Walk In Unity

Some images affect us when we see the word “walk” in the Bible, such as the “hide and seek” game in Genesis 3:8: “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” And the beloved verse from Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death….”

In his book, “Sit, Walk, Stand,” Watchman Nee says Christians SIT (Ephesians 2:6) in the heavenly places, WALK (Ephesians 2:8, 4:1, 5:2) in a worthy manner with the Lord, and STAND (Ephesians 6:11) against the wiles of the devil. There are certain things we must oppose, resist and refuse to compromise on. These are primary issues of doctrine and behavior.

Paul lists five characteristics of a “worthy walk” in Ephesians 4:1-3. Four out of five (excluding humility) are listed as fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Our readings this week focus on these. Humility, gentleness, patience, love and peace help us to maintain the unity of the Holy Spirit in the church.