The Spiritual Life #41 - Relating to the Holy Spirit

After being born again by faith alone in Christ alone, we are to continue in faith. Paul wrote, “as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col 2:6). We received Jesus by faith, and after being born again, we are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:7). The word “walk” translates the Greek verb peripateō (περιπατέω), which is here used as a metaphor for how we live, behave, or habitually conduct our lives. To walk by faith means we learn and apply God’s Word to our lives (i.e., marriage, family, education, work, finances, etc.). It means obeying God’s directives, claiming His promises, and utilizing His resources for our daily problems. We are also instructed to “walk by the Spirit” and not the flesh (Gal 5:16). When we live by faith and depend on the Spirit for strength and guidance, we “walk in a manner worthy of the calling” with which we have been called (Eph 4:1). As Christians, we are instructed to learn God’s Word that we might come to know our new identity in Christ and lay hold of the many blessings God has provided for us as His children. Gospel information started our journey of faith, and Bible doctrine is the basis for our spiritual walk and advance to maturity. The advancing believer is living the righteous life that God expects, for He says, “My righteous one shall live by faith” (Heb 10:38), and “faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see” (Heb 11:1 NET). To live by faith in God and His Word pleases Him, for “without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Heb 11:6). Paul said, “we have as our ambition…to be pleasing to Him” (2 Cor 5:9). Christians who fail to live by faith, who choose not to learn and/or live by God’s Word, will default to humanistic philosophies, values, and experiences. In immature or carnal Christians, experiences and feelings will be regarded as more real, reliable, and important than God and His Word. Though we can enjoy our experiences and feelings (when they align with God), these are not stable, so we must be careful not to prioritize them or make them the base of operations. Divine wisdom should be our base of operations, as God wants us to learn and live His Word, to trust Him in all things, and to live by faith as obedient-to-the-Word children. When feelings rise high, faith must rise higher, lest we get bogged down and trapped in faulty reasonings that enslave and hinder our spiritual life and victory. The walk of faith requires discipline of mind and will. Ultimately, “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Rom 14:23). Faith starts with God and His directives and promises. Once we learn about God’s directives, provisions and promises, He expects us to live by them, to be “doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude” ourselves (Jam 1:22). It is possible to learn God’s Word and not apply it by faith, which is why James wrote, “to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin” (Jam 4:17). It is a sin not to live by faith. The writer to the Hebrews warned his readers, saying, “Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God” (Heb 3:12). After hearing God’s Word, it is evil for a Christian not to believe it. It’s evil because God’s Word is absolute truth (2 Sam 7:28; Psa 119:160; John 17:17), and rejecting or doubting it implies that God, who cannot lie (Num 23:19; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:18), is untrustworthy, which is an affront to His perfect nature. This evil behavior was exemplified by the Israelites in the wilderness, for after they’d been delivered from Egyptian bondage, they failed to live by faith (Num 14:11), angered the Lord (Psa 95:8-11), and so forfeited the blessing of inheriting the land (Heb 3:15-18). The danger for us as Christians is that we might know God’s directives and promises, but fail to apply them by faith, and never benefit from His blessings. The writer to the Hebrews said, “Therefore, let us fear if, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you may seem to have come short of it. For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard” (Heb 4:1-2). Hindrances to the Walk of Faith The hindrances to Christian faith are numerous, but they all share one common feature: they obstruct the believer’s ability to live in active dependence on God and obedience to His Word. Among the most dangerous is ignorance of God’s Word, which the Lord denounced when He said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos 4:6). The Christian life cannot be lived in a doctrinal vacuum. Truth must be learned before it can be applied. Without sound doctrine, believers are spiritually ...