Ephesians 4 - What Does a Life Worthy Of Your Calling Look Like?

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Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ

4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”

Paul begins section 2 (chapters 4-6) by emphasizing what the Christian life looks like and how the church can function most effectively in fulfilling the Great Commission. Paul spent the first three chapters showing how we are saved by grace through faith based on what Jesus did for us on the cross. What's next? Here's what's next! 

"I urge you to live a life worthy of your calling." As Ephesians 2:10 says, "We were created in advance to receive God's grace and to do good works." To live a life worthy of our calling is to live our lives completely sold out to what Jesus wants to do in our lives individually and collectively as the body of Christ.   

Paul talks about how important unity is in body of Christ. We are to be humble, patient, and bear with one another in love. Relationships in the body of Christ are crucial for the fellowship we share, and the environment those who visit our church will encounter. At the heart of this relationship is "unity". Paul uses the word "one" several times.

"One body", "One Spirit", "One hope", "One Spirit", "One Lord, "one faith", "one baptism" and "one God and Father of all". With all these things we have in common, why is there so much division in the church? Because we focus on the things we don't have in common. We are all continued to protect the unity of the body of Christ by our words and actions. 

Though all these things we have unity in Christ. Yet, there is also is also diversity in the body of Christ. Each one of us has been given grace as God apportioned it. This is not about saving grace per se, but the gifts of the Spirit. 

9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 

Paul explains how the gifts God has given us help us to be effective in five major areas in the life of the church. Note this list is a little different than the specific gifts Paul lists in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Some call this the "five fold" gifts of ministry. Here are the functions of the five areas:

1. Apostles - Those who are sent out to be messengers of the gospel and often are called "missionaries". They bring the gospel to people groups who have not heard. 

2. Prophets - Speak for God's Word in a timely manner. They usually call the church to repentance or give a timely and relevant application of God's Word for today. While some predict the future, most have a word for the church today.

3. Evangelists - They have an usual gift to share the gospel with unbelievers in a way that is relevant to them and leads them to faith in Christ. Every church has those who have this gift, and they should be identified, trained, and sent out. 

4. Pastors - They are the shepherds of God's flock caring for the flock and making sure they are fed by God's Word. They usually oversee discipleship and small groups as well. 

5. Teachers - Teachers are gifted in making God's Word understandable for all. They have a thorough knowledge of scripture and the unity of the bible. They can show the relationship of the Old and New Testament, and also how the timeless truths of scripture apply today.

Though these are all distinct roles in the church, the common role is to equip the saints (the rest of the church) for the work of ministry. This not only builds up the church, but causes the individual to grow to maturity in Christ. Many people define Christ-like maturity in terms of bible knowledge, prayer, and other spiritual disciplines. But clearly being equipped for ministry is another major aspect of living a life worthy of your calling. 

Notice we are called to, "Attain the whole measure of the fullness of Christ". This is quite a daunting task, as who of us could claim to be Christ-like. But our goal in our Christian life is to become the type of person Jesus would be if he were us. We will spend our whole lives growing to be more like Jesus. 

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.  

As we develop to be more like Jesus, we will be able to spot false doctrine. We will be rooted in our faith and knowledge of the truth. We will be less vulnerable to Satan's attacks, as he is always twisting and perverting the truth to get us to fall. The devil also uses people to do his bidding so the church always needs to be aware of false teachers who try and worm their way into the church. 

Then, Paul uses the metaphor of a physical body to show how the body of Christ grows together and with every part building itself in love. Again each person does their part for this to happen in the body of Christ!

Instructions for Christian Living

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.

Paul exhorts the Ephesians to be different than the world they used to conform to. When he says they must no longer live like the Gentiles, we know that there are obviously Gentiles who were converted to the Christian faith in the church. Obviously he is not referring to them. Instead of responding to the gospel and coming to faith, these are hardened by sin because they remain addicted to indulging in the desires of the flesh. 

It would seem like he is referring to sexual sin, but he also mentions greed. The bottom line is that the people have "given themselves over to sensuality". This seems to be a special propensity to give oneself over to the power of sin. 

20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

On the contrary, when the Ephesians became believers in Christ they were called to give up their former way of life. This is led by the Holy Spirit but we take an active role as Paul says we are to, "Put off our old self."

We all have a former self which was ruled by our old, sinful nature. We call this the "old Adam". For each of us the specific ways we were ruled by our sinful nature are different. It could be lust, greed, vanity, power, envy, or pride. Or, a combination of any b=number of these sins. Collectively they are called "the flesh". Even we become a "born again believer", we still struggle with our "old Adam". Paul makes it clear that we will live in this "body of death" until Jesus takes us home. (Romans 7:24)

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Paul then spells out what all of this looks like practically. First, he points out lying and anger within the body of Christ. This causes quarrels and strife. Notice he says, "In your anger, do not sin". Some anger is appropriate. We call this "righteous anger". Jesus exhibited righteous anger in John 2, when he cleared out the temple. 

But a lot of anger is destructive. Even if one is right, it doesn't give one a right to be angry in a destructive manner. The motto of the church is always, "Speaking the truth in love".  Paul warns also that unresolved anger can give the devil a foothold. We are not supposed to let the sun go down before you resolve a problem with someone we are angry with. Think of how many problems this would help us to avert, if we applied this principle. 

29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Paul gives us a simple yet hard principle to live by. Don't let anything unwholesome come out of your mouth, but only say things that encourage and build up your brothers and sisters is Christ. The great need in the body of Christ is those who have the gift of encouragement. The devil loves to discourage us. A discouraged Christian is an ineffective Christian. 

Finally, forgiveness is always the hallmark of the church and the Christian life. Withholding forgiveness I would say also gives the devil a foothold. We are to forgive each other only if they sorry but unequivocally. Why? Because Jesus forgave us before we could say "sorry". 

There is certainly a lot to apply from this chapter both individually and as a church. You might say to the extent you are living according to these principles, you are a mature Christ. If not start on the road to as maturity by applying these truths in your every day life.

As you go through Paul's instructions today, what part of his teaching is he calling you to grow in? As we grow together in the body of Christ, Jesus will work in our lives individually and together. People will be drawn to us and the church. This is the purest type of evangelism. People will be drawn to the Christ in you and the Christ in your church!