BY BRUCE GREEN
OPINION —
Paul has more to say about the disciples’ walk in Ephesians 5.
- We are to “walk in the way of love” (v. 2). Love has a way (1 Corinthians 13:1-8) and despite what popular culture tells us, it has very little to do with our feelings. If you look Paul’s list of what love is (patient, kind, it does not envy, boast or is proud), these are not emotions we’re called to possess—they have to do with what we think (our attitude) and what we do (our actions). And most of them don’t come naturally to us — they tend to be hard work. That’s why we hear people say things like, “I need to work on my patience.”
But we must understand that true love has very little to do with our feelings because if we don’t, we’re going to make the mistake of trying to feel our way into acting better instead of acting our way into feeling better. The emotional/feeling aspect of love is a wonderful thing that God created. We just need to recognize it was never meant to drive our lives. It complements our attitudes and actions — it is not a replacement for them. That’s why John tells us, “Let us not love in words or speech” (expressive of an emotion only approach), “but with actions and in truth” (1 John 3:18).
As we walk in the way of love, we are following “God’s example” or even stronger, we are “imitators of God” (ESV). In the verse before that, Paul has told us, “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you,” (4:32). Once again, Paul is linking our walk with the attitude and behavior we display toward each other. Through our unity we show ourselves and the watching world what God is like — He is kind, compassionate, and forgiving. - We are to “walk as children of light” (v. 8). There was a lot of darkness in Paul’s world (see 4:17-19), and I suppose it’s no different in our world today. We can curse that darkness (and there is a time and a place for that), but that is no substitute for us walking as light. Putting this together with what we are told in v. 2, and we can think of it as walking in the light of love.
We need to do this, and the world needs us to do this. It doesn’t need the watered-down version of love that wants to ignore darkness or rationalize it away by telling us, “You do you.” Speech like that is neither true love nor love being truthful.
Paul says, “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth” (1 Corinthians 13:6).
This is not just how we are to think or act, it’s what we are to be — “walk . . . as light.” Light is who we are. And we shouldn’t underestimate what God can do with our light!
Next week: The walk of life, part four.
Find more at a-taste-of-grace-with-bruce-green.com.