Walking in a Manner Worthy of the Calling
(Pt 1)
Ephesians 4:1
SERMON SUMMARY
We are commanded to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we are called. Thus, our calling is supposed to dictate a new pattern of life. In this message we'll consider what that calling is and how it should effect our conduct. |
Message begins at approx. the 35 min mark.
|
Good morning! I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to Ephesians 4. As we have anticipated for the last several times we have met together in this epistle, we are now coming to the second section of the book of Ephesians.
This book easily divides into two parts: In chapters 1-3 we have the doctrine of grace laid down for us. Then in chapters 4-5 we have the ethics of grace. How then shall we live is the question that we will be dealing with for the remainder of this book.
I will say that Watchman Nee, that great underground church planter in China, wrote a commentary on the book of Ephesians. The title was “Sit, walk, stand;” a parallel to Psalm 1 where the righteous man walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.
Nee gave a three fold division to Ephesians. In chapters 1-3 we sit with Christ. In chapters 4-5 the Christian walks in the world. Then chapter 6 we see the Christian standing against Satan.
While I would keep it a little more simple with a two fold division, I certainly agree that we are venturing into the section which deals with the Christian’s walk.
Let's read of that walk together in God's Holy and inspired Word...
This book easily divides into two parts: In chapters 1-3 we have the doctrine of grace laid down for us. Then in chapters 4-5 we have the ethics of grace. How then shall we live is the question that we will be dealing with for the remainder of this book.
I will say that Watchman Nee, that great underground church planter in China, wrote a commentary on the book of Ephesians. The title was “Sit, walk, stand;” a parallel to Psalm 1 where the righteous man walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers.
Nee gave a three fold division to Ephesians. In chapters 1-3 we sit with Christ. In chapters 4-5 the Christian walks in the world. Then chapter 6 we see the Christian standing against Satan.
While I would keep it a little more simple with a two fold division, I certainly agree that we are venturing into the section which deals with the Christian’s walk.
Let's read of that walk together in God's Holy and inspired Word...
Ephesians 4:1-3
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
One of the ways you can tell we are entering a new section in the book of Ephesians is simply by comparing the number of imperatives that we will encounter. An imperative, for those of you who are not familiar, is a command. And you might be surprised to learn that there is only one imperative in chapters 1-3. It is found in chapter 2 verse 11, “Therefore you who are Gentiles in the flesh, remember you were once separated from Christ.”
But in the chapters we are going to be looking at from here on out, you will find that the imperatives come in rapid succession. Do not lie to one another, do not let the sun go down on your anger. Do not provoke your children to wrath. Stand therefore, put on the whole armor of God. There will be no end of commands that we will be studying over the course of the next few months.
So we will be doing an in-depth study of what constitutes the Christian life. Or, as our passage calls it, our walk. Oftentimes in the Scriptures our way of life (or the morality that we are to uphold) is spoken of as a walk. That’s the Bible’s way of emphasizing the practical, everyday ethic of our Christian faith. It is, so to speak, where our faith hits the pavement.
And as Paul opens this practical part of his book he starts with some introductory material. Paul does not dive directly into the particulars. He will certainly get there. But he wants to begin with a bit of a general orientation to the Christian life.
And the passage we read today is part of that introduction. It is, you might say, the most important part of that introduction. And what we read can be broken down into three parts.
In verse 1 Paul gives us the overarching (or governing) principle concerning a Christian’s conduct. What is the principle that will be guiding us through chapters 4, 5, and 6? It is this: “that we walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.”
I will say that if you were only to memorize one thing in the second half of the book of Ephesians, this might be the one you should try to sear into your conscience. This is the key principle that hangs above the doorway into these next few chapters.
So, in verse 1, we find the governing principle of the Christian life. Verse 2 may be said to be the guiding pattern of the Christian life. He fleshes out verse 1 a little bit by giving us a little more detail. What does the walk entail? What are some of the main virtues that will be seen in someone who is walking in a worthy way?
