Christianity Oasis Forum

[Netchaplain]

Being ever “circumspect,” esp. of “the old man,” is one of the spiritually healthiest commands to maintain (Eph 5:15), it being the closest enemy; and the doorway for distraction to believers from Satan and the unsaved world! We ever stand victorious in the Lord Jesus concerning salvation, but yet we walk wounded in our earthly life due to the continued possession of the sin nature (knowing the weakness in self results in dependence on God).

This is to perpetuate the knowledge of our need to grow in our walk, which encourages us to be “strong in the Lord” (Eph 6:10) and not in self, by entrusting all into His hands (1Pe 5:7).The truth concerning the ongoing, unwanted indwelling of the Adamic-nature keeps us mindful of the Cross (Ro 6:6), and humble in our walk (Jas 4:10; 1Pe 5:6). It’s when we forget to avoid the error of thinking we can be steadfast on our own that we temporarily “fall” from the steadfastness of our walk, until we are eventually brought back into the walk of “The Way” (1Co 10:12; Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22 - NKJV).

The “walk” is not our salvation, but manifests our growth from it, and is our witness to others. One cannot grow in salvation because it does not admit in degrees, so we cannot “work” growth in our salvation but rather out of it (Phl 2:12), because God “works” growth in us (Phl 2:13). With the advent of not differentiating sufficiently between law and grace it is no wonder many often relate the walk (works) as that which effects salvation, missing the truth that it merely manifests and not produces salvation.