Most people who claim to be Christians know that it is important to walk by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).  The question is, what does it mean to do so?  Many people who think they are walking by faith are not.  Paul gives us some insight into this in his epistle to the saints in Rome.

Romans 10:17 (ESV)
¹⁷  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

If faith comes from hearing the Word, walking by faith is living by the Word.  Do you live by God’s Word?  Many say they are walking by faith but have no intention of living by the Word of God.  Walking by faith is not accomplished by the fruit of our lips.  It is accomplished by being a doer of God’s Word.

Matthew 7:24 (ESV)
²⁴  “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

To live by the Word of Christ, one has to know it.  Paul once said, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17).  Knowing God’s will is critical to our Christianity.  Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).  Where is the will of the Father found?  We know the answer, don’t we?  It is in the Word of God.   So, knowing the will of God is knowing His Word, and walking by faith, is practicing His Word.

The Word of God tells us how to live in every area of our lives, at least in principle.  In other words, the Bible may not specifically address every aspect of our lives, but it gives us principles that will help us to do God’s will in those areas.

Here is an example.  The Bible tells us to control our tongues (Psalm 34:13; Ephesians 4:29; James 3:1-12).  When we apply this teaching in our marriages, with our brethren, and in life in general, we are walking by faith because we are allowing the Word of God to dictate how we live our lives.  If you refuse to control your tongue in all situations of life, you can talk about walking by faith all you want, but the truth is, you are walking by sight.

We must walk by faith in our worship of God.  Most people get this wrong.  When a person follows the creeds of men, worshipping God according to some denominational dogma, regardless of how popular the practice is, he is walking by sight.  It is only when we worship according to the Word of God that we can say we are walking by faith in our worship.

How many churches use musical instruments in their worship?  Can you find a command in the New Testament (the scriptural law that we are under today) that tells us to do so, or an example of the first-century church doing so in their worship?  The answer is no.  The Word of God says to sing, not play (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).  When we sing praises to God, we are doing what He has commanded us to do and are, therefore, walking by faith.  When we do anything other than that, we are walking by sight by doing our own will instead of God’s.

The Word of God is the best guide for living and serving God that we have.  It is the only standard upon which we should build our lives.  Let’s study it, know it, and live by it.  Only then are we walking by faith.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.