Then in verse 3 we have the purpose (or the pursuit) of the Christian’s life. As you live and seek to take on these virtues, what is it that we are ultimately seeking to accomplish? What is the goal at which we are to be aiming? Paul says that our pursuit or purpose is to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
This morning, it is my intent to deal just with verse 1. I mentioned a second ago that verse 1 is the most important verse. Everything in the following chapters is summed up right here in verse 1. The rest of chapter 4, 5, and 6 is nothing more than a commentary on what Paul says right here. And so it should behoove us to meditate upon it and give our fullest attention to what the Spirit of God says here.
Paul says that we are to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.” This is a perfect summation of the Christian life. What are we to do? We are to walk in a worthy manner. And we are to do this because we are called.
And there is something unique about this calling. As a matter of fact, this calling is supposed to elevate our manner of life. Whatever baseness we now are accustomed to now is somehow out of line with our calling. It isn’t appropriate. Our having been called is supposed to change us. It is supposed to create a certain pattern of life.
And so what I want to do is look at these two points this morning. First, I want us to consider what this calling is. We are the called. We have been called. And so we need to think about who we are and what it means to be the called.
Then, secondly, I want us to think about what it means to walk in a worthy manner of that calling. How does that calling affect us?
To put it more simply, we are going to talk about who we are and what we are to do.
Very well then. Now that we have our road map laid out for us, we can begin the journey. Let’s dive into things. The first question that we want to tackle is the question of who we are.
I. Who are we? We are the called of God
You know, that is the question of our day. Everyone is very much confused about who they are. Everywhere we go we are hearing people talk about their identity. You will hear people who identify as this or that. Our culture is really having something of an identity crisis. So one of the greatest things we can do in our day is talk about what constitutes a proper identity.
The good news is that the Bible gives us a clear understanding of our identity as Christians. And here we are told that we are the called.
Now you see that there is a twofold calling in this passage. We are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We have a calling and we have been called to this calling.
And this repetition of the call or calling is indicative of what Scripture teaches about our being called. There is a twofold calling that is revealed in the Bible.
One the one hand, we have what we normally call a “general call.” This is essentially synonymous with the preaching of the gospel. We tell people that Jesus Christ has died to bring salvation to sinners. Then we call them to turn from their life of sin and receive this Christ. When they do that, they will be saved. They are, therefore, called to eternal life and communion with God.
This is termed the “general call” because it goes out to the general population. It is indiscriminate in terms of its audience. Anyone and everyone can hear the gospel preached and be called to put their faith in Christ by the outward ministry of the word. There’s a sense in which there is no limit and masses upon masses of people will hear this call. All around the world the gospel is preached. So there are scads of people who will be called to enter into eternal life by receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior.
But you recognize that not everyone who hears the gospel actually believes it. There are only certain people who actually respond with faith when the gospel is preached. A group of 100 unbelievers can be sitting in a room and hear a minister of the word preach the gospel, but there might be only a few who actually are converted. A handful of that 100, maybe even 1 or two, will actually take that message to heart and respond with faith and repentance.
Why is it that? There is a reason for this. And it has to do with the second kind of calling. Many may be called through this general calling, but only a few experience what we know as the effectual call.
The effectual call is something that happens only to particular people. And it is something that happens inwardly. It is when the Spirit of God comes upon a person and works mightily and uniquely upon his soul. Because God’s power comes upon him he undergoes a spiritual change which makes him willing and able to receive Christ for salvation.
I like to compare it to the bug spray that my wife and I bought when we were first married. We moved into a little cottage. It was so quaint, this newlywed couple in a cottage. The only problem was that there were an incredible amount of bugs in that cottage too. So we went to the store and we bought bug spray and we dowsed those little critters. If they did not die from the fumes, they died from being drowned in bug spray.
You can say that the bug spray was effectual. It accomplished what it set out to do. That’s what I mean by the effectual calling. Except, this calling of God does not kill. It brings to life.
