In Eph. 4 we read:
1 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 (Eph. 4:1-3).
Paul's "urging", Paul's command here is based on something -- "Therefore". It is based on what Paul has already given the Church in this epistle. It is based first and foremost on "to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen" (Eph. 3:21). Beyond that, it is based on the entirety of what he has stated thus far. Paul here says, "Because of what I've told you thus far, you ought to ..."
What is it that Paul thinks follows perfectly logically from what he has said so far? "Walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called" (4:1). The term used here for "worthy" means "of equal value". The walk Paul is enjoining us to walk is "of equal value" to something. What? It is of equal value to "the calling to which you have been called." Okay ... so what is that calling?
One part is displayed in all its glory here in Eph. 1:3-14. We are blessed already with a massive amount of spiritual blessings as part of our calling. This is nice information, perhaps, but Paul says, "Therefore." Paul says, "This glorious information should cause you to act." Another part of this glorious calling is contained in Eph. 2. Since we bloggers tend to limit the length of our blogs, I won't paste in the entire chapter, but the entire chapter is part of the answer. First, there is the condition in which He found us: "Dead in the trespasses and sins" (2:1-3). Then there is the most unbelievable "but" in all of Scripture: "But God, being rich in mercy ..." (2:4). There is salvation by grace through faith, a gift from God (2:8) and the good works to which we are called (2:10). There is the removal of separation between the Jews and the Gentiles (2:11-16) and the inclusion of all believers in household of God (2:17-22). This is a grand calling, and Paul says that it demands a response, a response that dictates how we walk.
How is this "equal measure" walk characterized? "All humility and gentleness", "patience", "bearing with one another in love", and an eagerness to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (4:2-3). Oh, good, I thought it would be difficult. This sounds simple enough ... doesn't it? It sounds simple enough, but it isn't. One only has to talk to Christians, peruse the Christian websites, or look at the world's perception today of Christians, and it becomes obvious that we are not characterized by humility, gentleness, patience, forebearance, love, unity, or peace. May I suggest that this is because we don't grasp the magnitude or magnificence of our calling?
One point I'd like to leave you with. There is a dearth today of doctrine in much of the Church. There is a move to say, "Experience unites; doctrine divides." One popular saying you'll hear is "No creed but Christ." And the prevalent belief is that doctrine is dry, sterile information that provides nothing for the user. Paul disagrees. Time after time in Paul's epistles, he starts with a heavy dose of doctrine followed by a "therefore". Romans 1-11 is a heavy dose of doctrine, followed by 4 chapters of "therefore". Galatians is mostly doctrine peppered with "thus you should". Colossians carries some serious doctrinal statements in its first two chapters, followed by the "if then" of chapter 3 and following. It appears that Paul would be dismayed at the modern Church's idea that doctrine is of little value, and practice is all that matters. Instead, Paul suggests that doctrine informs practice. Or, using the passage I've just used here, it appears that calling precedes practice and calling shapes practice. Perhaps ... just maybe ... if we had a better grasp on the first 3 chapters (I'm using that as a metaphor) our lives would better express Paul's "therefore" here.
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