'Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, Why walk not Thy disciples

according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen

No incongruity is felt in speaking of a 'walk' that is to do with 'eating'

bread with unwashen 'hands', the word obviously meaning a way or manner of

life, a custom, an observance.  In the Gospel of John, when some of the

disciples turned away from the Lord's teaching, saying 'This is an hard

saying; who can hear it?' we read 'From that time many of His disciples went

back, and walked no more with Him' (John 6:60,66).  The other references

speak of walking in darkness, in the day and in the night (John 8:12;

11:9,10; 12:35).  In the Acts, the charge laid against Paul, among other

things, was that he taught the people not to walk after the customs and

observances of the law (Acts 21:21).  When we come to the epistles, however,

we find the word in its full use.  There are forty -two occurrences of 'walk'

and each reference, except 1 Corinthians 7:17, and 2 Corinthians 10:3, has a

spiritual meaning.

'Walk in newness of life' (Rom. 6:4).

'Walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit' (Rom. 8:4).

'Walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting' etc. (Rom. 13:13).

'Now walkest thou not charitably' (Rom. 14:15).

Here, walk in newness of life is expanded and explained by the references

that follow.  It will Not be after the flesh, it will Not be in rioting and

drunkenness, it will Not be in a self -pleasing that is not according to

love.  It will be 'in the spirit', it will be 'honestly', it will be 'as in

the day'.  This expansion of the theme is obvious.  We have elaborated these

opening examples, but leave the reader to ponder the remaining references as

before the Lord.

'For whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are

ye not carnal, and walk as men (according to man)?' (1 Cor. 3:3).

'Not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully'

'We walk by faith, not by sight' (5:7).

'Some ... think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.  For

though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh' (10:2,3).

'Walked we not in the same spirit?' (12:18).

While Paul, like the rest of mankind while in this life, must walk in the

flesh, he did not walk after the flesh, nor walk according to man.

'Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh'

(Gal. 5:16).

'Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world'

(Eph. 2:2).