You may remember the story of Lazarus. Lazarus had died and been sealed in his tomb. Jesus came to visit Lazarus, but he had come too late--4 days too late. Jesus had told them that he wanted them to open the tomb. But they protested saying, “by now he stinks.” The process of rot and decay would have already begun and the stench of his corpse would be somewhat unbearable by this point.
But Jesus insisted. Then, when the tomb was opened, he cried out, “Lazarus, come out!” You know what happened next. A miracle. Lazarus came to life. His eyes opened, his heart started beating, and proceeded to get up and walk out of the tomb.
That is an example of an effectual call. Jesus gave a general, outward command to come out. But something radical happened within the person of Lazarus.
Of course, you know that you can shout at dead people all you want, but they will not respond. You can call to them until your face is blue. But unless there is an effectual working of God’s miraculous power inside of them which brings them back to life, they will not respond.
That is what this effectual calling is like. The only difference is that we are talking about a spiritual awakening and not a physical one. Each and every one of us is spiritually dead. We are dead in sin. But in our effectual calling God changes our nature. He brings about a spiritual renewal--an awakening, a rising from the dead--that enables us to respond to the outward, general call.
God called through the ministry of the gospel, but the Spirit gave us an effectual call. That’s what it means to have the calling (effectual call) to which we were called (general call).
Now, let’s think about the other part of this verse. We’ve seen who we are (the called), now let’s think about what we are supposed to do.
II. What are we to do?
We are to walk in a manner worthy of this calling. Now, the word worthy is the Greek word axios. And it means suitable or appropriately. Literally it means to bring into equilibrium. It originally had to do with scales with weights. You want to balance the scale and so you have to put just enough weight to bring it into equilibrium so that it is properly balanced.
So what Paul is saying is that your Christian walk must be balanced with your having been called. There needs to be some equilibrium between your spiritual state and your earthly living. To put it another way, the way you live must be suitable to what you have become as a Christian who has been called into this state of salvation and eternal life with God.
Now, let me just illustrate this for you in a couple different ways. Let’s say that you paid good money to take a trip up to the Boston Symphony. You have the opportunity you enter into one of the most grand concert halls in all the world and you have paid to have the best seat in the house. They are going to be playing some of the greatest pieces from your most favorite composers.
So the day finally comes and you put on your tuxedo. You are escorted to your seat and are treated with the respect of highest royalty by the usher. Everything about this is a dream come true and you have this feeling of exhilaration as the curtain rises.
You are filled with anticipation because the program is to begin with Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. This is one of your absolute most beloved orchestral compositions. But to your surprise, they raise their instruments and start to play it with a kazoo. Then, because they know you were from Hopewell, in comes the resounding chorus of the nose flute.
Now, what would your reaction be? That would be scandalous, would it not? Even if they brought in the best nose flautist and world renown kazoo players, you would be absolutely outraged and you would demand your money back. Why? Why would you be so upset? It is because things are not balanced. It is not suitable to play such a fantastic work of art (such as Beethoven’s 5th) with such a base and childish instrument. There’s no equilibrium. The nose flute is not worthy of Beethoven’s 5th
Let me give you another example. I am an Old School Presbyterian minister. I’m 46 years old; so I’m on the back end of the whole mid life thing. My job is to bring the sacred and inspired Word of God to bear on each and every one of your lives. It is a sober and solemn responsibility to handle the text of inspired Scripture, especially in the context of the public worship of the Almighty. I am at this moment an official ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Ruler and Sustainer of the world.
Now imagine if I came up here today to preach and lead worship in a pair of skinny jeans or a good old pair of 1980’s jams. Let’s say that this morning I thew on my best Hawaiian shirt, because I knew it was a special occasion. I’m pretty sure that none of you would be here right now if I did that. After the initial shock had worn off and you got through the awkward looks, you’d probably say to your kids, “We’re getting out of here.”
Why? Why would you react that way? Why would that drive you insane? It’s because the way I dress isn’t appropriate. There’s no balance between who I am and what I do and what I’m wearing. I would look absolutely ridiculous. At best I would look like I’m ready to go to the beach, but I’m not even sure my kids would go with me if that were the case.
