Prayer for a Pleasing Walk | Part 2
In Colossians 1:9, for what purpose does Paul unceasingly pray that they would “be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”? Colossians 1:10 clearly gives us that purpose: "so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him.” While this sounds so right and good to those in Christ, what does it mean and how should this characterize God’s people? A brief answer could be summarized in these three words: conduct, consecration, and commitment.
Conduct
The Spirit-enabled knowledge put forth in Colossians 1:9 is not given for the purpose of intellectual snobbery but rather for experiential humility in living Coram Deo. When we rightly know God and His Word, we are enabled to live uprightly before Him, conducting ourselves in accordance with His character. Many can talk about God and His Word (as with the Pharisees or Talkative in Pilgrim’s Progress), but unfortunately few walk accordingly.
To “walk” (as used in Colossians 1:10 and elsewhere is the Scripture) refers to how we conduct ourselves or how we live. A. W. Pink wrote that “‘walking’ is in contrast with sitting and lying down, also with aimless meandering. It is keeping to the way which God has marked out for us.”¹ If the motive of our conduct is not the love of Christ, then we live unto ourselves (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) rather than walking in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called (Ephesians 4:1). That leads then to the next phrase, where we see that our lives are to be characterized by consecration.
Consecration
Paul writes that they are “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.” Having positionally “become the righteousness of God” through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21), believers are to be set apart practically from the world in living unto Christ in all things (Philippians 1:21; 2:12-16; 4:13; Romans 6:4). While we are not justified or made worthy of the Lord by how we live, we are to show that Christ is worthy to be honored in the entirety of our lives (Colossians 1:10-14; Romans 12:1-2). To that end, A. W. Pink writes:
But what is meant by “walking worthily,” as it should be rendered? Certainly not meritoriously, for it is impossible for the creature to do anything to make God his debtor… To walk worthily of the Lord signifies to conduct ourselves as saints should, to act in accordance with the character of the One whose name we bear and whose followers we profess to be. To walk worthily of the Lord means to conduct ourselves suitably and agreeably to our relation and indebtedness to Him, to carry ourselves as those who are not their own.²
As we cannot physically walk and sit at same time, so we do not walk in a manner worthy of the Lord without exercising ourselves unto godliness (1 Timothy 4:7-8). As an athlete becomes more athletic through training and keeping in mind the finish line or end goal, so believers walk worthily of the Lord as we keep our eyes upon Christ, who is our reward (Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 John 3:1-2).
Commitment
Because Christ is worthy of all glory and honor and praise, we resolve to live in a manner “fully pleasing to him” (Colossians 1:10). The NASB renders this phrase as “to please Him in all respects.” Perhaps it would be good to clarify what living a life fully pleasing to God does not mean. Again, it does not mean that we can earn God’s approval in regards to our justification. Colossians 1:12-14 says it is the “Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.” Regarding living a life “fully pleasing to him,” Brian Hedges wrote: “His prayer, therefore, is directed to those accepted in Christ, which means that it concerns not their legal status but their everyday conduct, which may be more or less pleasing to God as their Father… Nothing we have done or can do, either before or after coming to Christ, can earn or merit favor with God.”³
What should motivate believers, being positionally pleasing to God in Christ (through Christ’s imputed righteousness) to practically seek to be fully pleasing to God through Christ in how we live (Philippians 4:13)? Consider the parent/child relationship. I am pleased with my son in that he is my son (positionally). Yet can I be pleased or displeased with my son based on his conduct (practically)? Certainly. If he were to disobey or mistreat his sisters, I would be right to be displeased with such behavior. On a positive note, I can also be pleased with him in both that he is my son and also by his conduct. For example, a couple years ago he wanted to learn to play the cello. As this was a good thing, I provided him with not only a cello but lessons with the best teachers available (which has required not only considerable driving time but also a small fortune in lessons). If he had not taken his lessons seriously and failed to practice, would I not have a right to be displeased? However, the other night when I was rocking my youngest daughter to sleep, he pulled out his cello and pleased me greatly. The classical cello music I had streamed earlier in the day at my office, he played almost to perfection in my presence. His playing the cello for me was fully pleasing to me not because it was played to 100 percent perfection but because, as my son, he was committed to use what I provided for him to grow into an excellent musician.
Likewise, Paul’s prayer for the believers at Colossae is that as saints they would take the knowledge of God’s Word (imparted to them by the Spirit with understanding and wisdom) to live for God in every aspect of their lives. What does this practically look like? The answer to that is put forth in the remainder of Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:10-14, which will be the content of the next blog. Until then, “may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).
¹ A. W. Pink, Gleanings from Paul (Banner of Truth Trust, 2006), 315.
² Pink, Gleanings from Paul, 315-316.
³ Brian Hedges, Christ All Sufficient (Shepherd Press, 2016), 41.