Walking In Love

(Philemon 1:8-9 – Walking in Love)

Amongst all of the walking in love scriptures you may read, this one may not come immediately to mind. However, it is a great example of how to walk in love that Paul has shown us here.

There are many things that can be said, and have been said, about walking in love. It is a critically important thing for us to learn, understand, and most importantly, to do.

When it comes to walking in love, most people consider the life and actions of Jesus. But here we see the depth of walking in love in practice. And there was a specific reason why Paul followed the path that he did, and as we continue reading in Philemon, we see what that was.

Benefits of Walking in Love

We know from other scriptures that God is love. The ultimate expression of love is in the person of God the Father, who was revealed in the life of Jesus Christ.

So it should come as no surprise that the benefits of walking in love are that we shall be like God. We will live, think, act, behave and be like God.

And this is how it is supposed to be. We are being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ as we see in this scripture.

18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his [Jesus] likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

It is the work of the Holy Spirit in us to work transformation. The role of the Spirit is to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ, and that means to learn how to walk in God’s love as Christ walked in the love of God.

Walking in love scriptures

Now, when it comes to walking in love scriptures, the most frequently quoted is the chapter of 1 Corinthians 13. This is often referred to as the “love chapter.” It shows us what the love of God looks like.

The love of God is based in action. That is probably why the Golden Rule is defined as “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” This is basically a summation of the greatest walking in love scripture of them all that reads:

12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

God’s love is about what we “do” rather than how we “feel.” The love of God is not emotional, it is practical. And we see in this verse that the totality of the laws of Moses and the words of the prophets in the Old Testament could be summed up by how we treat other people.

Another well known classic of walking in love scriptures is the parable of the Good Samaritan.

In that classic tale we see two men who should have shown the love of God but did not: a priest and a Pharisee, who was a religious man. By contrast the one person who most would not expect to help, a Samaritan, was the one who showed the true love of God towards the injured, bleeding man.

Also amongst the walking in love scriptures we ought to remember the warning of the Lord to those who do not show God’s love.

31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’ 45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:31-46)

Why were the “sheep” accepted but the “goats” were rejected? Because of what they did.

The “sheep” showed in their actions and behaviours the ways of God’s love. And they received the greatest of the benefits of walking in love: they were accepted into the kingdom of God.

But the “goats” did not show any of the attributes of the love of God. They did not help, support, encourage, provide, or anything else for those who were in need. They were not walking in love, and so they were rejected. This is a powerful warning to remember to walk in love at all times.

Paul’s example of walking in love

This brings us to the example of Paul in Philemon. In his actions, Paul showed that He recognised the need to walk in love and he did so. This is what was written.

8 Accordingly, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you–I, Paul, an ambassador and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus– (Philemon 1:8-9)

Paul was a leader in the early church. He had the authority of Christ to be able to insist that Philemon do what Paul required.

But he didn’t exercise that authority. He did not insist on his own way, and we see in the attributes of God’s love in 1 Corinthians 13 that, ”…love does not insist on it’s own way.”

Instead, out of love for Philemon, Paul appealed to his better nature. Paul asked Philemon out of love for him to do the thing that Paul was seeking. And as we see further on in the letter to Philemon that it was quite a significant matter that Paul was asking. He was asking for Philemon to forgive his own brother of whatever it was that the brother had done.

It is also clear that whatever it was, it ran very deep with Philemon. He was by all accounts a very good and loving Christian, walking in love with all who came to him. But not towards his own brother. And it is also evident later on that there was some significant financial loss or burden between the two brothers.

But in all of this Paul is seeking that Philemon forgives and shows compassion for his brother, who had turned his life around. And such is the walking in love of Paul that he not only appeals to Philemon rather than ordering him, Paul also stated that he would personally take responsibility for the debt incurred by the brother.

By walking in love, Paul was seeking to remove all of the obstacles that might prevent Philemon from restoring his brother into the family.

When you stop and consider the family dynamic and all that Paul is offering, this is a powerful reminder of the depth of Paul’s love for both Philemon and his brother, Onesimus.

This is a great example for all of us to learn from. This walking in love scripture shows the depth of the love we need to learn and do as we walk with Christ. It is a powerful reminder of the walk we have chosen as Christians, following the love of Christ and of God.

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