I was studying 1 Thessalonians this morning and happened to notice the phrase “walk in a manner worthy of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:12). I was reminded that Paul had used that same phrase elsewhere. I concluded that it must be important to the apostle or else he would not have been so repetitive.
The idea of walking as an illustration of our faith is simple. We are moving through life with it’s challenges and obstacles. It’s easy to wander off the path of righteousness and stumble. But when we walk as we should, we avoid those obstacles and arrive at our destination. Paul wants to ensure that we walk in the way our Lord would has us to walk.
1 Thessalonians 2:12 – Paul is remembering his time among the people of Thessalonica and recalling his encouragement to them to “walk in a manner worthy of God.”
Ephesians 4:1 – The context here is a call to walk together in peace. Division is often present but never desired in the body of Christ. As Paul moves toward a declaration of the “ones” of the faith (Ephesians 4:4-6), he reminds us that we should speak with one mind as we are unified in a single faith. “I…urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”
Colossians 1:10 – Paul desires the people of Colossae to “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” so that we might be pleasing to Christ. He had been praying for their spiritual sustenance from God.
Revelation 3:4 – This is not Pauline in nature but comes from John as he pens Jesus’ letter to the church at Sardis. “Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments, and they will walk with me in white for they are worthy.” Did you notice the shift in tense of the verb? John speaks of a future walk in glory! It is the result of what happens when we walk worthy in this life. The letter to Sardis was a rebuke of a congregation with a name that was good when the reality was a church that was dead. Yet some were pleasing, some were walking worthy and would soon walk with Jesus in glory.
It’s not a difficult concept to grasp. We should walk worthy now o we can walk in glory later! What an encouragement! It helps me and I hope it helps you.
