Walk Not As The Gentiles Walk
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Scripture sometimes refers to the spiritual condition of man as his "walk". First John the first chapter, for example, remarks at verses six and seven that a man must "walk" in the light where God is, avoiding the darkness of sin.
At Ephesians the fourth chapter, Paul uses similar thoughts to illustrate the message of verses seventeen and eighteen. There, he admonishes the Ephesians not to walk as other Gentiles walk.
Man has often been known to justify his choices by pointing to what most other folks seem to be doing. However, at Matthew chapter seven, Jesus pointed out at verses thirteen and fourteen that most of the peoples who ever lived will be lost, while only a few will be saved. Surely, this should reshape the thinking of man to understand that the moral choices made by the majority should be the ones first held suspect.
Paul noted that the walk of the other Gentiles resulted from vanity of mind. That which is vain is that which comes to no useful purpose. Therefore, these erring Gentiles had no spiritually profitable direction of thought. This seemed to result in a darkened understanding of truths that could otherwise have been clearly known.
Their resulting ignorance was not caused by a lack of available information about God’s will, nor the inability to know and learn it. Rather, vain thoughts had displaced spiritually sound thinking, and their ignorance of the truth was their own choice.
Blindness of heart is another regrettable condition of the Gentiles. The light of the truth had purposefully been turned away by them, and the alternative darkness had left them blind to God’s will. A tragic effect is noted among all these unfortunate causes; they were separated from the life of God.
At John chapter ten and verse ten, Jesus said He came that the world might have more abundant life. A Spiritual walk in the light of God enhances the quality of life of any individual, both here and hereafter. No wonder Paul implored with the Ephesians to walk as the few, not as the many. Indeed, many are called, but few are chosen.