A Walk to Remember: Living Out Our Transformation in Christ

Dr. Spencer R. Fusselman

Have you ever considered the lasting imprint of your life, the "walk" that defines your journey? For the believer in Jesus Christ, this question carries eternal weight. It's not merely about the path we tread but the character we forge along the way—a character that, if genuinely transformed, leaves an indelible mark of God's grace. Our walk, our daily actions and choices, will ultimately speak volumes about whose child we truly are, shaping how we are remembered, not least by God Himself. Will He recall a life lived in surrendered righteousness, or will we hear the chilling words, "I never knew you" (Matthew 7:23)?

Ephesians 5, emphasizes that our external conduct is a reflection of our internal reality. The Apostle Paul, in Ephesians 4-6, repeatedly uses the word "walk" to denote our conduct, how we live our lives. This isn't a suggestion; it's an imperative. John MacArthur, a prominent voice on biblical truth, incisively states, "True saving faith results in a transformed life. If there's no transformation, there's no regeneration. If there's no change, there's no salvation." This underscores a critical truth: while righteousness is freely imputed to us by the precious blood of Christ at conversion—a divine gift, not a human achievement (Ephesians 2:8-9)—this justification is merely the beginning. It inaugurates a lifelong process of sanctification, where we are called to actively "live in this righteousness" and "walk in it" through our actions. As 2 Corinthians 5:17  proclaims, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." This "newness" isn't a static declaration but a dynamic reality to be pursued. 



Pastor Steve rightly highlighted that we must "put off" the old man, corrupted by deceitful lusts, and "put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:22-24 ). This daily renewal of our minds, empowered by the Holy Spirit, is how we demonstrate the authenticity of our transformation. Voddie Baucham Jr., renowned for his emphasis on discipleship, affirms this active pursuit, saying, "The goal of discipleship is transformation, the goal of transformation is conformity to the image of Christ, and the goal of conformity to the image of Christ is the glory of God." Our walk, therefore, becomes a living testament to God's glory. Among the various facets of our transformed walk, the call to purity stands out as profoundly significant, particularly concerning sexual sin.



A deep dive into Scripture reveals a consistent, unwavering divine condemnation of sexual immorality, often accompanied by severe consequences. In the Old Testament, God's law to Israel laid down strict prohibitions against all forms of sexual perversion. Leviticus 18 details a comprehensive list of unlawful sexual relations, including incest, adultery, bestiality, and homosexuality, concluding with a chilling warning: "Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you" (Leviticus 18:24 ). The penalty for many of these offenses was death (Leviticus 20), underscoring their gravity in God's eyes. The narrative of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) serves as a stark historical reminder of God's wrath against pervasive sexual depravity. These were not minor transgressions but acts considered an abomination, capable of defiling the land and inviting divine judgment.

The New Testament, far from lessening this severity, intensifies it by elevating sexual purity to an internal and spiritual matter. While the judicial penalties of the Mosaic Law are not directly applied to believers today, the moral standard remains absolute. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 6:18, issues a unique command regarding sexual sin: "Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body." This verse reveals the distinctive nature of sexual sin: it defiles the very vessel of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), making it a sin against oneself and, more severly, against God, who bought us "at a price" (1 Corinthians 6:20). The sermon rightly noted that Ephesians 5:5 declares that "no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." This is a profound warning, not against isolated moments of failure, which God's grace and forgiveness cover upon repentance (1 John 1:9), but against a habitual lifestyle of unrepentant sin that demonstrates a lack of genuine transformation. As Hebrews 13:4  states, "Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge." The consistent message throughout Scripture is clear: our bodies, once instruments of unrighteousness, are now to be presented to God as instruments of righteousness (Romans 6:13).

Therefore, our "walk to remember" is ultimately a walk of intentional, Spirit-empowered righteousness and purity, lived out daily. It is a continual turning away from the desires of the old self and a fervent pursuit of Christ-likeness. This isn't about earning salvation, but evidencing it. It’s about being His workmanship, "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10 ). We are called not just to be recipients of His grace, but active imitators of His character, reflecting His love, kindness, and forgiveness in every interaction.  As scripture commands, our lives should mirror our Heavenly Father, in the same way a child will naturally mimic their parent.

This imitation of Christ is not merely for our own sanctification but for the sake of a watching world. When we walk in righteousness and purity, when our deeds are genuinely "done in God," we become living testimonies to His transformative power. John 3:21 beautifully articulates this: "But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." Our transformed walk, illuminated by His truth, removes all doubt about the source of our changed lives. It is through our genuine actions—our "walk to remember"—that Christ is seen, God is glorified, and others are drawn to the radiant light of His saving grace.