When I woke up this morning, I felt out of sync in my soul. Actually, it’s been a while now, but it seems to be getting more acute. If you’ve been with me for a while now, you know the last 3-4 months have been a wild ride. I read a John Piper quote this morning after I’d diagnosed this sync-less-ness where he basically said if we feel fragile when we wake up in the morning, not to be distressed about it because God is in control.
True. And the reality of we are studying, if I allow my fractured soul to dwell on the truth, it can over time make a difference. Not in my circumstances, oh no. I still feel betrayed. I still have a child who is recovering from her own soul pain. Only God can bind these wounds. But as we wait for ultimate restoration and healing, having the pattern of life where we meet with our God and Savior to marinate in his word can alter the level of impact. Studying isn’t going to necessarily eliminate depression or heartache, but owning truth can change the view.
The windshield in my little elderly CR-V is in need of cleaning. What is the film that forms on the INSIDE, particularly in winter? When that window is cleaned, the view will be different. What once was hazy will become distinct. I think it’s the same way when we study.
In our passage currently, we are learning that the audience, as believers, have been made alive. They were born into the identity that they were children of wrath, preoccupied with living for themselves, just like everyone else. But the truth is their lives had opportunity to change. They no longer were on a single track of life. Actually, for pre-believers, it is a track of death. Once God moved, they were positionally on a different track. Since they were created in Christ Jesus, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness, there is a life that God has prepared beforehand for the recipients.
With an eye on what has come before and how it has impacted the lives of Paul’s hearers, let’s once again look at the text we are studying.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:1–10 (ESV)
In Order to Walk
In previous Bites, you’ll remember that we’ve discussed literary devices. Today, we are exploring another, although we might not recognize it as such. As far as interpreting scripture, whether or not the word walk is a figure of speech or not is really fairly irrelevant. However, my nerd nature enjoys knowing it and sharing the fun with you.
What we have in the word walk is explained here:
“Linguists speak of idioms as “dead” metaphors, by which they mean that they have become such an accepted part of the language that the person who hears or reads the idiom does not think about the primary sense of the words but only the idiomatic sense. When we hear or read of “the foot of the stairs,” we do not think of a human foot. We automatically think of the bottom part of the stairs. In this idiom a comparison is made between a human foot and the lower portion of the stairs. And yet the idiom is a “dead metaphor” since the person hearing or reading it does not think about the comparison but thinks directly of the meaning of the idiom. “Foothills,” “head table,” and “fork in the road” are other example of idioms.” 1
Over espressos by the fire this morning, Jeremy and I discussed this phenomenon in language and I thought it interesting that he pointed out that this metaphor is so dead that it was first dead in Hebrew, then dead in Greek, and now it’s dead in English. Bringing you along in the conversation, consider the artistry of this proverb. Can you see any other literary devices in it?
A fool’s lips walk into a fight, and his mouth invites a beating.
Proverbs 18:6 (ESV)
So we can see this metaphor has been in circulation for hundreds of years and multiple languages. In the Hebrew, behind the English, the sense of the word walk according to my Logos Bible Software is to enter (participate) v. — to become a participant; be involved in. Which is similar to the sense of the English behind the Greek word in the NT. To walk (behavior) v. — to live or behave in a specified manner.
Continuing to follow Paul’s thinking at the time of his writing Ephesians 2, we will remain in Ephesians and Colossians as we interpret his meaning for his usage of the word walk.
In my continued effort to show you step-by-step what I’m doing as I study, I will explain in detail how I came across these verses we will look at. I found the cross references we will investigate in this Bite by looking at the footnotes in my digital ESV in my Logos Library. First I looked at reference j in verse 10 where it suggests Colossians 1:10. Going there, I could see it was pertinent, so I looked at the footnote v associated with to walk, and found a reference back in Ephesians 4:1. After establishing the new verse in Ephesians was applicable, I looked at reference n associated with walk and I found another verse in Colossians 2:6 where Paul again uses walk. In this way I found the cross references we will examine in this Bite. Starting in Ephesians, let’s look at them in turn.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
Ephesians 4:1-3 (ESV)
Praying before this exhortation, Paul requests strength for the saints to know God and be filled with God’s fullness. As his knees are bowed in this prayer on behalf of the saints, he transitions to worship, an appeal for God to be glorified. At that point, Paul moves to this exhortation to walk in a manner worthy of the calling and in case his audience doesn’t know what that looks like, he describes it in subsequent verses. Let’s jot down what this walk that is worthy of the gospel looks like as Paul describes it.
