Our Christian Walk

Richard Thetford

There’s a saying that has been out for a long time that says: “Your talk talks and your walk talks, but your walk talks more than your talk talks.” We can give lip service forever and it won’t really amount to much until it is backed up by our actions in life. Therefore, we should learn that our Christian walk needs to be a walk of duty and devotion to our God! Knowing that this is so, then we should not ask others to carry us, but rather we should be ready to bear the burdens of one another (Galatians 6:2). Since our Christian life is a walk, we must also understand that it is an individual duty. Nobody can take our place in our walk, we must do it individually, on our own. In 2 Corinthians 5:10 it says: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” The object of our Christian walk is to reach a desired destination and that destination is heaven. Paul wrote: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing” (Philippians 3:14-16). As we press on toward heaven, that high calling, we realize that we must strive to live a life faithful to God here on earth. When others see our walk, do they see us striving for that high calling, being faithful to Jesus?

Walking in Newness of Life

Paul wrote again in Romans 6:4: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Again in 2 Corinthians 5:17 he wrote: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” When an individual is baptized INTO Christ he is a new creature. All those old things that were of the world are now dead. We are brand new, striving to live a life of godliness. That is why EVERY Christian should be known by their walk. A Christian is different because they are now in God’s family, living and practicing only those things that are righteous! We should walk worthy of our vocation as it says in Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; and 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12.

Walking in Faith, Love, and Honesty

I believe that one thing that keeps some Christians from walking the Christian walk is a lack of genuine faith. We must have a sincere faith in God. “For we walk by faith, not by sight:” (2 Corinthians 5:7). Can all of us sincerely say that? When we have Bible faith, then we can get on with living our lives as God intended for us to. Before we can ever hope to “walk the walk”, then we MUST have faith in God. The Hebrew writer wrote: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). Without proper faith, we can’t please Him in our life because our heart, mind, soul, and strength will not be present to serve Him. A Christian’s walk is also a walk of honesty. The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian brethren and said: “But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2). This verse lets us know some things that a Christian will not do. It also tells us that a Christian’s conduct is upright and handled with all honesty. Do others see that kind of walk in our lives?

In addition to faith, love, and honesty, a Christian’s walk should be a walk that copies that of Jesus. John writes: “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked” (1 John 2:6). Simply put, does our Christian walk mirror Jesus’ walk?