Living a Worthy Life

Ephesians 4:1-3:  "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."

Paul's letter to the Church at Ephesus was written during a time when he was imprisoned in Rome.  He previously had lived among these Ephesian Christian brothers and sisters for several years, and now Paul was following up with them with a letter, delivered by Tychicus, as a word of encouragement for them to stay the course of obedience in their faith.

As I read through these first verses of the fourth chapter of Ephesians, several things come to mind.  First, the Greek sentence structure suggests that the words "I urge" are very emphatic.  Paul wants to communicate strongly his pleading that the believers at Ephesus take to heart his charge to them.  This instruction is given to the believers in view of their being called by God to salvation (1:5), thus being lavished with all wisdom and understanding (1:8), and being granted the hope of the riches of God's glorious inheritance for the saints (1:18).  And for these reasons, Paul wants to quicken the attention of his readers to take serious note of the words that he is about to share.

Secondly, Paul identifies himself as a "prisoner for the Lord."  He is not merely giving his own personal beliefs or convictions about the matter; rather, he is heralding the directive will of the Lord Almighty, even though previously such proclamations often brought suffering and persecution to the messenger (see 2 Timothy 1:11-12).  Paul knew how important it was to reveal to everyone the truth of God's Word, so that they might experience the blessing of His favor for their faithful fulfillment of His requirements.

Thirdly, we find that Paul charged the people to "live a life worthy of the calling [they] had received."  The "calling" was everything for his readers in Ephesus.  The fact that God so loved them that He offered His one and only Son as the payment for the sin in their lives, so that they might receive His righteousness and His eternal favor and blessing, was motivation enough for them to strive to be all that they might be for their Lord.  The word for "worthy" suggests balancing the scales.  There is absolutely no way they could ever balance the score card with God.   But through the death and resurrection of Jesus they were absolved completely of the judgment for their sins, giving them the honor of living out their lives as an expression of their deepest gratitude for His imputed righteousness and His imparted Holy Spirit, who was a "deposit, guaranteeing [their] inheritance" (Ephesians 1:14, 2 Cor. 1:22).

Paul, the pragmatist, wanted the believers at Ephesians to have examples of how they could live the "worthy life."  First he called them to be completely humble.  Humility suggests lowliness and meekness. This does not mean that one has no value, but it does mean that one realizes that his purpose is not about himself but his Righteous King.  When one capitulates to God's will and His leading in his life, he is presenting a thank offering to the Lord in response to the grace already imparted to him. 

So too, Paul called the Ephesian believers to be gentle, patient, and willing to bear with one another.  The word for "patient" suggests a reluctance to avenge wrongs . . . willing to endure the frustrations that come one's way from those in their lives.  And the word for "bearing" literally means "holding up."  Thus, Paul wanted the people to love everyone (even those who may be prone to irritate them) and hold others up in view of the love that had been given to them in Christ Jesus.  Paul, continued by imploring the believers to "make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace."  The word for making every effort is the word used of a gladiator striving for victory.   Paul wanted them to have a strong determination even in difficulties to labor for peace, harmony, and unity.  He knew that if they grasped the reality that they had been given everything in Christ, they would be able to be at peace no matter the circumstance.

These words are good for us to hear today.  We know that cannot receive the favor and forgiveness of God by our actions; this is why Jesus had to come. But in view of what we truly deserve (namely God's fullest pouring out of wrath upon us for all eternity) and what we have received instead (pardon, adoption, the blessing of His eternal presence, the indwelling of His Spirit within us . . . ), we should live our lives in such a way that we worship Him through our obedience.   We would do well to reflect upon the tangible ways that Paul shares in these verses, so that we can live lives worthy of our calling.  Are we completely humble and gentle with others?  Are we striving for patience with them, even if they don't meet our timely expectations?  Are we holding up others in love and striving to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace?   Interestingly, the Greek word Paul uses for "live" is the word for "walking around." In other words, in every facet of our lives, we should be "walking around" bringing glory to God by doing the very things that have been given explicitly to us to follow. Again, we do this because in Christ we already have been declared "worthy" if we have put our faith in Him and surrendered ourselves to His Lordship.  So let's be a people who love others and in so doing, live our lives worthy of the calling that we have received.