Pateo

Overview:

Most letters in the New Testament are very personal and address a very specific situation. There’s nothing wrong with that, but one must take overall context into consideration when approaching particular texts for them to have their full effect. The book of Ephesians, however, can be viewed as a generic and universal tutorial on how to live spiritually. This type of instruction was pivotal for the ancient church and it served as the protein to their spiritual appetite.

Background:

The word in consideration is “pateo” or “πατεω” and it means to “walk.” The word is very simple in its meaning as it describes the action of movement. The LXX Old Testament uses this word in cases like Deuteronomy 11:24 to show the possession of land by way of “treading.” God spoke in Genesis 17:1, telling Abraham, “walk before me, and be blameless.” In a broad spectrum, the word “walk” not only shows activity in one’s life, but fully summarizes the direction in which a person is going.

Marking:

The word “pateo” is found 8 times in the book of Ephesians:

  • 2:2 “in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air”
  • 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them”
  • 4:1 “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you’ve been called”
  • 4:17 “Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds”
  • 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God”
  • 5:8 “for at one time you were darkness but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”
  • 5:15 “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise”

Application:

There are two paths to walk on: the path of the earth (2:2; 4:17) and the path of God (5:8). The path of the earth is that which will perish has been classified as “futile.” However, the path of God is that which brings blessings to the Christian as well as those around the Christian.

What’s really neat about this study is the evident ability to walk in a righteous way. We can know that walking a holy life is possible (4:1). Sometimes Christians make Christianity harder than it needs to be which then creates an unattainable standard. However, with careful observation (5:15), we can choose to walk in a right way; a way that shares love (5:2). The Christian walk is not a short-sprint nor is it a temporary state of life. Rather, the Christian walk is a mediated marathon of living.

Tyler King