WALKING IN GOD’S LOVE = WALKING IN GOD’S WORD = WALKING IN THE RENEWED MIND (Part 5 of 5)
Saved the best for last: What does Walking in Love mean?
(From Part 4 at the end) In the last verse that has the word “walk” used twice in it, we will see what it is to “walk in love.” There are many ideas floating around to suggest to us what it is to “walk in love” biblically. I like to go to God’s Word and let it define what this phrase means with word studies related to the phrase.
Let’s look at the context that 2nd John 1:6 is in and work the structure with the multiple repetitions that are present.
2 John 1:5-6 KJV
5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new **commandment** unto thee, but that which we had——- from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk after his **commandments.** This is the **commandment,** That, as ye have heard——- from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
I have put in bold the three repetitions and **stared** another, in this section that pulls from the surrounding verses and phrases that are given after this explanation. Let me first explain what you will be looking at as far as the basic structure of how these repetitions interact.
There are two phrases that have overlapping words in our key phrase in verse 6. The two words are shaded. “And this is love, that we walk after his commandments.”
The two phrases that have an overlap in the key phrase in verse 6.
V5d: … from the beginning
that we love one another.”"
V6c: … from the beginning
ye should walk in it.”
THE KEY PHRASE BETWEEN THE TWO SIMILAR PHRASES:
V6a:
And this is love,(V5d)
that we walk(V6c)
after his commandments.”
Putting it all together:
V5d: … but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
V5d LOVE (from the beginning)
V6c WALK (from the beginning)
V6a LOVE and WALK (from the beginning)
And the word "commandments" (God’s Word) is connected to BOTH the word “love,” and the word “walk.” To love with God’s love is to walk according to (or after) God’s Word. That involves renewing your mind to keep and do God’s Word. If you want the love of (or from) God to grow closer to perfection, you will need to renew your mind to live God’s Word, His principles of life. Do you see how God’s love and walking according to His Word are interconnected? The only way to have God’s love in your life is to renew your mind to live His commandments, His Word, there are no exceptions.[1]
Important repetitions show us what is being emphasized. Within these 3 verses are 4 repetitions that set the main topics of this section for proper interpretation. When studying this section knowing what repetitions are prominent, it is important in order to rightly divide this section, to take into account how the repetitions give emphasis to specific topics, and how the rest of the section fits within those topics. Again, I will list them by the number of uses in these verses, larger to smaller. The larger repetition holds a higher authority of importance over smaller repetitions.
2nd John 1:4-6
"commandment" 4x (main topic)
"walk" 3x (secondary topic)
"from the beginning" 2x (supporting topic)
"love" 2x (supporting topic)
2 John 1:4-6 KJV
4 I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a **commandment** from the Father.
5 And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new **commandment** unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we *love* one another.
6 And this is *love,* that we walk after his **commandments.** This is the **commandment,** That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
I want to show you again two similar repetitions from these verses that show us in another way that we should “walk the talk and talk the walk.” These phrases that form bookends show us how to carry this out between the bookends.
V5d: “… from the beginning, that we love one another.”
V6c: “… from the beginning, ye should walk in it.”
HOW?
V6a: “And this is love,(V5d) that we walk(V6c) after his commandments.”
That we should love one another is to walk in God’s Word (we do this by renewing (changing) our thoughts and actions). The underlined phrases in v5b and v6c are equal to each other. To love one another IS TO walk in God’s Word. To live in God’s love IS TO renew our mind to live God’s Word.
It is time to take a deep breath and consider this chapter research in a simpler form. Here is a summary of some of the main points we looked at with verses that contained two uses of the word “walk” from the Greek.
· Acts 3:8, main words: rise, walk, praising, and leaping. This is talking about a physical healing, but also includes mental praising.
o For your consideration: We are also to rise-up and walk mentally when it comes to renewing our minds to live God’s Word. We will have the same results, we will praise God and leap for joy mentally.
· John 12:35-36, A contrast: Walking in darkness, walking in the light. (Our choice we always have)
o Ephesians 4:14-17, Reveals how: to walk in darkness or how to walk in the light from John 12:35-36.
· 1st John 2:3-6, Talk the walk, walk the talk.
· 2nd John 1:4-6, Walking in God’s love = walking In God’s Word = walking in the renewed mind.
We have looked at only a few verses that have the Greek word translated “walk” or variations of it, to point out some basic principles about what the renewed mind is and how it works. The Gospel of John contains the most uses of this word in any one chapter or book. If you want to know how to walk as a son of God, with God’s love evident in your life, reading the Gospel of John will show you how Jesus Christ talked the walk and walked the talk of living in God’s love by keeping his mind renewed to his Fathers word in all the choices he made as he was confronted with everyday challenges. Here are a few more verses from this word study for further research. Be sure to read the surrounding context these verses are placed in for a fuller understanding.
Romans 6:4-5 KJV
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 newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
Because we have the hope of being raised from the dead with the same spiritual body Jesus Christ has now, we should choose to walk in our newness of life we have through our gift of holy spirit. This is done by putting on the life principles found in God’s Word.
Romans 8:4-6 KJV
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but [walk] after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
To walk after the spirit is to be spiritually minded which is life. To walk after the flesh (figuratively meaning by your five senses, without consulting God through your gift of holy spirit) is to be carnally minded which is death.
2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV
7 (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
When we are walking by the spirit, we are walking by our believing, not by our five senses.
Galatians 5:16 KJV
16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.
You can’t walk by the spirit and fulfil the desires of sense-knowledge at the same time. We can either make decisions by the spirit, or we can make decisions by the flesh (limited by the five senses). It is a choice we make every day, many times a day.
Ephesians 2:8,10 KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 4:1 KJV
1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
God has created His spirit in us, we are His masterpiece in Christ unto good works. We should walk in those good works.
Colossians 1:10 KJV
10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Part of walking worthy is increasing in the knowledge from God. This is a complete acknowledgment of God’s Word, that is, applying it by renewing our minds to the end we fully understand His Word.
Colossians 2:6-7 KJV
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him:
7 Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.
Verse 7 is your goal for this book! To become ROOTED, BUILT UP, and ESTABLISHED in the faith. What kind of faith? The Family Faith, The One Body, where all believers are contributing their best so we can help the believers, so we can operate without divisions, so the church is built up to meet everyone’s needs as they come up. And we are to be thankful.
2 John 1:6 KJV
6 And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.
1 Corinthians 13:13 KJV
13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, (love) these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (love)
[1] Nessle, Jon O., (Jesus’ Keys to Life-Foundational Class) Next Reformation Publishing Co. Plainfield, In.