Jeffrey Johnson Supporter

What does it mean to "walk as Jesus walked" (1 John 2:6)?

"Walking as Jesus walked" (1 John 2:6) means actively imitating Jesus’s lifestyle of love, obedience to God, and humility in daily life. It requires aligning one's actions, words, and character with Christ's example, serving others selflessly, and abiding in Him to reflect His light in the world.

Some Key aspects of this command include:

Active Imitation: It goes beyond mere belief, requiring followers to live and act as Jesus did, with traits such as compassion, patience, and kindness.

Obedience to God: It involves doing the Father’s will, keeping His commandments, and staying rooted in obedience.

Self-Sacrificial Love: It means loving others sacrificially, often prioritising their needs over one's own.

Abiding in Christ: This lifestyle is not accomplished alone but through a continued, intimate, and dependent relationship with Jesus.

Holiness and Integrity: It signifies a life of integrity, avoiding continuous sin, and striving for holiness through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. 

Essentially, it is a call to make one's daily conduct a reflection of Jesus’s own life on earth.

To put it another way, this verse appears to say… We have a true relationship with Christ if we obey his commands. If we claim that Christ is our Lord and Saviour but do not obey God, we are liars and deceive ourselves. If we are true followers of Christ, we will walk as Jesus did.

6 Steps for Successfully Following Christ:

“ You shall walk after the Lord your God”...
“Fear Him” Fear is often viewed as a negative emotion....
“Keep His commandments” The surest way to succeed in our walk with Christ is to read the Bible and do what it says....
“Obey His voice”...
“You shall serve Him”...
“Hold fast to Him”

"The helper, the holy spirit, which the Father will send in my name,” said Jesus, “that one will teach you all things and bring back to your minds all the things I told you.” (John 14:26) The holy spirit, sent in Jesus’ name, guides and strengthens us today.

Another way we can walk as Jesus Christ walked is to declare the good news of God’s Kingdom, which occupied the central place in Jesus’ life. 

How do we know? After preaching to the Samaritan woman near the city of Sychar in Samaria, Jesus told his disciples: “My food is for me to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.” (John 4:34)

Another way to walk as Jesus walked is to imitate his loyalty.

We must “keep this mental attitude” and loyally submit to doing God’s will.​—Philippians 2:5-8.

However, as imperfect humans, we cannot walk precisely in the footsteps of our perfect Savior. But we can strive to closely follow his steps. Doing so requires that we understand and submit to Christ’s way of leading and stick to the pattern he set.

“By this” evidence of obeying and loving God, we know we are “in union with him.”

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