WITH WHOM WILL YOU WALK?

This question is a good way to get at the nature of fellowship and unity. Walk is an interesting metaphor in Scripture, whether referring to an evil life, such as “walking according to the flesh” (Rom. 8:1) and “walking as men” (2 Cor. 3:3), or to the virtuous life, as in “walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4) or “walk by faith” (2 Cor. 5:7). The metaphor even reaches out to express one of the great promises: “They will walk with me in white” (Rev. 3:4).

The word clearly means more than the act of taking steps, whether alone or with others. We all “walk” with lots of folk when no more is involved than taking steps together, whether it be on a crowded city street or an airport terminal. Close proximity itself does not suggest the unity and fellowship which we find in the scriptural use of walk, such as in Eph. 5:2: “Walk in love, just as Christ also loved you.” Walking together suggests a sharing, caring, kindred relationship. So people may be together and even sit together, as at church, and yet not walk together in the sense of joyous fellowship.

Somewhere along the way we’ve had laid on us an odd interpretation of an Old Testament passage. “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” (Amos 3:3) has been made to mean that there cannot be unity and fellowship (walking together) unless there is doctrinal agreement. One only needs to look at the passage in context to see that this is an unlikely meaning — or simply consult most any version beside the King James. The prophet is listing a series of cause and effect statements to show that the reason he is prophesying (effect) is that God has called him (cause). In the list is the circumstance of two men meeting (effect) because they made an appointment (cause). So if the KJV is used in Amos 3:3 it should be understood this way: “How can two walk together (effect) unless they agreed (or made an appointment) to walk together (cause).” The passage has nothing to do with whether people have to believe alike or have the same opinions before they can enjoy each other’s company or be in fellowship.

The idea that we cannot walk or associate with others in any religious sense except on grounds of absolute or near absolute agreement is contrary both to Scripture and common sense. Did not Peter and Paul disagree? Does not the very idea of forbearance imply that we are to walk together in spite of differences? Indeed, if we walk with anyone at all it will have to be with someone with whom we have differences, for there are no two people in the world who see everything alike.

We have seen that the prophet never said “How can two walk together except they be agreed?” in the sense we are talking about, but if someone should ask that question in that sense the answer would have to be a resounding Yes, of course, people walk together who do not agree! It is surely the case with every man and his wife. Moreover, we should walk together when we differ. How can we become more united except by being with each other?

It is not a question of whether we have differences and will continue to have, but a question of whether we will accept each other in spite of those differences and embrace one another in loving fellowship.

That brings us back to our question, With whom will you walk? I am referring to those who profess to be Christians. Are we to walk with some but not with others? Where are we to draw the line?

My own answer is that I will walk with anyone who is resolved to be a follower of Christ. I will make no test except a desire to be like Christ and to follow his way of life. What is more Christian than for one to apply the lordship of Jesus Christ to every circumstance of life, to the best of his knowledge and ability, and to reflect Christ’s love in his relation to others? This is what it means to be a Christian, and I will walk in humble gratitude with any person who seeks to emulate the spirit of Christ, however stumbling his efforts may be.

There will be differences with those with whom I walk, but there is a bond that is stronger than the differences, and that is our common love for Jesus. Together we believe in Christ, and the in is important since it points up the bond of union. We can believe in Christ together without believing exactly the same thing about him. It is true with ourselves. We can believe in each other even when we hold diverse views about both politics and religion.

I do not have to dictate what one believes about Jesus before I walk with him. If he is resolved to follow Christ and I am resolved to follow Christ, even if the reasons are not exactly the same, that should be all that either of us should ask.

In our walk together we are always to be free to say what we believe and to practice it uncompromisingly. No one objects to my saying “I believe in congregational polity” so long as I do not charge those who have a presbyterial or episcopal polity with being apostates. Those who walk with us will respect us for believing in baptism by immersion for the remission of sins, and they will not object when we affirm it with “all longsuffering and teaching,” but we must not be self-righteous about it and condemn those who see and practice baptism differently. No one complains that at our Church of Christ in Denton we do not use instruments of music, but protests would be appropriate if we demanded that all other churches must do it our way to be faithful to Christ.

No one objects to our believing we are right, but they do object when we believe we are right and everyone else is wrong.

So I will gladly walk with any fellow believer in Christ on those terms. Each of us remains vigorously faithful to everything he believes to be truth, with no compromise. We will even encourage one another to be true to his conscience and to what he believes God’s will is for him. And we will always be free to share our faith with each other. When we cannot agree we will nonetheless respect and love each other as sisters and brothers, and keep right on walking together in the Lord. It is only when one of us is unfriendly, unloving, and unreasonable that walking together becomes difficult or impossible.

But walking together means more than forbearing one another in love. We will work together in what is good and we will unite against all forms of evil.

After many years of study on the nature of Christian unity and after attending numerous unity conferences, I am convinced that this is the only way to unity among believers. The only possible basis is our common love for Jesus Christ and our mutual desire to follow him. If we must wait until we see everything or most everything eye-to-eye, then we will never be united. Unity is more personal than doctrinal, even though doctrine is very important, for it is centered in the person of Jesus Christ.

So it was with the church at its beginning, or with those that became the church, for Mk. 3:14 says, when it recounts Jesus choosing his apostles, “I have chosen you to be with me.” What was the basis of Jesus’ choice of twelve men to be his companions? We can say that Jesus prayed about that decision and that his selection was based on the Father’s will. But they were chosen because of the quality of their relationship to Jesus, their love and devotion to him.

Their call to be with him was hardly. theological or doctrinal. They had probably not even heard of the virgin birth, the Holy Trinity, or the inerrancy of Scripture, all of which are required if we walk in some circles. While they had probably been baptized by John’s baptism as Jesus was, we cannot prove that they had been baptized at this time. Even so their baptism was hardly the basis of Jesus calling them as his companions. It was their love and their potential for greater love that united them to Jesus.

Within that “call of love” — we walk together because we have a common love — we unite in promoting all that is good and right and we stand as one against all forms of tyranny and injustice. It is probable that no evil, such as slums or racial injustice, can prevail in any of our cities where Christians are united against it.

The basis of being together and working together — unity? The same thing that made Jesus and his disciples companions. If Jesus had waited until he achieved conformity in the thinking of Matthew Levi, the despised tax collector, and Simon Zealotes, the revolutionary, he would never have sent out twelve men “to preach the gospel and cast out devils.”

And Matthew and Simon could do that together, tell the good news and attack the strongholds of evil. And that because of their mutual attraction to Jesus.

When together we tell the good news and unite against evil we come to know each other. Knowledge leads to understanding, mutual respect, love, and tolerance. We will then accept each other more and criticize less. It is the hate, insensitivity, and intolerance of disunity that is evil. Since love is more important than orthodoxy, we must see love as the grounds for walking together. — the Editor