'Walk in love' (Eph. 5:2),

'Walk as children of light' (Eph. 5:8) and

'Walk circumspectly' (Eph. 5:15).

'Walk in love' is a practical exhortation, but it admits of any amount

of expansion.  Love is an abstract term, and stands for a state of feeling.

It is invisible and intangible; it has neither extension nor ponderability,

in other words it is immaterial.  Therefore, to use the unqualified word love

in a practical exhortation either supposes the reader to be in possession of

its meaning, or it demands that some exposition of the term be given.

What does it mean -- 'walk in love'?  The apostle does not stay to

discuss the question, he has one all embracive answer:

'Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us' (Eph. 5:2).

Paul knew that love of which he speaks here.  His own personal testimony when

he stood for grace and faith against works of law, was 'The Son of God Who

loved me' (Gal. 2:20).  The restored people of Israel will acknowledge the

same love in that day, for they cry 'Unto Him that loved us' (Rev. 1:5).

Moreover 'God commendeth His love towards us' (Rom. 5:8); the apostle speaks

of 'His great love wherewith He loved us' (Eph. 2:4).  The reader will be

very conscious that in these quotations we have stopped short; we have

omitted the most powerful and blessed parts of the verses cited.  The one who

said 'The Son of God Who loved me' added immediately 'and Gave Himself for

me'.  The restored people of Israel who cry 'Unto Him that loved us' add

immediately 'and loosed us from our sins in His Own blood'.  The love that

God commends towards us is that 'while we were yet sinners, Christ died for

us'.  The great love of God spoken of in Ephesians 2:4, is manifested

in the association of the believer with Christ.  When, therefore, the apostle

said 'Walk in love', he supplemented the abstract by the concrete, he

illustrated the precept by an example 'as Christ'.  This however is not

enough.  How did Christ love us?  The answer is 'And hath given Himself'

(Eph. 5:2).

It is the essential characteristic of love that it gives.

We have seen

it already in Galatians 2:20.  We see it in 1 John 3:16,

'Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for

and then, adopting much the same argument as the apostle Paul, John adds:

'And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren'.

Again he says:

'Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent

His Son to be the propitiation for our sins' (1 John 4:10).

While it is absolutely contrary to the teaching of Scripture to suggest

that anyone can 'redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him', the

love that prompted that all sufficient Ransom is nevertheless the standard of

our practice, so that John concludes: