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Pursue the calling to which you have been called and surrender to the Lordship of Christ by letting Him rule over your life and circumstances so you may live out your faith.
Ephesians 4:1-6 - 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. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Do you struggle to live out your faith daily? Is it hard for you to extend Christian love, peace, unity, and forgiveness, especially to those you dislike or who dislike you? Do you find yourself challenged by moral, ethical, and faith-related dilemmas at work or in personal relationships, particularly when facing temptation, sin, suffering, poverty, injustice, or doubt?
If so, Ephesians 4-6 offers the potential for profound transformation. They will reveal what it means to truly follow Jesus, to be a light in the darkness, a beacon on a hill, and the salt of the earth— living a good, godly, honest, humble, kind, reliable, and missional life rooted in your identity and position in Christ.
The problem is that many Christians struggle because they don’t fully understand their identity and position in Christ. They need to know that without grasping the cost and commitment to the calling to which they have been called, they will face difficulties in living out their faith and navigating the moral, social, and spiritual challenges of everyday life.
Paul, a skilled mentor, began the letter to the Ephesian church by establishing a firm foundation for Christian living. In Ephesians 1-3, he instructed the church in Christian doctrines and theological truths. Only after laying this groundwork did he turn to the practical application of these truths in Ephesians 4-6, tackling a range of moral, social, and spiritual issues.
The big idea is that Christianity is not merely a theoretical religion or a set of theological ideas. It's a practical faith that is centered on following Jesus, who by the power of the Spirit, equips us to navigate the moral, social, and spiritual challenges of daily life. We turn our Christian faith into a practical, lived-out reality by understanding Ephesians 4 regarding our Missional Calling in verses 1-6, Missional Community in verses 7-16, Missional Challenge in verses 17-24, and Missional Conduct in verses 25-32.
Today and next time, we focus on Ephesians 4:1-6 to discover our Missional Calling and how it applies to our daily lives by examining three truths about our missional calling: the revelation, realization, and results of calling.
The Revelation of Calling (Ephesians 4:1)
Ephesians 4:1 says, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” The NIV and other translations will say, “the calling you received.” The ESV does a better job of translating because it emphasizes the calling, the caller, and the called. God is the one who calls, and He calls all believers, but what is the calling? Paul talks about calling in other letters (see Study Questions below). However, in my opinion, the concept of divine calling for Christians is more powerfully explained in Ephesians than anywhere else.
The Greek word for “calling” in verse 1 is klesis, which means “to summon or invite someone.”
The word “called” in our text is kaleo in Greek, which is an effectual call or an appointment. What is an effectual call? The effectual call is so powerful that it overwhelms a sinner, thus overcoming a sinner's natural resistance to God’s calling unto salvation and sanctification, leading them to willingly place their faith in Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:13, is an excellent example, says, “It is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” This means, though it is our calling and yet God is the one who works in us to bring it to fruition.
Jesus provided the basis for it in John 6:44 when He said, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them.”
What is Calling?
The first time where Paul mentions calling in Ephesians 1:17-18. The context of it is the many riches with which God has blessed us. The calling to which all believers have been called is part of those blessings, along with the election, justification, redemption, reconciliation, restoration, sanctification, and glorification (we studied those doctrines in Ephesians 1-3).
Paul wanted his readers to understand that their calling was rooted in the doctrinal truth of Christianity in which the triune God is the first cause behind our faith. For believers, election, justification, redemption, and reconciliation are done, but sanctification is in process to prepare us for glorification.
In Ephesians 1:17-18, Paul prays “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you.”
If this hope is the calling to which God has called all believers, then we must ask what is this hope?
In Galatians 5:5, it is the “hope of righteousness.”
In Colossians 1:27, it is our “hope of glory.”
In 1 Timothy 1:1, Jesus Christ Himself is our hope.
In Titus 1:2, it is the “hope of eternal life” that God has given us.
All of these verses point to a future state of our being because when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we were immediately redeemed and reconciled and our process of sanctification started.
Currently, we are being sanctified with the guaranteed hope that we will one day be glorified which means we will receive a sinless, incorruptible, resurrected body. This makes the living hope to which we are called a call to live sanctified lives by living in collaboration with the Holy Spirit, in which the Spirit empowers us to follow Jesus.
What Are We Called To?
Often, when we think of a Christian calling, we think of pursuing a missionary, ministry, or pastoral calling. All of that is good, but Ephesians 4:1 indicates that Christian calling is confident rest in Christ's unchanging grace that saves, secures, and sanctifies. The context of verse 1 tells us that our calling is a call to relationship, reconciliation, and responsibility.
First, it is a call to relationship. Ephesians 4:1 starts with the word, “therefore.” Anytime you see the word “therefore,” you should always pause and ask what the “therefore” is for. Here, the whole idea of calling is hinged on this one word, “therefore.” It is not just a conjunction or adverb although grammatically that is its function. It divides the book into two halves by separating theology and doctrines from their application for practical life.
In doing so, it divides the world into two by separating those who put their faith in a religion as they attempt to reach God through works and those who put their faith in the living God and His work. Paul argued that God reached down to establish a relationship and not a religion.
