Question Introduced
What does a holy walk look like in a Christian? I would suggest
Conformity to Christ
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,
Regulated by God's Word
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,
Good Works Toward Neighbors
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,
Warning Against Pharisaism
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,
Against Monastic 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.
1 Peter on Holy Conduct
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.
Pilgrims in the World
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
Holiness in Every Sphere
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
Romans 12 and Renewing the Mind
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,
Growing in Grace and Knowledge
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.