Mind Your Walk, Part 2 (Eph 5:1–5) from South Woods Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Humanity naturally bends toward performance. As long as we play the part that we think is right, we’re satisfied with life. So what we do outwardly, rather than why or how, seems to matter more than anything. Even with skewed motives and questionable practices, as long as we think that we performed, we deem ourselves okay.

The late Scottish actor Ian Charleson played the part of the godly Scottish evangelical Eric Liddell in the acclaimed film, Chariots of Fire. Charleson plunged into his role, even reading and studying the Bible, to better get into the skin of Liddell, known for refusing to compete in his best Olympic event because it was held on Sunday. Liddell left the fame of an Olympic 400-meter championship to serve as a missionary in China, dying in 1945 as a martyr for the gospel in a Japanese prisoner of war camp.

Charleson knew the story. Every kid growing up in Scotland had heard about Liddell’s athletic feats, faithfulness to Christ, and martyrdom. Yet despite reading the Bible and playing the part of the godly Liddell in a movie, despite being cheered by countless Christians (including me) for his representation of Liddell, Charleson continued to live an immoral, Christ-less life, dying a few years later with AIDS. His uncanny performance of Liddell won him accolades across the globe. He performed a Christian character well. But it was only a performance—as far as we know, he knew nothing of the saving work of Christ.

Take away the movie set, and many resemble Ian Charleson. They pick their Christian performance, decide when they want to play the part, and satisfy themselves that performing the role is enough. They go to church, do some good deeds, make some nice comments, donate to charity, and avoid the more visible displays of godlessness. Yet playing the part of a Christian is nowhere close to living the life of one saved by Christ.

The gospel calls us to know and follow Jesus Christ. Due to the gospel’s power at work in those believing Christ, everything is affected. The believer begins a new life—a walk—as a follower of Jesus. The Christian’s ongoing walk looks more and more like the One who saved him. But what does that walk look like? Let’s consider what it looks like to mind our walk with Jesus Christ.

1. Walk in love

Let’s return to the context, otherwise we will come to disastrous conclusions on what this text means. Paul is not providing a list of moral actions that will turn a non-Christian into a Christian. He does not call us to performing a Christian life as a substitute for living in union with Jesus Christ. Instead, he starts with a firm foundation in salvation by grace through faith in Christ (2:8–9). Now, as followers of Jesus, he explains how we are to walk in a manner worthy of the effective call of the gospel of Christ (4:1). We’re not living in a Christian way to gain God’s favor but because He has already given us His favor in Christ. We’re working from salvation not for salvation.

Paul identifies characteristics of this walk with Jesus—this way of conducting our lives through the grace of God in Christ, e.g. walk “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love” (4:2). Also, we are to lay aside falsehood while speaking truth to one another; be angry at injustice but not allow anger toward others to give the devil a foothold; refuse to steal but diligently work to practice generosity; guard our conversation so that it might build up others; put away bitterness and anger, while being “kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (4:25–32).

Why did Paul go into such details on what it looks like to live as a follower of Jesus Christ? The Ephesian church had no heritage in the gospel. They had no historical examples of what believers looked like. They were a thoroughly pagan community. Lying, stealing, coarsenes[...]