You understand the point of the balance, don’t you? You understand that some things are so elevated, so lofty, so sublime, that it demands something more. When it has an exalted character, you have to make sure that it has an adornment that is in proper accord with it. You can’t dress it down. To do so would be to defile it and make a mockery of it.
This is what Paul is saying about our lives as Christians. Paul’s saying that your life as a Christian must be worthy of the calling you have received as a Christian.
You have received a call to enter into a relationship with God Almighty. Spiritually you have been awakened from the deadness of sin. You now belong to to the eternal kingdom of light and life.
So how possibly then can you cheat one another? How can you possibly talk about one another in ways that degrade him or create some sort of dissension? Or better yet, when you do sin, how could you not repent of it and seek to make things right?
There’s something out of accord there, isn’t there? That’s not worthy. It’s not suitable. It’s like belching out loud in the middle of a wedding. It just doesn’t fit with the realities of this moment. It doesn’t correspond to the significance of what our God has done in his having called us into sacred fellowship with him.
No your calling dictates something more sanctified. Your calling calls you to something higher and more dignified. Your way of life cannot be characterized by that kind of baseness anymore. It has to be elevated. There’s a holiness that is now incumbent upon you. Anything that would smack of sin is simply out of balance.
But that balance is what we need to take heed unto. That’s why this is the most important verse for the chapters ahead. This verse provides us with the overarching principle for everything we will be studying going forward. We are going to be looking at all these commands. We are going to be examining how a Christian is to live. And you must remember that all of this is simply trying to further illustrate this one principle. What is worthy? What is suitable? These are not just bare commands, and a bunch of “to do’s.” These are reflections of how great our calling really is.
Conclusion
And really, that is why our passage begins with the word, “therefore.” That word is helping us to see the balance.
There might be some people here who are more doctrinal in their preferences. You might be someone who is kind of disappointed that we are not going to be talking about predestination as much anymore. You might be a little bummed that we don’t get into the gritty details of the doctrines of sin and redemption.
And there might be others here who are like, “Finally, we made it to chapter 4. Now we can finally start getting practical. No more of this esoteric doctrinal stuff.”
If you fall on either side of that pendulum, you need to recognize that kind of attitude is completely wrong. There needs to be the same sort of balanced fascination with both halves of this book. If you are really going to get practical, then you need to understand the doctrinal. If you are truly in love with the doctrines, then you know there has to be a suitable balance with the practical.
There’s nothing worse than someone who has studied the doctrines of grace, but is a person who is not in the least bit gracious. There’s something not balanced with a person who says, “I just want to live a good Christian life and not be concerned with all this doctrinal mumbo jumbo.
You have to understand that those attitudes create someone who is out of equilibrium.
You are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling. And you will never walk worthily if you do not know the calling.
That’s why the best thing we can do as we embark in chapter 4 is to remember what was said in chapter 1: blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
These are just bits of the lofty calling to which you have been called. In grasping how blessed you are, your heart should be ready to put away all the baseness of sin and begin the life that is worthy of it.
But in the chapters we are going to be looking at from here on out, you will find that the imperatives come in rapid succession. Do not lie to one another, do not let the sun go down on your anger. Do not provoke your children to wrath. Stand therefore, put on the whole armor of God. There will be no end of commands that we will be studying over the course of the next few months.
So we will be doing an in-depth study of what constitutes the Christian life. Or, as our passage calls it, our walk. Oftentimes in the Scriptures our way of life (or the morality that we are to uphold) is spoken of as a walk. That’s the Bible’s way of emphasizing the practical, everyday ethic of our Christian faith. It is, so to speak, where our faith hits the pavement.
And as Paul opens this practical part of his book he starts with some introductory material. Paul does not dive directly into the particulars. He will certainly get there. But he wants to begin with a bit of a general orientation to the Christian life.
And the passage we read today is part of that introduction. It is, you might say, the most important part of that introduction. And what we read can be broken down into three parts.
