Calling … and what comes with it

Calling … and what comes with it.  Ephesians 4.1-3

Calling is a great word, when you think about it.  It speaks of hope and becoming and identity. And as we look at Paul’s charge to believers, it also speaks of belonging . . .

Therefore I, a prisoner in the Lord, urge you to

Behave yourselves in a way that is worthy of the calling, with which you are called.

I urge you to behave with all humility,

and gentleness, and patience.

I urge you to bear with one another in love.

I urge you to eagerly preserve that unity which the Holy Spirit can bring

by binding things together in peace.

What is Paul saying about our calling? Most importantly--We have been called by God to know him and be in relationship with him.

->AND because of our relationship with him, our behavior ought demonstrate that our identity is in Christ. 

What is Paul not saying about our calling?  Paul is not telling us we must try to deserve or earn our salvation by behaving a certain way—specifically by trying to be more righteous. God has given our salvation to us. If we go back to chapters one through three, we see what Paul already told us is ours in the Lord.

Just look what you have in Jesus Christ:

God chose you for himself before the world was created.  1.4

God predestined you to be his child.  1.5

God has accepted you.  1.6

God has redeemed and forgiven you.  1.7

God has made known to you the mystery of his will. 1.9

You have been made an heir of God.  1.11

God has sealed you with his Holy Spirit to preserve you forever. 1.13

God saved you by grace.  2.5

God promises to spend an eternity increasing your joy in the immeasurable riches of his grace. 2.7

God is working in you to prepare you to accomplish his eternal purposes.  2.10

You have been reconciled to God.  2.16

God has given you access to the Father through the Holy Spirit.  2.18

You are now a fellow citizen of the household of God.  2.19

God now indwells you by the Holy Spirit.  2.22

I love that Paul did not start out this letter of Ephesians by telling us how to behave; he started by telling us of our vast richness in the love of God!  He lays the groundwork in the first three chapters, letting us know what we are, and who we are in Jesus, and what God has done for us by Jesus; he shows us the power available to us through the Holy Spirit.  Paul informs us that we have all of the equipment necessary to walk worthy of our calling.  But as always with Paul, there is a balance between the doctrinal and the practical in our Christian lives. 

No, Paul is not telling us we must try to deserve or earn our salvation by behaving a certain way; instead, Paul is urging us to show our Christian faith and calling in our everyday lives, in the way we act toward others.  The focus is not on our worth but on the worth of our calling, which because of our love for the one who gave himself for us, will reflect our devotion to him.

Our calling is sure, as it is based on the finished work of Jesus Christ, and it will last forever.