Living a Life Worthy of Christ’s Calling?

When Jesus saved us, he didn’t just save us for heaven. He saved us to live for him, to do works in his name, to rule with him, and many other things. Much of the teaching in the first half of Ephesians is about our calling. We were elected and predestined before time, redeemed, and forgiven. We were dead in our transgressions and sins, but now, we have been raised and seated with Christ in heavenly places. How can we live in a manner worthy of all Christ did for us?

“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6)

In Ephesians 4, “live” can actually be translated “walk,” as in the NASB.

Walking requires us to be consistent.  When we were born, walking was not an immediate skill we performed.  It was something that had to be learned.  The same is true in the spiritual realm. Walking with God is a practical skill that takes time to learn. And once you learn to walk as a Christian, you have a lifetime to practice and keep in top form.

Christians must daily strive to walk worthy of their calling.

Paul challenged the Ephesians to walk in a manner worthy of Christ’s calling, and we can apply these challenges to our lives. What steps must we take?

1. Step One: We must continually seek to understand our calling.
2. Step Two: We must be willing to suffer for Christ.
3. Step Three: We must practice godly character.
4. Step Four: We must labour for unity in the Church.

Step One: We Must Continually Seek to Understand Our Calling

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. (Ephesians 4:1)

Implied in walking in a manner worthy of our calling is the fact that we must understand our calling. The NASB version translates verse 1 as, “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.” The word “Therefore” tells the reader that what lies ahead is based on things previously taught. As mentioned, in chapters 1-3 Paul teaches deep doctrines, including the believer’s election, predestination, redemption, and spiritual resurrection. Essentially, he teaches believers about their high calling so they can live lives worthy of it.

This is what it means to be a Christian—to find out who we are in Christ, and to live out this truth daily. This is often called our “general calling”—how God calls all Christians to live.

Christ’s calling for our lives is both general (as we obey the clear teachings of Scriptures) and specific. Paul was called to be an apostle. Jeremiah was called to be a prophet. David was called to be Israel’s king. In the same way, Christ has a special calling on our lives.

How can we learn more about our general and specific callings so we can walk worthy of them?

A. Believers must study the Word of God to understand their general calling.

A believer that does not live in the Word of God cannot live worthy of Christ’s calling. Paul teaches that the Word of God “equips the man of God for all righteousness” (2 Tim 3:17). This includes how to be a righteous child, spouse, parent, student, teacher, employee, or employer. If it is righteous, Scripture teaches us about it. This is called the “sufficiency of Scripture.” God’s Word both equips us for salvation and teaches us how to live righteously— the general calling of all believers. The more we understand Scripture, as applied to various situations, the more we can fulfil our general calling.

B. Believers must be intimate with God to know their specific calling.

Part of our calling includes specific things God has for us to complete. We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works (Eph 2:10). In order to know our specific calling, we must be intimate with God so we can hear his voice. Psalm 25:14 says, “The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.” Those who are intimate with God hear his voice and can better discern his specific call on their lives.

Are you being intimate with God? Are you living in his Word and prayer? In order to walk in a manner worthy of Christ’s calling, we must know our call.

 Step Two: We Must Be Willing to Suffer for Christ

No doubt when Paul mentioned his imprisonment for the Lord, he was challenging the Ephesians to walk worthy of their calling by being willing to suffer for Christ. Persecution of Christians was widespread in the early church. They were being shunned, beaten, imprisoned, and burned at the stake, and we can be sure that some fell away from the faith because of it.

As Paul writes from prison, he essentially tells them, “It is worth it!” In fact, Christ teaches that being willing to suffer is necessary for discipleship [Matthew 10:34-38].

When Paul calls himself a “prisoner for the Lord,” he reminds these believers that willingness to suffer for Christ is part of their calling. Anybody who is unwilling is not worthy of Christ.

This should especially challenge Christians in societies where persecution is not explicitly overt. However, we must also recognize that overt persecution is growing very quickly. If you hold biblical views, you will be considered strange, hated, discriminated against, and harmed physically. Christians must be aware of this. In Matthew 24:9, Jesus says that Christians will be hated by all nations because of him. Since Christ’s death and resurrection, around 43 million Christians have died for the faith. It is estimated that approximately 400 Christians die daily for the faith.

Again, if we are going to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, we must willingly suffer for Christ. Christ says this in Matthew 5:10-12 – “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Suffering for righteousness is a litmus test for our salvation—it proves we are part of the kingdom of heaven. But also, if we suffer for Christ, great is our reward in heaven. Let that encourage us, as we walk worthy of our calling in the face of persecution.

Step Three: We Must Practice Godly Character

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. (Ephesians 4:2)

In order to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, we must practice godly character. Paul calls for the Ephesians to practice humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance in love. Let us look at one of them.

Believers must practice forbearance in love.

We must develop forbearance in love. MacDonald’s comments are helpful:

Bearing with one another in love—that is, making allowance for the faults and failures of others, or differing personalities, abilities, and temperaments. And it is not a question of maintaining a façade of courtesy while inwardly seething with resentment. It means positive love to those who irritate, disturb, or embarrass.

