Walk Worthy

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called

Ephesians iv.1

The Apostle here pleads with believers to “walk worthy” of their calling as Christians. Notice what he doesn’t say. He doesn’t urge us to walk worthy of being called, or so that we’ll be called. No. He’s talking to those who have been called, and urging them to act like it!

He spent some time in the previous chapters discussing that calling, but here he’s encouraging Christians to act like who they are now, a “new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians iv.24)

I hear a lot of Christians worrying over legalism. The thought seems to be that if we encourage Christians to obey God, we are engaging in legalism. But that’s not correct. Legalism is obeying in order to earn a calling, or salvation.

What Paul is doing here is quite the opposite of legalism. He’s telling us we have been called in spite of who we were and how we acted, but in light of that gracious calling we should now act like different people, not to earn God’s favor, but because He showed us His favor!

And what does this life lived worthy of our calling look like?

with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Ephesians iv.2-3

As we head into a new year, my prayer for the church is that we would live worthy of our calling, by loving one another and thereby showing the world that we are His disciples.