Key Verse: “Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3 CSB)
In 1707, Isaac Watts penned the famous hymn When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. In it he wrote, “Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” As Watts considered the immeasurable love of God toward him in Jesus Christ, he knew that the most appropriate response, in fact the only response, was a life fully devoted to Him.
In a similar vein, this is where the Apostle Paul went next as he continued in his letter to the church in Ephesus. Having described the blessings that are ours in Christ, the grace of God toward us, and the work that Jesus has done on our behalf to reconcile us with God, Paul turned his thoughts next to the implications of it all. All that Paul had just described was driving to this next point.
“Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord urge you to live worthy of the calling you have received” (v.1), Paul said. When Paul talked about living worthy of the calling, he was referring to our conduct or our behaviour. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not just some intellectual concept to think about. It must change how we live. Those who have truly encountered Jesus and His glorious grace will live differently. As those who have been called by God, we are to conduct ourselves accordingly.
What does that look like? What does it mean to “live worthy of the calling you have received”? Paul described this for us in the proceeding verses, when he wrote, “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love” (v.2). To live a life worthy of Jesus starts with our hearts. A person whose heart is overflowing with these qualities is one who is living worthy of the gospel.
It’s important to remember though that to live in this way doesn’t happen through our own efforts. It’s not about trying harder to be more patient or gentle. It’s not about mustering enough strength to bear with someone in love. Each of these traits are part of the fruit of the Spirit that Paul describes in Galatians 5:22-23.
Paul wrote elsewhere, “Walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of him” (Colossians 1:10). The Spirit of God ultimately transforms our hearts, as we surrender ourselves to Him and allow Him to produce in us all that is worthy of Jesus.
Notice also that to live worthy of the calling we have received should impact our relationships with others. Paul wrote, “making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (v.3). If you have already figured it out, it doesn’t take much for our relationships with others to go sideways quickly. But as followers of Jesus, as those who are seeking to live worthy of Him, we need to be pursuing peace wherever possible. “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).
Invite God to speak specifically to you about this today. Are you living worthy of the gospel? Is the way you are conducting yourself in line with gospel of Jesus? Remember, it’s about the direction of our lives, not about perfection. But at the same time, we must take seriously the calling of God that we have received and conduct ourselves accordingly. Like Watts wrote, God’s love demands our soul, our life, our all.
Prayer: Jesus, I want to live worthy of the calling that I have received in you. I invite you to produce in my heart greater humility, gentleness, patience and love, as I surrender to your Spirit today. Help me to pursue unity and peace with others for the sake of the gospel. Show me anything in my life that is not worthy of you. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
