Worthy of the Gospel of Christ

Philippians 1:27-30 ESV

“Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.”

The Scriptures teach us that we are to live our lives on this earth in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called, to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work. And we are exhorted and encouraged and charged with the responsibility to walk in a manner worthy of God. And we are cautioned that if we love our family members more than we love God that we are not worthy of him, and if we do not take up our cross daily and follow Jesus, we are not worthy of him.

[Matthew 10:37-38; Luke 9:62; Philippians 1:27; Ephesians 4:1; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:12]

So, what does this mean to be or not to be worthy of Christ/of God? And how does that impact our salvation from sin and eternal life with God?

Well, to be worthy is to be fitting to, suitable to, or appropriate, right, and proper to the gospel of Christ, and to the calling to which we have been called by God, and to God/Christ, our Lord. And on biblehub.com interlinear it says this: “worthily (viewed as ‘becoming’); suitable because recognized as fitting (having worth that "matches" actual value).” And “becoming to” means well-suited to or compatible, well-matched, and like-minded.

So, what should this look like? Well, it means that our manner of living, our thinking, believing, speaking and behaving should match with or be like-minded with God and his word and his calling on our lives. And we are called to live holy lives separate (unlike, different) from the world because we are to be being conformed to the likeness of Christ. And the gospel message teaches us that we must die with Christ to sin and be raised with him to walk in newness of life in him, no longer as slaves to sin but now as slaves to God and to his righteousness. And we are called to obedience to Christ.

So, what if we don’t live worthy of Christ/God and of his gospel and of his calling on our lives? It means we are not living our lives fitting or suitable or appropriate or compatible with God and with his word and his gospel. And what do the Scriptures teach us about that? They tell us that, as followers of Christ, we must walk in holiness and righteousness and in obedience to our Lord and no longer in sin or we don’t know God and we are not in fellowship with Christ and we will not inherit eternal life with God. Thus, we do not have salvation from and forgiveness of sins nor eternal life with God.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10; 2 Co 5:10; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; 1 Pet 1:17-21; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

So, walking worthy of God and of his gospel and of our calling of God is not optional. We can’t just opt out of it. And we are not worthy just because we made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. We must walk the walk and not just talk it. We must live the life to which we have been called of God and not just give lip service to God. We are to be like-minded with God and with his purpose for our lives, and then we are to be like-minded with other believers in Christ who are also like-minded with Christ and with his will and purpose for our lives. And we are to stand firm on the truth of the gospel.

And what is that truth? Jesus Christ said that if anyone would come after him he must deny self and take up his cross daily (die daily to sin and to self) and follow (obey) him. For if we try to save our own lives, i.e. if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if we lose our lives for Jesus’ sake, i.e. if we die with him to sin and live to him and to his righteousness, then we have eternal life with God. And he said that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven but only the one DOING the will of God the Father.

[Luke 9:23-26; Matthew 7:21-23]

But when you believe the truth of the gospel taught by Jesus and by his NT apostles, and you walk worthy of God and of his gospel in holy living and not in sin, and in walks of righteousness and in obedience to our Lord, and not in disobedience, you will be hated and rejected and mistreated by many of the ungodly of this world, which includes many who profess the name of Jesus but who are not walking worthy of him and of his gospel for they are still walking in deliberate and habitual sin. But we are not to be afraid of them nor of what they might do to us or say about us, but we are to trust God.

For, as followers of Christ we are called to suffer for his sake and for the sake of the gospel. So if we are serious about God and about his Word and about our walks of faith and obedience to our Lord, and so we are living for him, and we are doing his will, we are going to be opposed, even by many others who also call themselves Christians, but who believe that repentance and obedience to Christ and holy living are not required of them for salvation and for eternal life with God. But if we are serious students of the Scriptures we can’t miss the truth on that matter. We just have to not ignore it.

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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