“What Is a Christian?” Part 29” by Romans
We are continuing in our Series, “What Is A Christian?” We are continuing to review and examine Faith as a foundational facet of being a Christian. Last week, as you may recall, the verses I based the Discussion on was, very likely, the longest set of verses I have ever used. Tonight, I am going to do the opposite. I will be starting out with, very likely, the shortest verse I have ever used, made up of only eight words.
We read in 2 Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Before we zoom in on the faith aspect of this verse, I would like, first, to look at the “walk” that is spoken about. What does it mean to “walk with God”? Walking with God signifies a close, intimate relationship with the Divine. It involves living a life of faith, obedience, and communion with God. Here are some key aspects of what it means to walk with God, supported by Scripture: (I cannot take credit or give credit for these. They were posted on the Internet anonymously.)
1. Faith and Obedience: Walking with God requires faith and obedience to His commandments. Hebrews 11:5-6 highlights Enoch’s faith: “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Albert Barnes says of this: “The account of Enoch is found in Genesis 5:21-24. It is very brief, and is this, that “Enoch walked with God, and was not, for God took him.” There is no particular mention of his “faith,” and the apostle attributes this to him, as in the case of Abel, either because it was involved in the very nature of piety, or because the fact was communicated to him by direct revelation.
In the account in Genesis, there is nothing inconsistent with the belief that Enoch was characterized by eminent faith, but it is rather implied in the expression, “he walked with God.” It may also be implied in what is said by the apostle Jude Jude 1:14-15, that “he prophesied, saying, Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints,” etc. From this it would appear that he was a preacher: that he predicted the coming of the Lord to judgment, and that he lived in the firm belief of what was to occur in future times.”
2. Daily Fellowship: Walking with God involves daily fellowship through prayer and reading His Word. Psalm 1:1-2 emphasizes the importance of meditating on God’s law: “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
The Pulpit Commentary says of this: “Blessed is the man; literally, blessings are to the man. But the Authorized Version exactly gives the sense. That walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. The margin gives, "or wicked," and this is probably the best rendering of the word used (רשׁעים). The righteous man is first described negatively, under three heads.
1. (1) He "does not walk in the counsel of the ungodly:" i.e. he does not throw in his lot with the wicked does not participate in their projects or designs;
(2) he standeth not in the way of sinners; i.e. he does not take part in their actions, does not follow the same moral paths; and (3) he sitteth not in the seat of the scornful; i.e. has no fellowship with them in the "scorn" which they cast upon religion. The word used for scornful (לֵץ) is Solomonian (Pro_1:22; Pro_3:34; Pro_13:1), but in the Psalter occurs only in this place.
2. But his delight is in the Law of the Lord. The righteous man is not described positively, under two heads. (1) He delights in the Law (camp. Psalm 109:16, 47, 77; Romans 7:22).
(2) He constantly mediates in it. The "Law" intended—תוֹרה, not התּוֹרה—is probably not the mere Law of Moses, but God’s law, as made known to man in any way. Still, the resemblance of the passage to Jos_1:8 shows the Law of Moses to have been very specially in the writer’s thoughts.
In his Law doth he meditate day and night; compare, besides Jos_1:8, the following: Psalm 63:6; Psalm 119:15, Psalm 119:48, Psalm 119:78, Psalm 119:97. Constant meditation in God’s Law has characterized all saints.”
3. Living in the Spirit: Walking with God means being led by the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16 says, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”
Alexander MacLaren says of this: “What it is to walk in the Spirit.The thought which is but touched upon here is set forth more largely, and if we may so say, profoundly, in the Epistle to the Romans (chap. viii.). There, to walk after the flesh, is substantially the same as to be carnally minded, and that ‘mind of the flesh’ is regarded as being by fatal necessity not ‘subject to the law of God,’ and consequently as in itself, with regard to future consequences, to be death.