Ephesians 1:4, says, “even as he [God] chose us in him [Christ] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. God did that by saving us for relationship.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast…”
Ephesians 2:19 explains, “19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.” God elected us before we ever existed, saved us by grace through faith in Christ, so that He may have us as His children. It says that it is not a result of works so that no one may boast. Hence, our calling is to a relationship and not work.
Second, it is a call to reconciliation. The word, “therefore,” also separates Christ in the Church in Ephesians 1-3 from the Church in Christ in Ephesians 4-6 because of reconciliation between God and us.
In Ephesians 2:12-18, we see reconciliation between man and God first and then reconciliation between Jews and Gentiles. This makes our calling a call to unity and peace with God but also with other humans.
Third, it is a call to responsibility. The word “therefore” also points to a new reality of morality and ethics that is deeply rooted in who we are in Christ and how God sees us because of Christ. Unlike others, Christians do not need to do anything to get God’s attention; rather God has done everything to get our attention so that He may have a relationship with us as reconciled children.
The word “therefore” also indicates a result and responsibility for how we, as God’s children, must live. This responsibility in Ephesians 4:1 is to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. The NIV translates the Greek word for walk, peripateo, as live. I think “live” does not do justice to the metaphor of “walk” that Paul has employed to express practical Christian life. The walk has a built-in expectation that one must work, put in effort daily, and shouldn’t expect overnight results. The walk is a progressional, step-by-step kind of thing that requires practice. The more we practice, the easier it gets.
When my wife, Sarah, moved to New York, she always complained that I walked too fast. Sometime later, when people came to visit us in New York, they complained that Sarah walked too fast. Some walk slowly, others walk fast, but the more you walk, the more comfortable your body gets with walking. My point is that the more we pursue our calling, the more comfortable we become with our calling and then it becomes our habit.
What is the Calling For?
Paul also says, “walk worthy of the calling.” Are you living your life worthy of your calling? The word, “worthy,” in Greek, axiōs, means “deserving, suitable, or equivalent.” It alludes to the idea of balancing. The question is, equivalent to and balanced with what?
In Philippians 1:27, Paul uses the same word, axiōs, and says, “Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
In Colossians 1:10, he uses axiōs and says, “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.” Our walk has to be balanced with our confession of faith, the gospel truth, and what we say and believe about Jesus.
Perhaps, the best illustration is in Ephesians 4:1. Paul brings up his imprisonment for the second time to show the application of what he has taught. Here is a man who does not just talk the talk but walk the walk. It is interesting that in Ephesians 3:1, he called himself “a prisoner of Christ Jesus,” but here in Ephesians 4:1, he calls himself “a prisoner for the Lord.” I believe he does so to show the difference between the doctrine truths of the Christian faith and its practice as he moves from Christian doctrines to Christian duty, the responsibility.
Application
Don’t just believe in Christ; make Him Lord over your life. Many today have the head knowledge of Christ, but they lack practice, for they do not make Christ the Lord of their lives because they don’t fully understand their identity and position in Christ. Do you understand your position in Christ?
Imagine if you were living in Saudi Arabia and you acknowledged the House of Saud that rules the Saudi kingdom and yet, you failed to live by the rules of the House of Saud. Many Christians acknowledge Jesus as Christ the Messiah the King, but they fail to live by the rules of the house, the rules of God as the head of our family in Christ. Do you live by the rules God prescribed in His Word for life?
Action Step
Pursue the calling to which you have been called and surrender to the Lordship of Christ by letting Him rule over your life and circumstances so you may live out your faith. Remember that Christianity is not merely a theoretical religion or a set of theological ideas. It's a practical faith centered on following Jesus, who by the power of the Spirit, equips us to navigate the moral, social, and spiritual challenges of daily life.
Appeal
If you have never put your faith in Jesus, do that today. He is calling you to a relationship, reconciliation, and responsibility to practical faith.
Study Questions
1. What is the significance of “therefore” in Ephesians 4:1? Consider the structure of the book of Ephesians.
2. Why is Paul bringing up his imprisonment again? Compare “a prisoner of Christ Jesus” in Ephesians 3:1 with “a prisoner for the Lord” in Ephesians 4:1.
3. Why does Paul say “…walk in a manner worthy of your calling?”
4. To what calling is Paul referring when he says, “…calling to which you have been called?”
Look at the following verses to grasp Paul’s concept of calling:
1 Cor 1:7
1 Cor 1:9
1 Cor 1:26
1 Cor 7:7
Rom 1:6
Rom 8:30
Rom 11:29
Rom 12:4
Col 1:13-14
Col 4:6
Gal 1:15
Gal 6:16
Phil 3:14
1 Thes 2:12
1 Thes 5:24
2 Thes 1:11-12
2 Thes 2:14
2 Tim 1:8-9
1 Tim 6:12
Deeper Study Questions
1. After studying the additional verses provided in Study Question 4, share what you have learned and any nuances about calling.
2. Have you ever given thought to your calling? If yes, share with your group. If not, explore with your group what your calling might be.
3. Are you fulfilling your calling?
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