tied to four personal characteristics:
- being fruitful in every good work
- steadily increasing in the knowledge of God
- using the power of God to joyfully endure and patiently persevere
- giving thanks to the Father
If you are a Christian seeking to walk more closely with Christ, pray and ask for direction (Matthew 7:7). Don’t feel as though God is “too busy” or has more important things to do. When you are a child of God, He always has time for you. Know that the Christian walk is blessed: “The LORD watches over the way of the righteous” (Psalm 1:6).
- Conclusion: On the Godly path, am I walking as I should?
