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Ask FGBC #30: What does a holy walk look like in a Christian?

Jim Butler · 2024-11-30 · 1,423 words · 8 min

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What does a holy walk look like 
in a Christian? I would suggest a holy walk looks 
like conformity to our Lord Jesus Christ, those whom he foreknew, 
these he also predestined to be conformed to the image of 
his son. So Christ, you know, I'm not 
the big, let's just imitate Jesus or what would Jesus do? But a 
holy walk looks like what Jesus did for 33 years. and that holy 
walk was not, holy walk, it sounds like a dance, that holy walk 
was not subjective, it was not, wasn't mystical, it was regulated 
by the law of God. You know, when Paul tells us 
to love one another in Romans 13, you know, that can look like 
a lot of things. Well, if I buy my wife flowers 
or if I take my husband golfing, these are nice tokens, but love, 
according to Paul, is not murdering each other. it's not stealing 
from each other, it's not committing adultery with one another. So, 
you know, a holy walk, I would suggest, A, looks like Jesus, 
B, is regulated by the Word of God. You know, you see that emphasis 
in the New Testament epistles that it's God's will that we 
function in a particular way. And when we see that in the New 
Testament, it's not disconnected from the Old Testament. you know, 
when Paul comes to condemn the Corinthians because a man had 
his father's wife, the book of Leviticus tells you all about 
that. So, it's a transgression of God's 
law, would be an unholy walk, then by grace keeping that law 
would be a holy walk. Now, of course, you know, so 
A, Jesus, B, law, C, good works, things that, you know, our neighbors 
need, things that are conducive to demonstrating that we love 
Jesus, we love our neighbors, and we try to be faithful human 
beings and we try to carry out those things so that men may 
see our good works and give glory to God. So, I don't think it's 
this nebulous, subjective, you know, always looking miserable, 
you know, always wearing the garments or, you know what I 
mean? Like the Pharisees were easy targets because they made 
themselves easy targets. Jesus says, don't be like them. 
They stand on the street corners to pray. Obviously, they're doing 
that to be congratulated by people. So, you know, we in our holy 
walk, could end up being Pharisaic if we don't walk the way Jesus 
does and we don't walk according to the law of God. And then as 
I said, lots of liberty there, lots of, you know, promotion 
of good works in terms of, you know, within the household of 
faith, we love our brothers and sisters, we try to serve them. 
Outside the church, we adorn the confession of our faith very 
often by the way that we live. if we're jerks and we're unkind 
and we're unpleasant, people don't want to hear us preach 
the gospel to them. It's just kind of the way it 
is. So, a holy walk, we don't have halos, we don't separate 
ourselves. I think that's been a push in 
the history of the church, sort of a withdrawal would be monasticism, 
you know, the monks go live out in the wilderness and chase in 
the flesh and you'll be holy. Well, they got their wicked, 
wretched hearts with them, so they're not holy. But this idea 
of separation, a bad reading of 1 Corinthians chapter 5 would 
basically end in me separating from all the dirty, filthy sinners 
around me. Well, that's not a holy walk. That's not, you know, what we're 
called to do. I mean, if we can separate and 
it's not a sin or it's not against the law, I'm not saying everybody 
has to live in a city, people are free to go move into rural 
areas, but this idea that I got to get away from the filthy sinners, 
I think that's a 1 Corinthians 5 approach. And so, I think holy 
walk at times, we have an idea of what it is, and then we impose 
that upon others, and if they don't follow through, then they're 
not holy. I also think sometimes people 
make holy walk as if someone has to be a pastor or in some 
sort of place in the ministry or seen by everybody. But the 
reality, and they overcomplicate it as well. The reality is it's 
not rocket science. And the reality is most of the 
time it's very ordinary in the lives that we live. I think 1 
Peter is very instructive as far as this is concerned. He 
does say in chapter one, therefore, gird up the loins of your mind. 
So our minds need to be operated, none of this head heart sort 
of stuff. Be sober and rest your hope fully upon the grace that 
is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. as 
obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts 
as in your ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you 
also be holy in all your conduct because it is written, be holy 
for I am holy." And so we have been separated by God. We've 
been given that new heart and our hearts have been circumcised. 
And so we ought to resemble what it means to be a citizen of heaven 
as we live in the citizenship of Canada. or the United States 
or wherever we live. And really throughout the rest 
of the book, he unpacks what that means. He even says in verse 
11 of chapter two, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims. So 
this world is not our home. We're not gonna usher in the 
kingdom of heaven here. Abstain from fleshly lusts, which 
war against the soul. So we fight. And certainly that's, 
Paul picks that up in Galatians five. But there is this discussion 
about government and how we function in society. And he talks about 
slaves and masters or how we apply employee-employer relationships. I remember the first sermon I 
heard, one of the first sermons I heard from Pastor Butler, everyone's 
got to pour the coffee, someone's got to pour the coffee at McDonald's 
from Galatians or Colossians chapter three, I still remember 
that. But he highlighted that there's dignity in all that we 
do. And so that's how we can walk in a way that honors... 
It ain't gonna pour itself. It's not gonna pour itself. But 
there's dignity in all those jobs, in any job that's not sinful. And that's how we can be holy 
and honor and glorify God. The reality is we should be the 
best workers out there. Christians should be the best 
workers out there. But then he talks about husbands and wives. 
how our relationships look there, how we deal and handle suffering, 
you know, all those, how pastors should shepherd the flock. Those 
are all ways in which we ought to honor and glorify God and 
be separate and different from the world while still living 
in the world as pilgrims and sojourners. Pete Yeah, and the 
other emphasis or the other, a similar emphasis in Romans 
by the Apostle Paul that were in chapter 12, do not be conformed 
to this world, but be transformed, how? By the renewing of your 
mind. So, it first begins with, you 
know, cleansing out the filth that you've stored up there for 
however long by putting in the Word of God. And I think that 
we need to out think non-Christians. We need to be able to think biblically 
consistently with good theology if we want to be soul winners, 
if we want to, you know, have a holy walk that is impactful. I think we tend to think that 
a holy walk means I don't go to this place, I do go to that 
place, where Paul and Peter emphasize the renewing of the mind. Your 
mind needs help and God's Word is in the business of providing 
that help. And the idea I think is clear, grow in the grace and 
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The idea is that 
the more we know of God, the more we fear Him and the more 
that we want to walk in a manner that's consistent with who He 
is and what He's called us to do. Yep. Being hearers of the Word 
but also doers. Yeah, that's right.