The fleshly mind which is thus in rebellion against the law of God is sure to issue in ‘desires of the flesh,’ just as when the pressure is taken off, some ebullient liquid will bubble. They that are after the flesh of course will ‘mind the things of the flesh.’
The vehement desires which we cherish when we are separated from God and which we call sins, are graver as a symptom than even they are in themselves, for they show which way the wind blows, and are tell-tales that betray the true direction of our nature. If we were not after the flesh we should not mind the things of the flesh. The one expression points to the deep-seated nature, the other to the superficial actions to which it gives rise.
And the same duality belongs to the life of those who are ‘after the Spirit.’ ‘To walk,’ of course, means to carry on the practical life, and the Spirit is here thought of not so much perhaps as the path on which we are to travel, but rather as the norm and direction by which we are to travel on life’s common way.
Just as the desires of the flesh were certain to be done by those who in their deepest selves belonged to the flesh, so every soul which has received the unspeakable gift of newness of life through the Spirit of God will have the impulses to mind and do the things of the Spirit. If we live in the Spirit we shall also—and let us also—walk in the Spirit.
But let us make no mistakes, or think that our text in its great commandment and radiant hope has any word of cheer to those who have not received into their hearts, in however feeble a manner and minute a measure, the Spirit of the Son. The first question for us all is, have we received the Holy Ghost?—and the answer to that question is the answer to the other, have we accepted Christ?
It is through Him and through faith in Him that that supreme gift of a living spirit is bestowed. And only when our spirits bear witness with that Spirit that we are the children of God, have we a right to look upon the text as pointing our duty and stimulating our hope.
If our practical life is to be directed by the Spirit of God, He must enter into our spirits, and we shall not be in Him but in the measure that He is in us. Nor will our spirits be life because of righteousness unless He dwells in us and casts forth the works of the flesh.
There will be no practical direction of our lives by the Spirit of God unless we make conscience of cultivating the reception of His life-giving and cleansing influences, and unless we have inward communion with our inward guide, intimate and frank, prolonged and submissive.”
4. Righteous Living: Walking with God involves living a righteous life. Micah 6:8 states, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Matthew Henry writes of this: “We must walk humbly with our God. This includes all the duties of the first table, as the two former include all the duties of the second table. We must take the Lord for our God in covenant, must attend on him and adhere to him as ours, and must make it our constant care and business to please him…
We must, in the whole course of our conversation, conform ourselves to the will of God, keep up our communion with God, and study to approve ourselves to him in our integrity; and this we must do humbly (submitting our understandings to the truths of God and our will to his precepts and providences);
we must humble ourselves to walk with God (so the margin reads it); every thought within us must be brought down, to be brought into obedience to God, if we would walk comfortably with him. This is that which God requires, and without which the most costly services are vain oblations; this is more than all burnt-offerings and sacrifices.”
And finally, Number 5. Endurance and Perseverance: Walking with God requires endurance and perseverance in the face of trials. James 1:12 encourages believers: “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.”
Albert Barnes writes of this: “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation - The apostle seems here to use the word “temptation” in the most general sense, as denoting anything that will try the reality of religion, whether affliction, or persecution, or a direct inducement to sin placed before the mind. The word temptation appears in this chapter to be used in two senses; and the question may arise, why the apostle so employs it.
But, in fact, the word “temptation” is in itself of so general a character as to cover the whole usage, and to justify the manner in which it is employed. It denotes anything that will try or test the reality of our religion; and it may be applied, therefore, either to afflictions or to direct solicitations to sin - the latter being the sense in which it is now commonly employed. In another respect, also, essentially the same idea enters into both the ways in which the word is employed.
Affliction, persecution, sickness, etc., may be regarded as, in a certain sense, temptations to sin; that is, the question comes before us whether we will adhere to the religion on account of which we are persecuted, or apostatize from it, and escape these sufferings; whether in sickness and losses we will be patient and submissive to that God who lays his hand upon us, or revolt and murmur.