In verse 1 Paul gives us the overarching (or governing) principle concerning a Christian’s conduct. What is the principle that will be guiding us through chapters 4, 5, and 6? It is this: “that we walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.”
I will say that if you were only to memorize one thing in the second half of the book of Ephesians, this might be the one you should try to sear into your conscience. This is the key principle that hangs above the doorway into these next few chapters.
So, in verse 1, we find the governing principle of the Christian life. Verse 2 may be said to be the guiding pattern of the Christian life. He fleshes out verse 1 a little bit by giving us a little more detail. What does the walk entail? What are some of the main virtues that will be seen in someone who is walking in a worthy way?
Then in verse 3 we have the purpose (or the pursuit) of the Christian’s life. As you live and seek to take on these virtues, what is it that we are ultimately seeking to accomplish? What is the goal at which we are to be aiming? Paul says that our pursuit or purpose is to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
This morning, it is my intent to deal just with verse 1. I mentioned a second ago that verse 1 is the most important verse. Everything in the following chapters is summed up right here in verse 1. The rest of chapter 4, 5, and 6 is nothing more than a commentary on what Paul says right here. And so it should behoove us to meditate upon it and give our fullest attention to what the Spirit of God says here.
Paul says that we are to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.” This is a perfect summation of the Christian life. What are we to do? We are to walk in a worthy manner. And we are to do this because we are called.
And there is something unique about this calling. As a matter of fact, this calling is supposed to elevate our manner of life. Whatever baseness we now are accustomed to now is somehow out of line with our calling. It isn’t appropriate. Our having been called is supposed to change us. It is supposed to create a certain pattern of life.
And so what I want to do is look at these two points this morning. First, I want us to consider what this calling is. We are the called. We have been called. And so we need to think about who we are and what it means to be the called.
Then, secondly, I want us to think about what it means to walk in a worthy manner of that calling. How does that calling affect us?
To put it more simply, we are going to talk about who we are and what we are to do.
Very well then. Now that we have our road map laid out for us, we can begin the journey. Let’s dive into things. The first question that we want to tackle is the question of who we are.
I. Who are we? We are the called of God
You know, that is the question of our day. Everyone is very much confused about who they are. Everywhere we go we are hearing people talk about their identity. You will hear people who identify as this or that. Our culture is really having something of an identity crisis. So one of the greatest things we can do in our day is talk about what constitutes a proper identity.
The good news is that the Bible gives us a clear understanding of our identity as Christians. And here we are told that we are the called.
Now you see that there is a twofold calling in this passage. We are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called. We have a calling and we have been called to this calling.
And this repetition of the call or calling is indicative of what Scripture teaches about our being called. There is a twofold calling that is revealed in the Bible.
One the one hand, we have what we normally call a “general call.” This is essentially synonymous with the preaching of the gospel. We tell people that Jesus Christ has died to bring salvation to sinners. Then we call them to turn from their life of sin and receive this Christ. When they do that, they will be saved. They are, therefore, called to eternal life and communion with God.
This is termed the “general call” because it goes out to the general population. It is indiscriminate in terms of its audience. Anyone and everyone can hear the gospel preached and be called to put their faith in Christ by the outward ministry of the word. There’s a sense in which there is no limit and masses upon masses of people will hear this call. All around the world the gospel is preached. So there are scads of people who will be called to enter into eternal life by receiving Christ as their Lord and Savior.
But you recognize that not everyone who hears the gospel actually believes it. There are only certain people who actually respond with faith when the gospel is preached. A group of 100 unbelievers can be sitting in a room and hear a minister of the word preach the gospel, but there might be only a few who actually are converted. A handful of that 100, maybe even 1 or two, will actually take that message to heart and respond with faith and repentance.
Why is it that? There is a reason for this. And it has to do with the second kind of calling. Many may be called through this general calling, but only a few experience what we know as the effectual call.
The effectual call is something that happens only to particular people. And it is something that happens inwardly. It is when the Spirit of God comes upon a person and works mightily and uniquely upon his soul. Because God’s power comes upon him he undergoes a spiritual change which makes him willing and able to receive Christ for salvation.