Do you love people who irritate, disturb, or embarrass you? First Peter 4:8 says, “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.”

Again, humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance in love mark a walk that is worthy of the Lord, but pride, arrogance, impatience, and acting out of selfish anger are unworthy of Christ’s calling.

Which character trait do you struggle with most out of the four Paul presents? How is God calling you to cultivate it so you can live in a manner worthy of Christ’s calling?

Step Four: We Must Labour for Unity in the Church

Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:3-6)

Next, Paul says to “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” The fact that he calls the Ephesians “to keep” the unity of the Spirit implies that the Spirit had already given unity—they just needed to maintain it. The unity of the Spirit is not something man-made; it is something given by God. Christ prayed for this unity right before going to the (John 17:20-21):

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Christ prayed for God to make the disciples one, and also that they would be “in” the Godhead. God granted Christ’s prayer through the baptism of the Spirit. However, sadly, this has become a divisive doctrine in the church. Some believe it is a second work of the Spirit after salvation, where believers speak in tongues and are empowered to serve God. Those who believe this teach that all Christians should seek this experience. However, Paul teaches that every believer experiences the baptism of the Spirit at salvation, and it doesn’t have to be sought. First Corinthians 12:13 says, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.”

Instead of creating two separate types of Christians—Spirit baptized and non-Spirit baptized—the baptism of the Spirit creates the complete opposite. It makes all Christians members of one body in Christ. Paul stresses this throughout Ephesians—believing Jews and Gentiles are no longer separate, but one in Christ (2:11-15, 3:6).

Many seek to create a superficial unity by imposing uniformity. They require all to worship, pray, dress, or give in a certain way. However, unity and uniformity are not necessarily the same. In fact, the metaphor of the body tells us there will be great diversity in the church. A physical body, though one, is made up of feet, eyes, a chest, and legs. Similarly, in a local church body, there will be different cultures, customs, view-points, and gifts. The Corinthian church was noted for not lacking any spiritual gifts (1 Cor 1:7) such as tongues and prophecy, but none of the other NT churches were noted for that. God made each church different, and he made each believer different. We should celebrate this diversity because it glorifies God.

Paul does not tell us to create unity, but he does challenge us to “make every effort” to keep it. The question is HOW?

A. We make every effort by seeking to resolve conflict speedily.

“‘Make every effort’ comes from a root word which means to make haste, and thus gives the idea of zealous effort and diligence.” Paul says this later in Ephesians 4:26, “‘In your anger do not sin’: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.”

Paul says that if we are angry with somebody, we should make it right before the sun goes down. In other words, “Make haste!” The enemy wants to use that door to attack us and others, so we need to close it quickly.

B. We make every effort by doing as much as possible to resolve conflict.

“Make every effort in the Greek is emphatic. It can also be translated ‘spare no effort’ (NEB).” Romans 12:18 says, “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” In sparing no effort, we forgive those who hurt us and reach out to those who are angry at us, but we also labour to help others reconcile. Paul says this to a member of the Philippian church in Philippians 4:3: “Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.” In sparing no effort, we must do the same.

C. We make every effort by persevering and not giving up.

“Make every effort” is a “present participle, it is a call for continuous, diligent activity.^” In churches or families where there is deep-seated conflict, we must not cease to pray, love, forgive, and pursue reconciliation. Christ says that if somebody hurts us seventy-seven times, we must still forgive (Matt 18:22). In making every effort, we must not give up. Galatians 6:9 says, “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” God will bring the harvest in his timing if we persevere.

D. We make every effort by focusing on our God-given commonalities.

Typically, when division arises, it is partially because people focus on their differences instead of their commonalities. Like one trained in modern day conflict resolution, Paul calls for the Ephesians to focus on their spiritual commonalities. In Ephesians 4:4-6, he notes seven that all believers share: “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” Many scholars believe this was an early church confessional hymn.

E. Believers make every effort by not compromising foundational truths.

An implication of Paul’s focus on these seven spiritual commonalities is the need to maintain the basic foundational truths of Christianity. Paul is not promoting unity at any cost, but rather unity based on truth and righteousness. When someone teaches a different Lord other than Jesus Christ, he is not a Christian and should not be accepted as such. The apostle John says, “But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world” (I John 4:3).

Similarly, in Galatians 1:9 Paul calls for anyone who teaches another gospel to be accursed. Some think we should seek unity by all means necessary. However, this is incorrect. If professed believers teach a different Lord, a different God, or a different gospel, we should not unite with them. In fact, this is not only true when a professed believer teaches heresy verbally, but also when he teaches it by ungodly living [1 Corinthians 5:11-13].

There can be no unity where foundational doctrinal truths or the practical righteousness resulting from them are compromised. This requires wisdom and discernment. It has commonly been said, “In essentials, unity. In doubtful questions, liberty. In all things, charity.”

Source: Bible.org