In each and every case, whether by affliction, or by direct allurements to do wrong, the question comes before the mind whether we have religion enough to keep us, or whether we will yield to murmuring, to rebellion, and to sin. In these respects, in a general sense, all forms of trial may be regarded as temptation. Yet in the following verse Jas_1:13 the apostle would guard this from abuse.
So far as the form of trial involved an allurement or inducement to sin, he says that no man should regard it as from God. That cannot be his design. The trial is what he aims at, not the sin. In the verse before us he says, that whatever may be the form of the trial, a Christian should rejoice in it, for it will furnish an evidence that he is a child of God.”
So now, I hope that we all have a better grasp of what it means to walk with God, let’s go back to see my opening verse for tonight: “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
First, Albert Barnes says of this: “For we walk - To walk, in the Scriptures often denotes to live, to act, to conduct in a certain way; see the notes on Romans 4:12; Romans 6:4. It has reference to the fact that life is a journey, or a pilgrimage, and that the Christian is traveling to another country. The sense here is, that we conduct ourselves in our course of life with reference to the things which are unseen, and not with reference to the things which are seen
By faith - In the belief of those things which we do not see. We believe in the existence of objects which are invisible, and we are influenced by them. To walk by faith, is to live in the confident expectation of things that are to come; in the belief of the existence of unseen realities; and suffering them to influence us as if they were seen.
The people of this world are influenced by the things that are seen. They live for wealth, honor, splendor, praise, for the objects which this world can furnish, and as if there were nothing which is unseen, or as if they ought not to be influenced by the things which are unseen.
The Christian, on the contrary, has a firm conviction of the reality of the glories of heaven; of the fact that the Redeemer is there; of the fact that there is a crown of glory; and he lives, and acts as if that were all real, and as if he saw it all.
The simple account of faith, and of living by faith is, that we live and act as if these things were true, and suffer them to make an impression on our mind according to their real nature; see the note on Mark 16:16.
It is contradistinguished from living simply under the influence of things that are seen. God is unseen - but the Christian lives, and thinks, and acts as if there were a God, and as if he saw him. Christ is unseen now by the bodily eye; but the Christian lives and acts as if he were seen, that is, as if his eye were known to be upon us, and as if he was now exalted to heaven and was the only Saviour.
The Holy Spirit is unseen; but he lives, and acts as if there were such a Spirit, and as if his influences were needful to renew, and purify the soul. Heaven is unseen; but the Christian lives, and thinks, and acts as if there were a heaven, and as if he now saw its glories. He has confidence in these, and in kindred truths, and he acts as if they were real. Could man see all these; were they visible to the naked eye as they are to the eye of faith, no one would doubt the propriety of living and acting with reference to them.
But if they exist, there is no more impropriety in acting with reference to them than if they were seen. Our seeing or not seeing them does not alter their nature or importance, and the fact that they are not seen does not make it improper to act with reference to them.
There are many ways of being convinced of the existence and reality of objects besides seeing them; and it may be as rational to be influenced by the reason, the judgment, or by strong confidence, as it is to be influenced by sight. Besides, all people are influenced by things which they have not seen. They hope for objects that are future. They aspire to happiness which they have not yet beheld.
They strive for honor and wealth which are unseen, and which is in the distant future. They live, and act - influenced by strong faith and hope - as if these things were attainable; and they deny themselves, and labor, and cross oceans and deserts, and breathe in pestilential air to obtain those things which they have not seen, and which to them are in the distant future.
And why should not the Christian endure like labor, and be willing to suffer in like manner, to gain the unseen crown which is incorruptible, and to acquire the unseen wealth which the moth does not corrupt? And further still, the people of this world strive for those objects which they have not beheld, without any promise or any assurance that they shall obtain them.