- Walk in a manner worthy (Eph 4:1)
- In humility
- In gentleness
- With patience
- Maintaining unity in the Spirit
Remembering that in Ephesians 2:10, Paul’s point is that the recipients are God’s workmanship, created in Christ for the purpose of doing or walking in good works, I see this cross reference helping us to see the nuts and bolts of what a walk in good works looks like. Paul has been talking about the gospel in our passage in Ephesians 2 and in chapter 4 he expounds on this walk in relation to their call, the gospel.
As we move to the next cross reference, not surprisingly we find Paul thanking God (prayer) for what he’s heard about the Colossians. He’s heard about their faith and their love for other believers and so he prays for them, requesting that they be filled with knowledge of God’s will for this reason:
so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God
Colossians 1:10 (ESV)
In this reference, Paul describes this walk he desires for them as being worthy of the Lord and pleasing him. Definition of pleasing him? Bearing fruit in work and learning more about God. Let’s add to our list.
- Walk in a manner worthy of the calling (Eph 4:1)
- In humility
- In gentleness
- With patience
- Maintaining unity in the Spirit
- Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (Col 1:10)
- Pleasing the Lord by doing good work
- Pleasing the Lord by growing in knowledge of God
Continuing on in Colossians to the last reference we will address in this Bite, Paul is concerned for those in Colossae and Laodicea who have not seen him before. So concerned that he calls it a great struggle. His struggle is over their understanding and knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ (Col 2:2). Apparently there were some folks who were using arguments and philosophy to try and convince the believers that human wisdom was of more value than the wisdom that is Christ.
Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:6–7 (ESV)
Remember that in Colossae there were people who Paul described as wanting to take the believers captive with philosophy and empty deceit. See why Paul was in a great struggle? These people that had heard the gospel were later told that Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t enough, they needed to do something in addition. That is completely contrary to the gospel and Paul was approaching freak-out mode.
In fact, Paul discusses a few verses further on how these believers should not allow judgment to be passed on them with regard to any of the ordinances outlined in the OT. Correctly understanding those observations from OT involves understanding that they were shadows of what was to be fulfilled in Christ. Christ is the substance. Just to be clear, because this is a common hang-up I’ve heard in recent days–the regulations of the OT were a shadow and what they foreshadowed was fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.
Paul’s desire in the Colossian church was that they would walk in Christ. They would have their foundation firmly established in him and faith in him, rather than regulations that are necessary but have been perfectly accomplished in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Their walk is to have faith in what Christ has done on the cross. This is walking in the truth of the gospel. Let’s add to our list.
- Walk in a manner worthy of the calling (Eph 4:1)
- In humility
- In gentleness
- With patience
- Maintaining unity in the Spirit
- Walk in a manner worthy of the Lord (Col 1:10)
- Pleasing the Lord by doing good work
- Pleasing the Lord by growing in knowledge of God
- Walk in Christ (Col 2:6)
- Be rooted in him
- Be built up in him
- Be established in the faith
- Listen to what Paul said
- Abound in thanksgiving
As they walk, they are to be in Christ and who he is. He is the perfect and sufficient sacrifice. The works they get to do are not for the purpose of salvation because that is already done. The works they get to do are BECAUSE they are saved not in order to get more saved. This list describes some of the works that God had planned out for them even before they were following the wrong team’s leader.
Wrap Up
Our Bible Study Bite for today is a phrase that I’ve heard teachers I respect use. Instead of simply reading the text, we want to let the text read us. There was a feeling of sync-less-ness that I had. As I do the next right thing and study God’s word, I don’t insert my feelings into the text, I allow God’s love and truth to be inserted into me. Right where we are in our study of Ephesians 2, I got to see how Paul told his audience that they were created to walk in good works. Learning what the good works are from scripture, some of those good works are simply to trust Jesus and the ultimate work he did.
My sync-less-ness doesn’t magically disappear, but instead of having that feeling be what I dwell on, I can refocus and dwell on where my heart should be instead. For me today, the truth that Christ’s sacrifice is enough. What will you dwell on today, letting the text read you?