I like to compare it to the bug spray that my wife and I bought when we were first married. We moved into a little cottage. It was so quaint, this newlywed couple in a cottage. The only problem was that there were an incredible amount of bugs in that cottage too. So we went to the store and we bought bug spray and we dowsed those little critters. If they did not die from the fumes, they died from being drowned in bug spray.
You can say that the bug spray was effectual. It accomplished what it set out to do. That’s what I mean by the effectual calling. Except, this calling of God does not kill. It brings to life.
You may remember the story of Lazarus. Lazarus had died and been sealed in his tomb. Jesus came to visit Lazarus, but he had come too late--4 days too late. Jesus had told them that he wanted them to open the tomb. But they protested saying, “by now he stinks.” The process of rot and decay would have already begun and the stench of his corpse would be somewhat unbearable by this point.
But Jesus insisted. Then, when the tomb was opened, he cried out, “Lazarus, come out!” You know what happened next. A miracle. Lazarus came to life. His eyes opened, his heart started beating, and proceeded to get up and walk out of the tomb.
That is an example of an effectual call. Jesus gave a general, outward command to come out. But something radical happened within the person of Lazarus.
Of course, you know that you can shout at dead people all you want, but they will not respond. You can call to them until your face is blue. But unless there is an effectual working of God’s miraculous power inside of them which brings them back to life, they will not respond.
That is what this effectual calling is like. The only difference is that we are talking about a spiritual awakening and not a physical one. Each and every one of us is spiritually dead. We are dead in sin. But in our effectual calling God changes our nature. He brings about a spiritual renewal--an awakening, a rising from the dead--that enables us to respond to the outward, general call.
God called through the ministry of the gospel, but the Spirit gave us an effectual call. That’s what it means to have the calling (effectual call) to which we were called (general call).
Now, let’s think about the other part of this verse. We’ve seen who we are (the called), now let’s think about what we are supposed to do.
II. What are we to do?
We are to walk in a manner worthy of this calling. Now, the word worthy is the Greek word axios. And it means suitable or appropriately. Literally it means to bring into equilibrium. It originally had to do with scales with weights. You want to balance the scale and so you have to put just enough weight to bring it into equilibrium so that it is properly balanced.
So what Paul is saying is that your Christian walk must be balanced with your having been called. There needs to be some equilibrium between your spiritual state and your earthly living. To put it another way, the way you live must be suitable to what you have become as a Christian who has been called into this state of salvation and eternal life with God.
Now, let me just illustrate this for you in a couple different ways. Let’s say that you paid good money to take a trip up to the Boston Symphony. You have the opportunity you enter into one of the most grand concert halls in all the world and you have paid to have the best seat in the house. They are going to be playing some of the greatest pieces from your most favorite composers.
So the day finally comes and you put on your tuxedo. You are escorted to your seat and are treated with the respect of highest royalty by the usher. Everything about this is a dream come true and you have this feeling of exhilaration as the curtain rises.
You are filled with anticipation because the program is to begin with Beethoven’s 5th Symphony. This is one of your absolute most beloved orchestral compositions. But to your surprise, they raise their instruments and start to play it with a kazoo. Then, because they know you were from Hopewell, in comes the resounding chorus of the nose flute.
Now, what would your reaction be? That would be scandalous, would it not? Even if they brought in the best nose flautist and world renown kazoo players, you would be absolutely outraged and you would demand your money back. Why? Why would you be so upset? It is because things are not balanced. It is not suitable to play such a fantastic work of art (such as Beethoven’s 5th) with such a base and childish instrument. There’s no equilibrium. The nose flute is not worthy of Beethoven’s 5th
Let me give you another example. I am an Old School Presbyterian minister. I’m 46 years old; so I’m on the back end of the whole mid life thing. My job is to bring the sacred and inspired Word of God to bear on each and every one of your lives. It is a sober and solemn responsibility to handle the text of inspired Scripture, especially in the context of the public worship of the Almighty. I am at this moment an official ambassador of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Ruler and Sustainer of the world.