No being able to grant them has promised them; no one has assured them that their lives shall be lengthened out to obtain them. In a moment they may be cut off and all their plans frustrated; or they may be utterly disappointed and all their plans fail; or if they gain the object, it may be unsatisfactory, and may furnish no pleasure such as they had anticipated. But not so the Christian.
He has: (1) The promise of life; (2) He has the assurance that sudden death cannot deprive him of it. It at once removes him to the object of pursuit, not from it; (3) He has the assurance that when obtained, it shall not disgust, or satiate, or decay, but that it shall meet all the expectations of the soul, and shall be eternal.
Not by sight - This may mean either that we are not influenced by a sight of these future glories, or that we are not influenced by the things which we see. The main idea is, that we are not influenced and governed by the sight. We are not governed and controlled by the things which we see, and we do not see those things which actually influence and control us. In both it is faith that controls us, and not sight.”
The Sermon Bible adds to this: “We walk by faith, in the conviction that what is right must end in peace, and what is wrong must end in misery. This assumes that there is a living and true God; that there is a real kingdom on earth—a government over men so constituted that right must come right, and wrong must come wrong;
that by no possibility—by no combination of circumstances, by no power of men or devils—can wheat bring forth tares, or tares wheat; that never can there be separated the consequences from evil so long as evil continues; nor can anything but good and peace come from welldoing.
II. We walk by faith in reference to the agencies which God employs for the regeneration and salvation of man. (1) First and chief of these is the gospel of Christ. It is not that the gospel saves, but Jesus Christ of whom the gospel speaks, by reconciling the sinner to God, through faith in His atoning blood, and by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Sight is opposed to this.
To lose faith in the gospel, to have faith in anything else accomplishing the things the gospel proposes, is to lose faith in Christ Himself, in His power, in His mercy, and in His will.
(2) The Church of Christ is another agency the power or efficacy of which demands faith. Very often the agency is very poor—intellectually as well as spiritually. But walking by faith and not by sight, I perceive that the Church is the very best and purest society on the face of the earth. With all its dross it has the most gold. With all its darkness it has the most light. With all its earthly elements it is the best representative of heaven upon earth. Two thoughts of practical weight suggest themselves here.
(1) One is this—encouragement in our duty. The great Captain of our salvation has tolerated us, borne with us, and not cast us off. He who sent such messages to the Seven Churches, recognising their standing and calling, and their glorious privileges, whilst revealing to them their sins, the same Lord who walks amongst the candlesticks does not put out our light.
(2) Another thought is one of shame and confusion when we think how weak our faith is, and how slow, how unconstant our walk accordingly is as members of the Christian Church in fulfilling our Lord’s calling.” N. Macleod, Penny Pulpit, new series, No. 12
Walking by Faith. In St. Paul’s hand these words were the key to what the heathen, who had no thoughts or desires beyond the present world, must have regarded as an enigma: note, not the resignation only, but the cheerfulness with which he and his fellow-Christians suffered wrong, though despised and obscure; the spoiling of their goods;
how they sought death rather than shunned it, and rushed in the face of the King of Terrors, and gathered crowds as they went to the scaffold or stake, singing, rejoicing, radiant as a bride to the arms of her bridegroom. Paul speaks of scourging, stoning, prisonings, exiles, death itself, with a sort of Divine contempt.
He calls them light afflictions: "Our light afflictions, which are but for a moment, work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." And the reason why is given in our text: "We walk by faith, not by sight."
I. The believer walks by faith in the work and cross of Christ. By faith Noah, by faith Abraham, by faith David, and by faith many other Old Testament saints won themselves a place in the cloud of witnesses. The truth is that the faith of the humblest believers nowadays is, in some senses, a higher attainment than theirs, and there is no flight of human genius I ever saw like the faith of the poorest, weakest, humblest Christian.
II. The believer walks by faith in the providence of God. "Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night teacheth knowledge of Him;" and this in every tongue savage or civilised. The whole world is vocal with His praise; nor is there any ear so deaf as may not hear that, as well in the songs of the happy birds as in the voice of the tempest and the peals of thunder. Though that may be true of the general providence of God, what may be called His special providence, at least so far as regards His own, is very often with them much more a thing of faith than it is a thing of sight.
