Some people are of the opinion that walking with the Lord is like walking a tight rope. And the Bible is the rule book to keep from falling.
But, when we walk with Him within the boundaries He set of loving and honoring the Father and others, we walk in the spacious place of redemptive liberation. And how we walk, according to the Bible’s exhortation, is a response of gratitude and worship for the gracious gifts of redemption and salvation. For He has made us children of light (v8), who have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ (v5).
In all his letters, the apostle Paul taught the followers of the Way how to walk. (Keep in mind that “walk” is a metaphor used for the way someone conducts their life.) Here, we’ll only consider what he’s written in Ephesians 5 (continuing our conversation from last week).
Live as children of light
(for the fruit of the light consists in
all goodness, righteousness and truth)
(Eph 5:8b-9).
The letter to the Ephesians has been called “a manifesto for the church,” and rightly so. Chapter 5 spells out how the reconciled of God are to live in their relationships as a unified body of believers. The conduct Paul addresses includes sexual morality, speech, holiness, and our relationships—with an emphasis upon wisdom (v6, 15, 17). And he further explains that these are accomplished by being led by the Spirit (v18) and through mutual submission.
Those in Christ are to submit to one another (v21) as members of one body (v30). And the concluding verses of the chapter imparts household codes for Christians. Might they speak into identity, more than “rules”? Aren’t they more about who we are to be?
When we live in mutual submission, because of our reverence for Christ (v21), the fruit of light—goodness, righteousness and truth—is produced in our lives. Because to display these behavioral and relational qualities in our lives is evidence of our sanctification, in becoming more like Christ. Then the world will see a church walking in unity, following the way of its King.
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