Lesson for January 22, 2023
The Victorious Christian Way of Life
Lesson 4
The Spiritual Walk of the Believer
In all the previous verses, the Greek word for walk is “peripateo,” which is used to express the entirety of a believer’s life. The same is true in all the following verses.
Walking in a Worthy Manner
(Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; I Thessalonians 2:12, 4:1)
It means what a person is occupied with. Applying that meaning to the worthy walk of a believer we must ask what is he to be occupied with? The answer to this question is Bible doctrine. If a believer is occupied with Bible doctrine, he will also be occupied with the Person of Jesus Christ by being saturated with the mind of Christ, which is the Word of God. Walking worthy is used as a command to advance to spiritual maturity by applying Bible doctrine on a consistent basis.
Since it is through the filling and power of God the Holy Spirit that we are able to learn and apply Bible doctrine, we must conclude that it is God Who makes us worthy. The virtue and integrity developed by the doctrine in our souls is God’s virtue and integrity. He alone gets all the glory for the worthy walk of a believer.
Walking in Wisdom
(Colossians 4:5; Ephesians 5:15)
Wisdom is the Greek word “sophia,” which is a synonym for knowledge and application of Bible doctrine. One meaning of the Greek root word of “sophia” means clear. Spiritual wisdom is a clear understanding of Bible doctrine and how it applies to your life. Spiritual wisdom is based on spiritual I.Q., not human I.Q., which means spiritual wisdom is based on a maximum amount of Bible doctrine in your soul. The more Bible doctrine you understand, the more wisdom you will be able to exhibit.
Wisdom is knowing, understanding, and doing the will of God. Wisdom is defined as knowledge of what is true or right combined with good judgment and how it applies to a believer’s life. Good judgment is related to the believer’s scale of values. Wisdom is the sum total of the teaching of Bible doctrine under the mentorship of God the Holy Spirit and the positive response to that doctrine, resulting in perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine.
Wisdom is understanding the plan of God for your life. Wisdom begins when you understand that God has a plan for your life, and you begin to see it from the Scriptures. You begin to understand the spiritual life and use this wisdom. You must have humility to have wisdom, because no one is teachable apart from humility. With humility, your mind is open to the accurate teaching of God’s Word. Wisdom comes from the Word of God as we learn Bible doctrine and apply it to our lives. With this perspective, a believer is able to live their life in light of eternity.
Walk in Love
(Ephesians 5:1-2)
Walking in love is to walk as Christ walked with unconditional love for everyone. Virtue-love (personal love for God and impersonal love for others) in your soul allows you to have a relaxed mental attitude toward others and to treat them with kindness, compassion, patience, and forgiveness. In other words, impersonal love is unconditional and how we are to treat others. Impersonal love is a function of the Royal Ambassadorship of believers as Christ’s representatives on earth. It is our love for God that motivates us to exhibit impersonal love toward all. Impersonal love operates from the integrity and virtue that you develop from learning and applying Bible doctrine.
As a Royal Ambassador, you represent God before the world. Therefore, as royalty, you are to conduct your life accordingly. This calls for high standards of excellence in every area of your life. It calls for honor in your dealings with your fellow believers and with unbelievers alike. With Jesus Christ as our example, we are to exhibit the same kind of love that He exhibited. This kind of love can be accomplished only by a believer with Bible doctrine in their soul, who is being empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit.
Walk in Faith
(Romans 4:12)
Walking by faith is using the Faith-Rest Technique. Faith is effective in a believer’s life only if faith has the right object. The content of what you’re thinking is what determines faith’s effectiveness in your life. There is no limit to the amount of faith a believer can have, but doctrinal content in the soul is what determines the strength of their faith.
Faith is developed by the study and application of God’s Word under the filling of God the Holy Spirit. Faith is developed by means of spiritual growth when a believer consistently uses the Problem-Solving Devices, such as Rebound, the Filling of the Holy Spirit and the Faith-Rest Technique. Faith can also be developed through suffering. (Romans 10:17; Hebrews 4:1-3, 12:2; Galatians 5:22-23; I Peter 1:7-9; I John 5:1-5)
The principle of Faith-Rest is from God Who is perfect. Therefore, the Faith-Rest Technique is perfect. No human deed can be added to a perfect provision from God. Therefore, believers must cease from doing human good and enter into a rest where they depend upon the Holy Spirit to do all the work. This is the only plan that is completely compatible with the grace of God. This is true in the Christian life just as much as it is true in salvation. Faith is the absence of any human merit, which means, that in and of itself, faith has no value or worth. The value or worth is in the object of our faith. The object of faith for salvation is Jesus Christ. The object of faith for the Christian walk is God and His Word.
Faith-Rest is knowing, believing, and applying the promises. (Isaiah 33:6) The promises of God do us no good unless we mix them with our faith and apply them to our lives. (Hebrews 4:2) Claiming these promises eliminates mental attitude sins such as fear, worry, and anxiety, which cut off Divine Viewpoint Thinking. Faith-Rest will restore Divine Viewpoint Thinking and stabilize believers in time of pressure and adversity. Faith-Rest results in a relaxed mental attitude toward others and circumstances. (Matthew 11:28-30)
Walking in Truth
(II John 4-6; III John 3)
Walking in truth is advancing in the Christian Way of Life through the application of accurate Bible doctrine (truth). We must be doctrinally oriented to the truth found in the Bible before it can have any effect in our lives. The word “doctrinal” means pertaining to a teaching, a body of principles, or a branch of knowledge. “Orientation” means familiarization with a particular person, thing, or field of knowledge.
Doctrinal orientation, therefore, means to familiarize oneself with the teachings and principles of the Word of God. John 4:24 says that God is Spirit and those who worship Him, are to worship in spirit and truth. Bible doctrine is the word of God the Father. (Hebrews 4:12) It is the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16) and the voice of God the Holy Spirit. (Hebrews 3:7)
The Word of God is profitable for doctrine (the body of teaching that we believe), for reproof (the Word of God is a mirror into our souls so that we can evaluate ourselves before God), for correction (once we evaluate ourselves and find there needs to be corrective action, the Word of God gives the correct course of action), and for instruction in righteousness (once we discover the right course of action, the Word of God gives us a blueprint of how to accomplish our goal). (Timothy 3:16)
Walk Honestly
(Romans 13:13; I Thessalonians 4:1-12)
The Greek word for properly, in the above verses is “euschemonos” and means honestly, decently, or honorably. Walking properly with grace refers to our testimony before the world. It is God’s desire and His command that our lifestyle reflects the true nature of our positional relationship with God and follows the pattern set forth by Jesus Christ – He dealt honorably with everyone. The Christian life can be lived only under the supernatural power of God the Holy Spirit.
How you deal with others is a reflection of how your spiritual life is progressing. If you have a healthy spiritual life, then God is able to produce the character of Jesus Christ in you under the filling of the Holy Spirit and you will be able to exhibit the fruit of the Holy Spirit toward others. God has provided everything that we need to fulfill the Christian Way of Life. We have more spiritual power in this dispensation than in any other in history. (Galatians 5:22-23)