Editors Note: Jeremy Sanders concludes his article series on Enoch and walking with God. The views of this author are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of his employers.
Walking the Path of God Today
“That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10)
You might be wondering how the story of Enoch can affect you today. Almost certainly God will not translate you directly to heaven unless Jesus returns during your lifetime. Why is Enoch’s life relevant today?
Enoch presents an example of how to follow God in an ungodly world. Just as Enoch lived in a vile, wicked society, so too our modern society is descending into chaos. The world has abandoned God, and many “churches” have followed suit. It can seem overwhelming and depressing. How do I make a difference in our culture when I have no influence or voice? The problem is so vast, and I am so small? How can I walk with God when I struggle with the temptations that so easily beset mankind? If you have these thoughts, trust me you are not alone. I have had these very thoughts. I struggled, and still struggle with how to best walk with God and make a difference. I always wished to make some great difference in society, the bring it back to the virtue of Christ. Perhaps God will use you or me in such a manner, Yet, more likely, He has a seemingly smaller, yet far harder task for us to accomplish. It is easy to dream about changing culture and miss the opportunities to effectively serve God at the personal level. It is far harder to make a difference in the life of one or two people than to dream about doing so in society but never actually accomplish anything for Christ.
We have seen the four keys to walking with God: Reconciliation, Holiness, Fellowship, and Dedication, and how they allow us to live the three principles to walk worthy of the Lord. If we please God, we will walk with Him. We please God through genuine faith. When we walk with God, we preach His Gospel to the lost, and prepare the next generation to carry on the mission of Christ. And fortunately, the Bible gives specifics on how we can accomplish this task each and every day. Remember, it is not enough to condemn and convict, we must also provide truth and the way to overcome the challenge. Earlier, we presented nine characteristics of an ungodly world. Now, we will conclude our study by presenting nine characteristics to walk triumphantly with Christ.
Walk as Christ
“He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:6)
If you want to walk with God, you must walk as Christ walked. Indeed, this is the only way we can live a successful Christian life. We must abide in Christ, setting him as our example (John 15:4). By doing so, we can live boldly, and walk confidently in the path to which God has ordained. If you do so, you will be in no wise the first to walk as Christ walked. Luke tells us of the apostles who were dragged in front of the Jewish leadership in Acts 4:13. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Notice several things about this scene. Peter and John are dragged in front of a court that had already condemned Jesus to death. They had every right to be terrified. Instead, they were bold. They had the courage of their convictions. Notice too, that although they were unlearned and uneducated, the preceding verses demonstrate they spoke with wisdom and authority. How? Because “they had been with Jesus”. They had literally spent the last three years walking with Christ. And this caused the Jewish leadership to take “knowledge of them,” as in pay attention to their words. If you walk as Christ walks, you will certainly face persecution, but you will also be placed in positions where you can greatly influence others for Christ.
Walk in Truth
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John 1:4)
If you want to walk with God, you must walk in Truth. What is truth? Truth is the Living Word of God. Jesus says in John 14:16 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” To walk with God means to walk in the truth of God’s Word. It must direct your thoughts, and guide your decisions (Psalm 119:105). To walk with God means to submit to the truth; that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we are called to serve Him. Unless you be reconciled to God, you cannot walk with Him. Reconciliation is recognizing the truth, you are a sinner and need salvation.
What are you allowing to influence your decisions? Your church denomination, your traditions, your friends, the desire to be liked? If you walk in truth, you will walk with God. The world stumbles blindly while searching in vain for the truth. Yet, they never can find the truth, no matter how much they learn they can never be satisfied because they lack the Truth (2nd Timothy 3:7). Yet, the Christian can walk freely in the truth, for the truth sets you free to walk with God (John 8:32).
Walk in Honestly
“Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.” (Romans 13:13).
It is easy to follow Christ when everyone is looking. At church, it is easy to don our Sunday best and look the part of a Christian. But what about when you are alone? When no one is watching you at work, the temptation to take money from the till is present. No one will notice, right? Or what about when you are home alone, and the internet with all its temptations is only one click away? When it is dark, and no one is watching, it is easy to succumb to temptation. That is why we are to walk honestly like it is midday and everyone can see. For even in the middle of the night when you are “alone” with your computer, God sees your actions. Oh Christian, you are to live an honest life. If you intend to walk with God, you must understand He sees all your works. And this means you must be honest with yourself about your struggles, weaknesses, and temptations. Flee from them. And know that if you are walking with God and stumble, He is right next to you, ready to lift you to your feet. Don’t make the mistake of attempting to hide your condition, or pretend it does not exist when He is standing right beside you. Such is the action of a madman, not one walking in fellowship with Godt is easy to follow Christ when everyone is looking. At church it is easy to don our Sunday best and look the part of a Christian. But what about when you are alone? When no one is watching you at work, the temptation to take money from the till is present. No one will notice right? Or what about when you are home alone, and the internet with all its temptations is only one click away? When it is dark, and no one is watching, it is easy to succumb to temptation. That is why we are to walk honestly, like it is midday and everyone can see. For even in the middle of the night when you are “alone” with your computer, God sees your actions. Oh Christian, you are to live an honest life. If you intend to walk with God, you must understand He sees all your works. And this means you must be honest with yourself about your struggles, weaknesses, and temptations. Flee from them. And know that if you are walking with God and stumble, He is right next to you, ready to lift you to your feet. Don’t make the mistake of attempting to hide your condition, or pretend it does not exist when He is standing right beside you. Such is the action of a madman, not one walking in fellowship with God.
Walk in the light
“For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).
“God is light, and in him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). How can you walk next to a God who has no darkness and who exudes light unless you too walk in the light? Remember the second key to walking with God? Holiness means purity, not darkness. If you are to walk with God, you then must walk in the light of His life. This means allowing God to purge you of the old fleshly nature. It means giving up those vices that you once held dear. It means staying in the presence of God’s light, whether in your entertainment, relationships, or worship.
