Walking in love; to walk in the truth is to walk in the Spirit

In the old Covenant God gave Israel commands, their blessings were dependent on their obedience to his word.

Lev. 26:3-4 'If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,

then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.”

Israel’s agricultural needs depended on God for good weather so they would have an abundance of crops. This disobedience would affect them severely.

Deut. 30:16: " in that I command you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess .”

God gave them the land but they needed to continue to have faith to be blessed in that land and have peace.

Israel was told Lev 18:3 'According to the doings of the land of Egypt, where you dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the doings of the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you, you shall not do; nor shall you walk in their ordinances .”

They were not to look back and become entrapped with the idolatry they were surrounded in before God delivered them.

They were continually admonished by God to do what He has spoken. 'Then it shall be, if you heed all that I command you, walk in My ways, and do what is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as My servant David did, then I will be with you and build for you an enduring house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you .” (I King 11:38)

Neh. 10:29 “ these joined with their brethren, their nobles, and entered into a curse and an oath to walk in God's Law, which was given by Moses the servant of God, and to observe and do all the commandments of the LORD our Lord, and His ordinances and His statute s”

Time after time they as a nation backslid yet God wanted the best for them, but it was dependent on their obedience, which was the Old covenants relationship with the nation.

Ps 81:13: " Oh, that My people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways !”

The Psalmist[s] write:

Ps.119:35 “ Make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it .”

Solomon writes Prov. 2:13 “ From those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness”

Israel had an on and off relationship with God, so the Lord sent prophets to call them back.

Jer. 6:16: Thus says the LORD: "Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it.'

Isaiah the prophet later writes for the people: “O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the LORD” (Isa. 2:5).

The new covenant of grace

It is when the new covenant is established that this relationship is offered to individuals, not a nation. By accepting the gospel one is given a completely new life.

Rom 6:4: “ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Gal 5:16 “ I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh .”

Gal 5:25 “ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”

In the Old covenant god showed the corruption of the flesh by the commandments. He showed their weakness in obey them.

In the new covenant we are all given a calling to fulfill and are empowered from within to do it. Eph. 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Col. 2:6 ‘ As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him’

The Holy Spirit trains us in the Son of Gods ways as we are conformed to his image daily.

Eph. 5:2 “ And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”

As sinner we can stink to god at what we do. As saints who obey and are controlled by the Spirit we are as a sweet smell of sacrifice to him

I Jn. 1: 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

To walk in the light is to walk in the truth to be honest with oneself and others, to make sure there are no obstacles of fellowship among us.

II Jn. 1:6 “ This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.”

John mentions walking in the truth twice in his short letters 3 Jn 1:3-4 For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

3 Jn 1:4 “ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”

This is necessary for all Christians to be honest with each other and those outside the household of God. To keep his word and obey it by his power.

Walking in love does not mean one is tolerant of everything. It means you will not judge quickly but accurately. You speak the truth when it is necessary and do it with the motivation of love. One does not become a doormat to those who say anything they want about Christ or his followers. We are to defend the faith against the naysayers and influencers of our age.

We are to walk in his truth Ps 26:3 ‘ For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth.”

I Jn. 3:18- 21 “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.’

When we know we are doing things according to his Word we are guiltless. We do what we say and we mean what we say, we keep our word. This is so important in the time that we live in. People want to see we care not just talk about it. They know we speak the truth when our actions compliment our word, they will have respect and be more apt to listen.

 

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