Most of us know Ephesians 2:8-10. Here it is in the NIV:
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Interesting, though, that if you literally translate verse 10, you get that we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to walk in.
Not “do.”
“Walk in.”
Now clearly the translators of the NIV didn’t see a huge difference here, so I’m a little nervous to argue about it, but I do think there is a reason why Paul chose the phrase “walk in” rather than just “do.”
Perhaps it’s because walking in good works feels a lot more natural than doing good works. In the same way that we are not just to do loving things but “be” loving, or we are not just to go on mission but to “be” missional, we aren’t supposed to do good things. We are to walk in good, everywhere we go, whatever we do.
When you walk in good, it’s a lifestyle rather than a series of isolated acts.
And wouldn’t that be nice? That you wouldn’t have to force yourself to do good things like reading the Bible, helping the poor, or sharing the gospel? But the truth is that most of us do have to discipline ourselves to do those things.
This is the paradoxical nature of doing good works. If you want to naturally do good, it begins by choosing to do good. The way you begin to love reading Scripture is by making yourself read Scripture. The way you begin to naturally pray is by making yourself pray. It begins unnaturally, and then after that does it grow more natural.
But there’s another ironic thing in the story here, too – despite the fact that at the beginning these things feel forced, they are the most natural thing in the world for us to do. Christ has made us new people in the gospel, and those new people want and desire to walk in good. It’s who we are in Him.
We just have to remind ourselves over and over again.
Awesome stuff.
Someone should write a book about this.
Have a look at the ESV. Its translators seem to agree with you.
I made a note of it when they consulted me regarding their translation.
And praise God He gives us the ability to do just this. We were dead in our transgressions and the picture of our lives in verses 1-3 was bleak. “But God…” Whoa! What a transition, for it was Him who worked in us to give us life and if He didn’t there is no way we could walk in any good works!
Yes . . . New people, new mission, new purpose . . . new walk. Great stuff.