“For We Walk By Faith, And Not By Sight”

by Gailen Evans

II Corinthians 5:7 – “… for we walk by faith, not by sight …”

Before examining this one verse, let us notice the surrounding passages.

II Corinthians 5:1-9, “For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For indeed in this (house) we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven; inasmuch as we, having put it on, shall not be found naked. For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed, but to be clothed, in order that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord – for we walk by faith, not by sight – we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. Therefore also we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”

Do you and I honestly, long to be with God, His Son, and all the saints that have obeyed His commandments? Or, are we trying to please this temporal physical tabernacle with carnal pleasures? If you truly can say you would rather serve Satan than God you need not read any further! But, if you want to be with the eternal God of heaven, then, read on.

Let us look at the word that precedes “faith,” “walk,” this simple but complex word is often over looked by those who read God’s word. When God’s chosen vessels spoke through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they used words that the average individual could understand. Let us turn to the definition of “walk”; peripateo – “to walk: a) to make ones way, progress; to make due use of opportunities; b) Hebrew for, to live; 1) to regulate one’s life; 2) to conduct oneself; 3) to pass one’s life.”

Now, we can see that “walk” is an action and that should awaken us to the fact that Christians are to be active. But in what should a Christian be active in? If we look at Romans 6:4, Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Doesn’t this make it perfectly clear, that a Christian will be active in something totally different than his previous walk? What are we to “walk in”? Romans 8:4 not only identifies the “old walk” (flesh) it identifies the “new walk” (Spirit); “in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Beloved, God in His infinite wisdom knew how clever Satan is and how he will use everything and anything to entice Christians away from the truth. That is why God has made His word so clear. It is also why He restates again and again how Christians must walk! Look at Colossians 2:6-8, “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, (so) walk in Him, having been firmly rooted (and now) being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, (and) overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”

God has always told His creation exactly what He expects out of them. He also tells them of the consequences of not performing His commandments. He also tells of a future home for both, something the Devil never does.

Beloved, read slowly Ephesians 2:10-13, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called ‘Uncircumcision’ by the so-called ‘Circumcision,’ (which is) performed in the flesh by human hands – (remember) that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” Now, just take a few more moments and reread these verses. Will you and I ever understand completely the great sacrifice that God and His only begotten Son made for each one of us? If a family member would give you a vital organ, in order that you might live a few more years, how would you remember him? Christ died for us in order to open the eternal door of heaven, if we obey His commandments.

Walking, also demonstrates a forward movement. Have we made progress in our life towards our heavenly home or have me made a detour along the way? John was very happy to find individuals walking in truth – II John 1:4, “I was very glad to find (some) of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment (to do) from the Father.

Beloved, follow the path that the apostles laid before us, let us not be enticed by the wiles of Satan. Let each of us take heed to Paul’s statement to the Philippian brethren and make this our number one ambition, in this short life (3:16-21), “however, let us keep living by that same (standard) to which we have attained. Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us. For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, (that they are) enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is (their) appetite, and (whose) glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.

Paul walked, orthopodeo, that is “to walk in a straight path” (orthos, “straight,” pous, “a foot”), is used metaphorically in Galatians 2:14, signifying a “course of conduct” by which one leaves a straight track for others to follow.

The Bottom Line Is, “What kind of path are we leaving behind?” Now, is the only time we have to correct our walk!

From: The website of the Buenaventura Church of Christ, Santa Paula, CA.