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Walk in

      The Word of God talks about the believer walking in many things.   Most of the time in the New Testament the Greek word used for "walk" is the word peripateo which means "to trample around." 
      A person can literally "walk around in the dirt" or "walk around in the water" or "walk around in the leaves."  Important points in God's Word are emphasized by God in figures of speech.  When the Word of God talks about "walking around in truth"  it is a figure of speech and is thus emphasized by the Father. 
The believer is to walk in the spirit; walk in good works; walk in love; walk in wisdom; walk in light; walk in truth; walk in believing; and walk in the Lord Christ Jesus.  These are all figures of speech using the example of "walking or treading around."

1 Peter 5:8
     Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about
[peripateo], seeking whom he may devour:

     In this verse the devil is compared in a figure of speech to a roaring lion that walks about seeking someone to eat.  A lion will roar to scare its prey into freezing up just before the lion jumps on and devours its victim.  The figure of speech puts emphasis on the picture of a lion trampling about looking for its prey.  We are to be watchful and alert to these attacks of the devil.

     In the Old Testament administration of law the Word of God in statues and commandments was given to Moses.  The believers were commanded to walk in the ways of the Lord and keep his commandments so that God could bless them.

Deuteronomy 30:16 
     In that I command thee this day to love the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgments, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the LORD thy God shall bless thee in the land whither thou goest to possess it.

Joshua 22:5
    But take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law, which Moses the servant of the LORD charged you, to love the LORD your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, and to cleave unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.

     In the Gospels the promised Christ was walking about on the earth fulfilling the promises of the Father.  Believers during the Christ administration were to follow Christ who was personally present to lead them.

John 8:12
  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in
[peripateo] darkness, but shall have the light of life.

     In our day and time the work of Christ to reconcile us to God is an accomplished reality.  We have been given holy spirit and are now sons and daughters of God.  The charge to us is to walk in light of that which we have received.

Galatians 5:16
    This I say then, Walk in
[peripateo] the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

Galatians 5:25
      If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in
[stoicheo] the Spirit.

     In Galatians 5:25 a different Greek word is used.  Stoicheo means "to march in line with."  We are to walk in line with that which we have been given on the inside.  We line up our thinking and action and renew our minds to that which we have spiritually.  Then we walk around in the spirit and do not spend time trampling around in the flesh.  Flesh is a figure for the five senses and the course of life that we used to follow before we were born again of God's spirit.

Ephesians 2:2
    Wherein in time past ye walked
[peripateo] according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Ephesians 2:10 
      For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in
[peripateo] them.

     Now, we are God's workmanship.  We have holy spirit in us and God has before ordained that we should walk in light of that which is created on the inside.  We are spiritual men and women created in Christ Jesus to carry out the spiritual work that God has given us to reconcile the world back to Him.

2 Corinthians 6:16
    And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in 
[emperipateo] them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

     Emperipateo means to rest in one place and walk around there.   God dwells in the believers in our day and time.  He is at rest in us and spends His time walking around in us.  What a fantastic truth!  God in Christ in YOU!

Romans 6:4
    Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
[peripateo] newness of life.

    We are born again of God's spirit.  Our old man was crucified with Christ.  We have a new life: a spiritual life.  We no longer walk according to the course of this world.  We walk according to the spirit given us.  We renew our minds and walk around in the newness of life we have in Christ seated at the right hand of God.

2 Corinthians 4:2
    But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in
[peripateo] craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

      We are no longer following the course of this world.  We have renounced the shame of walking according to the course of this world.  We do not walk in craftiness or trickery.   We do not handle the Word of God deceitfully.  We walk in truth.

2 Corinthians 5:7
     (For we walk
[peripateo] by faith, not by sight:)

    To walk by sight is to walk by one of the five senses.  It is to walk according to the course of this world.  To walk by faith is to walk by believing God's Word.  When God's Word contradicts the evidence of our senses we go by the Word.  That is walking by believing, not by sight.

Ephesians 5:2
    And walk in
[peripateo] love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

    When we got born again and received holy spirit we received the love God had to give His only son.  We received the love Christ had to offer himself a sacrifice to God for us.  We have the love of God.  Now we put that love into our minds and walk in it.

Ephesians 5:8
    For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in
the Lord: walk [peripateo] as children of light:

    When we walked according to the course of this world we walked in darkness.  God is light.  His gift of holy spirit in us makes us light in the Lord.  Now we put that light into our minds and walk in light.

Ephesians 5:15 
    See then that ye walk
[peripateo] circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

    We have been given wisdom in Christ Jesus.  Wisdom is knowing what to do.  We have spiritual wisdom.  Now we must put that wisdom into action by renewing our minds and walking circumspectly.  To walk circumspectly is to walk with precision and wisdom according to the accuracy of God's Word.

Colossians 4:3-6
    Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
    That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
    Walk in
[peripateo] wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
    Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

     Paul asked that the believers pray for him that he would have opportunities to make known the mystery of Christ.  That which we received (the gift of holy spirit) is available to everyone who believes.  It was a mystery kept secret by God until it was revealed to the Apostle Paul.  Now, we have been given knowledge of that mystery and the wisdom to make it known.  Making known the mystery is what we ought to speak.  We have been given wisdom to speak to those who have not yet believed.  We can season our words with grace and salt and know exactly how to answer every man as we walk in wisdom toward those who are without (outside of the body of Christ).

1 John 1:6 
    If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
[peripateo] darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
    But if we walk in
[peripateo] the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

     We have been given holy spirit which puts us into God's category because God is Holy and God is Spirit.  Now, we can fellowship (share fully) with God.  When we walk according to the course of this world, we are walking in darkness.  But, when we walk in light as God is light we have fellowship with Him and with one another.

3 John 1:4
     I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in
[peripateo] truth.

     The greatest joy to a believer in the body of Christ is to hear that those to whom he has taught the Word are walking in truth.  This is even more true of God.  God has no greater joy than to hear that His children are walking according to the truth of His Word.

Walk in the works ordained by God
Walk in newness of life
Walk in the spirit
Walk  by believing  
Walk circumspectly
           
Walk in wisdom
Walk in love     
Walk in light      
Walk in truth

Michael & Christine Cortright's Fellowship Homepage
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© Copyright November  2004 Michael Cortright