". . . this grace wherein we stand."
Romans 5:2
". . . walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing."
Colossians 1:10
Standing and walking. These two words describe the ideal relationship of the believer with His Lord. Every believer has a permanent "standing" in Christ, never to be lost. Positionally by grace, he is complete in Him (Colossians 2:10). This settles our salvation and guarantees our security forever in Him. But after we have received our standing we are to begin walking. Our "standing" justifies us in God's sight because it is all of grace and does not depend upon the slightest merit or worth or works of our own. It establishes our union with Christ.
But those who "stand" in Christ are admonished to walk (Romans 4:12, 1 Corinthians 7:17, Ephesians 5:15, 1 John 2:6). Walking means going forward - growth in grace and the knowledge of Christ. We are told to walk honestly, walk in love, walk in the Spirit. This walking determines our fellowship, assurance, fruitfulness, joy, and reward.
Some Christians have been saved 20 to 30 years but are no farther along than they were when they started. By faith we stand justified in His sight; this is union. But our communion and fellowship depends on our walk. Our union is once for all and cannot be broken (John 10:28), but our communion can be broken by carelessness and sin, and must be restored by confession and repentance. Christ left us two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord's Supper. The baptism speaks of union once for all, never to be repeated. But communion is to be observed often - "as often as you eat this bread" (1 Corinthians 11:26). Union is God's free gift; communion is our responsibility. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light (then) we have fellowship (communion) one with another" (1 John 1:17). "Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Brother, sister, watch your step today as you walk the pathway of sanctification.
"Bread For Each Day"
No comments:
Post a Comment