Now imagine if I came up here today to preach and lead worship in a pair of skinny jeans or a good old pair of 1980’s jams. Let’s say that this morning I thew on my best Hawaiian shirt, because I knew it was a special occasion. I’m pretty sure that none of you would be here right now if I did that. After the initial shock had worn off and you got through the awkward looks, you’d probably say to your kids, “We’re getting out of here.”
Why? Why would you react that way? Why would that drive you insane? It’s because the way I dress isn’t appropriate. There’s no balance between who I am and what I do and what I’m wearing. I would look absolutely ridiculous. At best I would look like I’m ready to go to the beach, but I’m not even sure my kids would go with me if that were the case.
You understand the point of the balance, don’t you? You understand that some things are so elevated, so lofty, so sublime, that it demands something more. When it has an exalted character, you have to make sure that it has an adornment that is in proper accord with it. You can’t dress it down. To do so would be to defile it and make a mockery of it.
This is what Paul is saying about our lives as Christians. Paul’s saying that your life as a Christian must be worthy of the calling you have received as a Christian.
You have received a call to enter into a relationship with God Almighty. Spiritually you have been awakened from the deadness of sin. You now belong to to the eternal kingdom of light and life.
So how possibly then can you cheat one another? How can you possibly talk about one another in ways that degrade him or create some sort of dissension? Or better yet, when you do sin, how could you not repent of it and seek to make things right?
There’s something out of accord there, isn’t there? That’s not worthy. It’s not suitable. It’s like belching out loud in the middle of a wedding. It just doesn’t fit with the realities of this moment. It doesn’t correspond to the significance of what our God has done in his having called us into sacred fellowship with him.
No your calling dictates something more sanctified. Your calling calls you to something higher and more dignified. Your way of life cannot be characterized by that kind of baseness anymore. It has to be elevated. There’s a holiness that is now incumbent upon you. Anything that would smack of sin is simply out of balance.
But that balance is what we need to take heed unto. That’s why this is the most important verse for the chapters ahead. This verse provides us with the overarching principle for everything we will be studying going forward. We are going to be looking at all these commands. We are going to be examining how a Christian is to live. And you must remember that all of this is simply trying to further illustrate this one principle. What is worthy? What is suitable? These are not just bare commands, and a bunch of “to do’s.” These are reflections of how great our calling really is.
Conclusion
And really, that is why our passage begins with the word, “therefore.” That word is helping us to see the balance.
There might be some people here who are more doctrinal in their preferences. You might be someone who is kind of disappointed that we are not going to be talking about predestination as much anymore. You might be a little bummed that we don’t get into the gritty details of the doctrines of sin and redemption.
And there might be others here who are like, “Finally, we made it to chapter 4. Now we can finally start getting practical. No more of this esoteric doctrinal stuff.”
If you fall on either side of that pendulum, you need to recognize that kind of attitude is completely wrong. There needs to be the same sort of balanced fascination with both halves of this book. If you are really going to get practical, then you need to understand the doctrinal. If you are truly in love with the doctrines, then you know there has to be a suitable balance with the practical.
There’s nothing worse than someone who has studied the doctrines of grace, but is a person who is not in the least bit gracious. There’s something not balanced with a person who says, “I just want to live a good Christian life and not be concerned with all this doctrinal mumbo jumbo.
You have to understand that those attitudes create someone who is out of equilibrium.
You are to walk in a manner worthy of the calling. And you will never walk worthily if you do not know the calling.
That’s why the best thing we can do as we embark in chapter 4 is to remember what was said in chapter 1: blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
- In love he has predestined you to the adoption as sons.
- In him we have received redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.
- In him we have received an inheritance
- In him you were sealed with the Holy Spirit.
These are just bits of the lofty calling to which you have been called. In grasping how blessed you are, your heart should be ready to put away all the baseness of sin and begin the life that is worthy of it.