Walk This Way - In Love
Bob Murray
For the past ten years or so, a couple of my "go to" verses have been Colossians 2:6-7 "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him: rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." These verses, when rightly divided, are amazing in just how simple they direct us regarding our "walk in Him." The simplicity is that we received Christ as Savior in belief of the Gospel (death, burial & resurrection of Christ according to the Scriptures), by grace through faith, and thus the walk is in the same manner (continued belief by grace through faith).
This past Sunday, Andrew addressed "walk in love" as part of Heritage's "Walk This Way" message series. He began with Colossians 2:6-7 – noting that we can only walk in love by the continuation of simple rested belief (in what the Bible tells us), by grace through faith – Spot on, Andrew!!! Then, with this as a given, Andrew took a look at just what it means to "walk in love," directing us to a key verse in this regard in Ephesians 5:2.
To take this a bit deeper, we need to get the full thought, remembering that chapters and verses are "manmade" and thus back up to Ephesians 4:32 for the full context, which states: "And be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you. Be therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and hath given himself for us …" Ephesians 4:32 – 5:2.
As Andrew noted, walking in Christ (in love) is not something we "drum up" from our own efforts. Rather, it is from the overflow of the Spirit; the love with which Christ first loved us. And, therefore, to walk in love is kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving to "others." In fact, the scripture teaches that "walk in love" is in such a manner as to be proportionate to and an overflow of the forgiveness of God we received "for Christ's sake". It is only in this way that we "walk in love, as Christ also has loved us."
We also see from the balance of Ephesians 5:2 that such walk/love is one of "giving" as Christ "loved us, and has given himself for us." Even while still under the Mosaic Law and prior to the cross, we see record of the love that Christ spoke of to his disciples, saying "…love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13).
The ultimate demonstration of "walk in love" was provided by Christ as He made full payment for the sins of the world at the cross. Thus, as we received Christ in simple belief, by grace through faith, we are to walk in "His Love" directed toward "others." We are to be a channel of His love to a lost and dying world, as we "testify the gospel of the grace of God" by which they may be saved.
The ultimate demonstration of "walk in love" was provided by Christ as He made full payment for the sins of the world at the cross
But please note that we don't stop at the salvation of the lost by the Gospel of grace; rather, this is the beginning point from which we continue to walk in love by teaching such that they may be found "Holding fast the faithful word as {you} have been taught…".
As we received Christ Jesus the Lord, by grace through faith, may we continue and Walk in His love!
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