Walk in Good Works
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
If you are already walking in the light, then walking in good works will not take effort, it will come naturally. Notice, that God has ordained from before (meaning from before time itself) that his workmanship was designed for good works. Meaning He has chosen His children to accomplish good works. It is what we are called to do, and what every true child will do. A true child of God cannot help themselves; they must serve God. It is the natural and indeed, only outcome. Sure, sometimes it may be tough and we may not want to, but once we recognize it to be our calling, it is something a believer will do with joy!
Walk in love
“And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:2)
As Christians, we are to constantly display the love of Christ towards the world. To do so, we must hearken back to the first principle of walking with God, walk as Christ walked. Christ loved us so much he gave himself as a sacrifice. Indeed, Jesus says in John 15:12-13, “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Such love is totally sacrificial. It is understanding, and willing to place others first. It is no mere emotion, but a conscious decision. Yet, Jesus did not just love us when we were His friends. Romans 5:8-10 tells us, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Such is the depths of love in which we are called to walk. Only when we display such love can we truly walk with God. The world often emphasizes emotions and lust when using the term “love”, but such “love” is mere cheap intimidation of the actual Love of God.
Walk circumspectly
“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise” (Ephesians 5:15)
The fool will walk without care, strolling up to sin with no care or worry. He does not recognize danger, makes excuses for it, and ultimately is slain in his own reckless behavior. “A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.” (Proverbs 14:16). A wise man will see evil on the path ahead and turn aside from danger. Oh, that the church would heed such wisdom! For today, we too often see the church embrace the evils that are plaguing society instead of following the path of God and avoiding such wickedness. Whether it be abortion, homosexuality, social justice, or some other form of perversion, the church has confidently declared it can accept such doctrine without losing its soul. Unlike a prudent individual, it does not foresee evil and simply continues along the road of sin. “A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.” (Proverbs 22:3). It is easy to walk the path of the fool, and hard to walk circumspectly. The world will scorn you for walking with care, testing doctrines to see if they stand upon the Word. Yet, that is exactly the path we are called to follow, the hard path that requires constant vigilance.
Walk Together
“Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up… And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
No Christian is ever called to “go it alone” in this life. Indeed, the writer of Hebrews tells us to not forsake assembling ourselves together. Why? Because as Solomon clearly states in Ecclesiastes, “Two are better than one”. If we stumble, our brothers and sisters in Christ can lift us up. This principle is why James tells us to confess our sins to each other (James 5:16), so that we might encourage and uplift each other. The Christian life is a battle, and we will fall not only due to our own shortcomings but to attacks from the devil, who will seek to trip us up in the battle we call life. And there is no worse position than on the ground when fighting a battle, for the enemy has the high ground and stand above your position. Yet, when there are two together, the second can protect his partner. This is the principle behind the classic ancient battle formations such as the Greek hoplite formation, or the Testudo of the Romans. Your “battle buddy” used his shield to guard not only himself but you as well, ensuring mutual support and protection.
Not going it alone is also important when thinking of the long-term spiritual war. Remember one of the ways Enoch walked with God was that he prepared the next generation. In a multi-generation war, if one side does not raise up the next generation, then the other side will surely attain the final victory. In a multi-generational war, it does not matter that you are incredibly strong today; if the next generation does not no how to handle a sword then it will surely perish. This is why the writer of Proverbs warns us to, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” If you seek to walk with God, you will train others to follow the path you have made following Christ, as did Enoch with Methuselah, Lamech, and Noah. And if you are single or do not have kids, do not think such an endeavor is not your concern. All of us know children who need the gospel. All of us can influence the next generation, whether they be our own children, nieces/nephews, grandchildren, church youth, or the kids down the street. No matter your circumstance, never try to “go it alone”.
Walk In Worthiness
“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,” (Ephesians 4:1)
I find this verse to be a fascinating and beautiful passage of contentment. Notice, Paul tells the Ephesian believers to walk worthy of the vocation to which they had been called by the Lord. And how does title himself, “the prisoner of the Lord.” And yes, while we are all called to be the Lord’s slaves/ prisoners, this was also descriptive of Paul’s vocation as a minister of the Gospel. Imprisoned countless times, beaten, tortured, stoned, left for dead, shipwrecked, and finally executed, Paul’s vocation was not easy. Yet, it is the vocation to which all of us are called. We all have the same vocation; we just do it in a different location. We are all called to preach the Gospel to those around us, whether at work, at school, or to our friends. Paul writes to the Colossians, “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” To walk worthy of the Lord means He is pleased with our walk. How is He pleased? When we are “fruitful in every good work”. Are you fruitful in your life? We see in Matthew chapter seven that every Christian will bring forth good fruit, and we say in principle five that God had called us to Good works. Therefore, God has made it easy for us to walk with Him, for He
The story of Enoch is an example for us all. It demonstrates how a believer can walk with God, and allows us to understand the numerous other examples where Scripture commands us to walk in obedience to Christ. Enoch did not face an easy path. It was filled with potholes, temptations, detours, and enemies. Yet, he stayed true to the Path of Christ and walked worthy of his Lord. He lived a reconciled, holy, dedicated life, in constant fellowship with his Maker. He pleased God by his faith, preaching both judgment and repentance while preparing the next generation to serve the Lord. He aptly provided the context to understand the numerous commands to walk according to godly precepts. So, if you were ever wondering how to get started on your journey with Christ, think the road you walk will have no influence for God, or have perhaps fallen into a ditch on the side of the road, do not lose heart! Get up, shake off the dust, and go walk worthy of your King!
This concludes the series on walking with God.
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In His Image 