Epaggelia

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise ~ Ephesians 5:15

Diligent, carefully, circumspectly and perfectly are all 4 English words used to translate the Greek word “akribos”. It’s not the word usually translated “wise or wisdom”. The Greek word “sophos” is consistently translated wise, which appears at the end of the verse. Walking diligently is best described as fully knowing your entire environment while you’re walking. Being aware of all your options when you make any decision in life is good practice. Circumspectly is an old word we don’t use in modern English, but “perfect” is a word we all use in common, the same way circumspectly can be used. When a child receives his report card with straight “A”s on it, his parents can appropriately proclaim “PERFECT”! That doesn’t mean the child was an absolutely perfect student, it simply means that the child fully understood every assignment and did all the work expected of him to prepare for his exams. It’s better than the old saying “B’s & C’s get degrees”, because his straight A’s, are above that, in a sense, he was the “AKRIBOS” (perfect) student. A Christian’s goal should be to have a lifestyle or walk that is carefully diligent. The Governor Felix had an AKRIBOS knowledge of The Way, which the apostle Paul was being tried upon, see Acts 24:22.

A good example of a physical application of the word in the Bible is the way evil Herod told the wise men to search “carefully” for baby Jesus and then return to him and tell him his location, see Matthew 2:8. If we lived our life in a careful search for Jesus, we would be so blessed!

A good example of how the same word is used to treat the Bible itself is in Acts 18:25-26. Apollos was a (AKRIBOS) careful preacher of Jesus Christ, but only knew the baptism of John, however Apollos was blessed with Aquila & Priscilla teaching him the way of the Lord more perfectly (AKRIBOS). Apollos shows a progression of diligence in learning the truth of the gospel.

Factually, none of us are perfect if we use the word in the absolute sense, but if we use it the way Paul did, we can appreciate what Jesus said in Matthew 5:44-48. The word perfect is in the Greek “TELEIOS”, it actually means fully mature. Loving your enemies is as fully mature as God created us to be. His image he created us in, was for this goal to be met, with a spirit that can grow the fruit of His Spirit, and come to love our enemies. That is what it means to both walk in love, Eph. 5:2, and walk circumspectly!

For We Walk By Faith, Not By Sight ~ 2nd Corinthians 5:7

At least 28 times, the Hebrew writer tells us what people did by faith. Genuine faith is action which shows trust in some type of promise. That action is often referred to in the scriptures as “walking by faith”. A.W. Tozer said, “Faith is not a conclusion you reach; it is a journey you live”. Or another way to put it is that faith is not like medicine to take, but more like a muscle we should exercise. This doesn’t mean that the people mentioned in Hebrews 11 were really strong and perfect, they were actually weak and full of flaws, but they had hearts that led them to follow the promises of God into some kind of action! 

Abraham did not understand how God could keep his promise if he were to kill his son, but He believed God was able to do whatever He said – even if it meant that God had to raise Isaac from the dead. Therefore, Abraham obeyed God and offered his son. Walking by faith is being fully convinced that God is able to do whatever He promised – not wavering at the promises of God (Rom. 4:20-21). Therefore, those walking by faith obey God.

Here are 3 very basic commands that should test our ability to walk by faith in obedience to God’s example in Jesus.

1. The royal law of love, Matthew 7:12 & James 2:8-9.
2. The law of Christ to participate in the gospel, 1st Corinthians 9:19-23.
3. The perfect law of liberty practicing pure religion and pure speech, James 1:25-27.

The promise of a blessing is very helpful in motivating us to walk by faith! It’s who we trust in but don’t yet see that keeps us going! William Cowper was a renowned poet who wrote in 3 languages but suffered mental illness and survived 2 suicide attempts in the 1760s, but he managed his healing with faith in Christ. One of his songs is “O For A Closer Walk With God”, wherein he emphasizes our need to walk in faith that Jesus is the light we need to survive the worst of darkness in our life, John 8:12. The last time Jesus walked by faith was with his cross on his back, even then, he collapsed! Do not expect walking by faith to be easy, sometimes we fall. When this happens, follow the example of Jesus, “deny yourself, pick up your cross and follow him, daily”, Luke 9:23.