To Which You Have Been Called

Ephesians 4:1-3 ESV

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

1. What does it mean that Paul was a prisoner for the Lord?

2. What is required for us to walk in a manner worthy of our calling?

3. What do these words humility, gentleness, and patience mean?

4. How or in what way are we to bear with one another in love?

5. What is “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”?

In answering this first question posed here I found this quotation from Barnes’ Notes on the Bible most helpful. I like how he worded this:

“The prisoner of the Lord - Margin, "in." It means that he was now a prisoner, or in confinement "in the cause" of the Lord; and he regarded himself as having been made a prisoner because the Lord had so willed and ordered it. He did not feel particularly that he was the prisoner of Nero; he was bound and kept because the "Lord" willed it, and because it was in his service.” Amen!

Yes, Paul was more than once arrested and falsely imprisoned on account of his walk of faith in Jesus Christ, and because he taught the truth of the gospel of Christ, and because he refuted the lies of the enemy, too. And so the same people who hated Jesus and who hung him on a cross to die also hated Paul and wanted him removed from being able to influence the people with the truth of the gospel, which is of the Christ who they had put to death, but who was resurrected on the third day, as he said he would be.

But God used Paul’s imprisonment for the sake of the gospel as a means to reach many people with the truth of the gospel. I believe most of his letters to the churches were written during his times of imprisonment, but correct me if I am wrong on this. And through his writings he was, perhaps, able to reach many more people than he could reach in person. And I have found that to be true in my own life, as well, that I am able to reach many more people with the gospel via writing than I could in person with people.

Now a big part of Paul’s ministry was in encouraging the body of Christ to operate as God intended for them to operate both individually and collectively. So Paul’s ministry was a ministry of encouragement of the saints of God as well as it was to reach the ungodly of this world with the truth of the gospel of our salvation from sin. But do you know that God has called all of us who are his by faith in him to do likewise? We are all called to share the gospel and to exhort one another in Christ to be Christlike in our actions.

So, I, as well, urge you who are reading this to walk (in conduct, in practice) in a manner (behavior, way) worthy (commendable, suitable, appropriate, fitting) of the calling to which all of us have been called of God. And what is that calling? We are all called according to God’s purpose for our lives to live holy lives (different from the world because we are becoming like Christ in character). And he called us out of darkness (sin, wickedness) into his light (Jesus, the gospel, truth and righteousness).

[Rom 1:7; Rom 8:28; 1 Thess 4:7; 2 Tim 1:9; 1 Pet 2:9; 2 Pet 1:3; Ac 26:18; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Eph 4:17-24; Lu 9:23-26; Tit 2:11-14]

And we are to do this with all humility and gentleness and with patience. So what does that look like? Humility is modesty, not prideful, and not self-promoting, but promoting the will and the word of God in truth so that others may follow Jesus, too. Now this doesn’t mean we can’t share personal testimonies. Paul shared his testimony on a regular basis, but not to promote himself but for the encouragement of the body of Christ that they might be Christlike in how they follow the Lord Jesus with their lives.

And another word for gentleness is meekness, and Jesus was meek, but he was never weak on truth or on righteousness, and neither should we be. So gentleness never involves compromise of truth and righteousness. We don’t back down from the truth in order to not hurt people’s feelings. Now we should speak the truth in love, and we should be kind, but kindness never involves lying to people to make them feel better. So another phrase for gentleness is “gentle strength,” or strength (power) with reserve.

And patience is not soft on sin. Patience doesn’t entail us refusing to speak the truth in love to fellow professers of faith in Jesus Christ who we know are deliberately and habitually living in sin. It just means that we are slow to anger, and that we are not too quick to express how we feel if what we feel might be expressed in a way that would be ungodly. But this is a spiritual quality we are to possess in our Christian walks so that we remain steadfast and in staying power in our walks of faith regardless of how others treat us.

And to bear with one another in love also does not mean tolerating sinful rebellion in the lives of others who profess faith in Jesus Christ. For we are not to be those who coddle one another in our sins but who exhort one another daily so that none of us are hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. And we are to be those who speak the truth in love to one another so that we are not led astray by people in their deceitful scheming, etc. This is how we bear with one another in love in patiently helping them to walk worthy of Christ (see Hebrews 3:12-15; Galatians 6:1-3; Jude 1:20-23; Ephesians 4:11-16).

Therefore, the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace also has nothing to do with compromise of truth and righteousness in order to get along with everyone else. For first of all this is unity of the Spirit of God so that we are united with God in mind and heart and purpose and in actions (deeds), so that all that we are and speak and do might be to the glory of God and not for the glory of the flesh. And the bond of peace we have with God is fully related to what he did for us and with our surrender of our lives to him.

[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] 

Seek the Lord  

An Original Work / July 20, 2012

Based off Isaiah 55

“Come to Me all you who thirst; come to waters.

Listen to Me, and eat what’s good today,

And your soul will delight in richest of fare.

Give ear to Me, and you will live.

I have made an eternal covenant with you.

Wash in the blood of the Lamb.”

Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him. 

Let the wicked forsake his way, in truth.

Let him turn to the Lord, and he will receive mercy.

Freely, God pardons him.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,”

declares the Lord, our God.

“My word that goes out of My mouth is truthful.

It will not return to Me unfulfilled.

My word will accomplish all that I desire,

And achieve the goal I intend.

You will go in joy and be led forth in peace.

The mountains will burst into song… before you, 

And all of the trees clap their hands.”

https://vimeo.com/379408296