III. The believer walks by faith in and to another world. It is no easy thing to walk by faith, not by sight; amid the things seen to love the unseen; to be in this world, and not of it; but we have the blessed promise, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." T. Guthrie, Penny Pulpit, new series, No. 571|
In closing, I would like to offer a review of the familiar individuals, the Heroes of Faith, presented in the pages of Scripture.
All of these men and women should not only be familiar to us, but we should all be striving to live the kind of lives that, if the Bible were still be written today, we would all see our names added to its pages.
Here is a list of believers who are listed in the Bible as having walked with God, and a Scriptural thumbnail sketch of their faithfulness: In the Old Testament, we read of Enoch: “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5:24) Noah: “Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9) Abraham: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.’” (Genesis 17:1)
Isaac: “Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.” (Genesis 26:3-5)
Jacob: “And Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.’” (Genesis 47:9) Joseph: “The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, and he was in the house of his Egyptian master.” (Genesis 39:2)
Moses: “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” (Exodus 33:11) David: “And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him.” (1 Samuel 18:14) Elijah: “And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” (2 Kings 2:11) Elisha: “And Elisha said, ‘Please let there be a double portion of your spirit on me.’” (2 Kings 2:9)
In the New Testament, there were also several individuals are described as having a close, intimate relationship with God,
often referred to as “walking with God.” Here are some notable examples: Jesus Christ, of course, first and foremaost. Jesus is the ultimate example of walking with God, as He is the Son of God and lived in perfect obedience to the Father. John 5:19: “Jesus gave them this answer: ‘Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.’”
Paul (Saul of Tarsus): Paul had a dramatic conversion experience and dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel. 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Peter: Peter was one of Jesus’ closest disciples and played a key role in the early church. Acts 2:14: “Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.’”
John the Apostle: John had a close relationship with Jesus and wrote several books of the New Testament. Revelation 1:9: “I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.”
Mary, the Mother of Jesus: Mary is honored for her faith and obedience to God’s will. Luke 1:38: “‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her.” Stephen: Stephen was the first Christian martyr and is noted for his strong faith. Acts 6:5: “This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.”
Barnabas: Barnabas was a companion of Paul and known for his encouragement and faith. Acts 11:24: “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” Timothy: Timothy was a close companion of Paul and a leader in the early church. 2 Timothy 1:5: “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
Philip the Evangelist: Philip was one of the seven deacons and known for his evangelistic work. Acts 8:5-6: “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said.”
Lydia: Lydia was a businesswoman who became a believer and supported Paul’s ministry. Acts 16:14-15: “One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. ‘If you consider me a believer in the Lord,’ she said, ‘come and stay at my house.’ And she persuaded us.”
These individuals exemplify what it means to walk with God through their faith, obedience, and close relationship with Him. I pray that each of us will live lives of faith that glorify God as we follow the lead of the indwelling Holy Spirit in obedience and communion with Him. There is much more to consider regarding Faith as an aspect of Christianity. I plan, God Willing, to review and examine those at this same place and time next week. I invite all of you to join me for the next Installment of our Series, “What Is A Christian?”
This concludes this evening's Discussion, “What Is A Christian? Part 29”
This Discussion was presented “live” on August 14th, 2024.
I have designed a website to serve as an Online Book Store for the things I have written and published on Amazon. These are in the form of both Kindle eBooks, and paperback books. Some of you may recall a Series I presented on "The Lord's Prayer" several years ago. My original notes for this and other Bible Studies have been greatly revised and expanded for these publications. For further details on the books that are available, and for ordering information, click the following:
https://arvkbook.wixsite.com/romansbooks
If you purchase and read any of my books, Thank you! I would also greatly appreciate a review on Amazon!