Clergy/Leaders’ Mail-list No. 1-119 (Theology)

Living Words of the New Testament, by Rev Dr Leon Morris

WALK

Walking is a metaphor for steady, if unspectacular progress, and the New Testament writers use it often. Modern translations frequently obscure this by substituting some such word as ‘live’. All the passages I am going to quote use the word ‘walk’, so if you can’t find it in your Bible put that down to the modern dislike for walking!

Some ways of walking are to be avoided. Paul complains that the Corinthians are ‘carnal, and walk as men’ (1 Cor. 3:3). People may walk ‘like the Gentiles’ (i.e. those outside the people of God, Eph. 4:17), or as the enemies of the cross of Christ (Phil. 3:18). They may walk in a disorderly way (2 Thess. 3:11), or in darkness (1 John 1:6), or in ungodly lusts (Jude 18). All such ‘walks’ are to be avoided. There is, of course, a sense in which Christians walk ‘in the flesh’ (2 Cor. 10:3); they are genuinely human. We have the same kind of bodies as non-Christians, with the same needs and desires. But we are not to live as they do.

Throughout the New Testament it is expected that believers will make progress in the faith – they will ‘walk’. They are to make, steady progress; to stand still is not the Christian ideal. The believer is to walk ‘in’ Christ (Col. 2:6). Christ is, so to speak, the atmosphere in which we live and move and have our being; we make progress in him. Our walk is to be worthy of the calling we have received (Eph. 4:1), and worthy of the Lord (Col. l:10; see also 1 Thess. 2:12; 4:1; 1 John 2:6; 2 John 6).

We are to walk ‘in the Spirit’ (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:16), and this means walking in ‘newness of life’ (Rom. 6:4), and walking in faith (2 Cor. 5:7). Christians walk in love (Eph. 5:2), in light (Eph. 5:8; 1 John 1:7), in wisdom (Col. 4:5), and in truth (3 John 4). Such passages teach us that ‘walking’ is not a metaphor for easy living. It points to important qualities that make for our growth towards Christian maturity.

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Rev Dr Leon Morris is an internationally recognised New Testament scholar, theologian and author, from Melbourne Australia.

This feature series of ‘Living Words of the New Testament’ appeared in ‘Daily Notes’, published by Scripture Union.