To Walk Worthy is to Walk in Unity

Ephesians 4:1–6 NKJV

1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Paul, speaking from prison, beseeches us to walk worthy of our calling. We discussed last week the significance of this exhortation coming from someone who was, at the time, in prison for the very thing that he was now exhorting. Paul life, from the time of his dramatic encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, was spent in pursuit of this very goal.

Philippians 3:7–14 NKJV

7 But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. 8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, 11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Back in our passage, the first thing Paul point us to in the pursuit of walking worthy of our calling is that we walk in unity within the church body.

Unity within the church is one of the key identifiers of true Christians and yet this is one of the areas we tend to struggle the most.

Christ said...

John 13:34–35 NKJV

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Yet how often do we truely display the love of Christ to each other. To walk fittingly or appropriately in regard to our calling we must walk in love and unity. Paul gives us some heart conditions that are imperative if we are to walk in unity.

Firstly we must walk...

With all Lowliness and Gentleness

If we are to walk in unity.

Lets look at these separately.

Lowliness - This refers to a state of mind. A humbleness of mind. The appropriate state of mind for a Christians is humility. It is entirely inappropriate for a Christian to be proud minded.

Ephesians 2:1–5 NKJV

1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

Ephesians 2:8–9 NKJV

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Rom 7:18

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells”

Philippians 2:1–8 NKJV

1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Ephesians 4:2 NKJV

2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,

Lowliness is the state of mind of humility which is the same mind that Christ had, then what is gentleness?

gentleness is meekness.

Meekness is often confused with weakness, and yet that is not at all what it is. Meekness is power under control. Think of a domesticated tiger who has the power maul and devour but instead becomes a companion.

Meekness is what Christ demonstrated by allowing Himself to be arrested and tried and executed when at any point He had the power to call 12 legions of angels to deliver Him and wipe out every opponent. So far from weakness is meekness that one can only show meekness if they have power.

Lowliness and meekness are appropriate for our calling. Our calling is to be made in the image of Christ and these are the primary traits that Christ demonstrated in His life.

Matthew 11:28–30 NKJV

28 Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

In Eph 4 Paul says to walk worthy of our calling with all lowliness and meekness with the aim of keeping the unity of the Spirit.

If we have humility of mind then we will esteem everyone else in the church as better than ourselves. Everyone else’s ideas desires interest are more important than my own. Lowliness means I perceive my purpose in the church as being a servant to everyone else.

Meekness is strength under control. It is the opposite of asserting my rights. Meekness is the yielding of my rights.

So the humble person thinks little of their personal merits and the meek person thinks little of their personal claims. Together they form the perfect balance of our attitude towards each other.

This is the attitude worthy of our calling. Christ shares a story which demonstrates just how revolting it is when a person does not act worthy of this calling.

Matthew 18:21–35 NKJV

21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. 23 Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. 24 And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 27 Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. 28 “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ 30 And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. 32 Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ 34 And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”

So let us walk worthy of the calling with which we have been called with all humility and meekness endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.