Walk This Way

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called (Eph 4:1).

Johnny Cash walked the line.  Dione Warwick walked on by.  Dewey Cox walked hard.  Paul of Tarsus encourages his friends back in Ephesus instructions on how to walk as followers of Jesus.  "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called" (v1).  From the joint in Rome, he reminds them of what Jesus has done for them, what He’s called them to and urges them to get stepping.  Two thousand years before Aerosmith rocked their biggest hit, the apostle prompts the Ephesians to walk this way.

Walk worthy.  Walk called.  Walk this way.

For the second time in this letter, Paul reminds his readers of his zip code.  Rome.  Prison.  He’s doing hard time waiting for Caesar to hear his appeal.  The former Pharisee ticked off Jewish leaders by switching teams.  At one point, he’s heading up a black ops squad that hunts down Christians.  But something crazy happened on his mission to Damascus.  Suddenly, the dude they knew as Saul doesn’t just go AWOL but becomes one of the leaders of the Way.  That’s the nickname folks have given the followers of the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth.  

As far as the Sanhedrin was concerned, it was bad enough that Paul believed Jesus is the Christ, the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews.  But now he’s going around telling Gentiles that Jesus is inviting they’re invited into God’s kingdom.  That made the apostle public enemy number one to Jewish leaders.  They made a boatload of false accusations against him that landed in the slammer.  Paul reminds his readers that to walk worthy of Jesus’ calling on his life is no walk in the park.  Despite what some teach, following Jesus isn’t a life full of moonbeams, unicorns and rainbows.  Walking worthy means taking a stand for Jesus.  Walking called means telling others the Good News even when they don’t think it’s very good.  Walking this way can be very costly.

Walk worthy.  Walk called.  Walk this way.

Let’s back up that word “therefore.”  As the old saying goes, anytime you’re reading the Bible and see “therefore,” you need ask what is it there for.  This is the little Greek word oun.  It means consequently, accordingly, these things being so or for this reason.  In other words, this is the hinge on which the entire letter turns. Paul's spent the first three chapters gushing over God, all that He has done and where we were before Jesus jumped in to save the day. As a result of all that He has done, let's do this. In the light of all that He will do, let's do this. As Tullian Tchividjian says time and time again, everything we we need we already have in Jesus. That being so, let's live that way. Let’s walk this way.

The apostle does this in just about everyone of his letters.  He spends a huge part of them reminding his readers of this amazing God who’s graciously gone dumpster diving to save us.  He works his tail off to step back and take a long, breathtaking look at Jesus.  As the writer of Hebrews says (and many believe that to be Paul as well), look “to Jesus, the Founder and Perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2).  Christ lived the perfect life that we failed to live.  He died the brutal death for sin that we should have died.  He rose to a glorious new life that we don’t deserve.  He did for us what we could NEVER do for ourselves!  We place our trust in what He did.  We’re certainly not worthy of any of that.  But out of worship, gratitude and love, I can “walk in a manner worthy of the calling” (v1).

Walk worthy.  Walk called.  Walk this way.  

Let's look at it from another perspective. The facts drive the actions. Who Jesus is propels what we do. The indicative drives the imperatives. Because of the truth we see in Ephesians 1-3, we're empowered to live lives "worthy of the calling" (v1).  Flip back over to the Tsunami of Blessing (Eph 1:3-14). He chose us. He predestined us. He adopted us. He redeemed us. He forgave us. He lavished us with His grace. He revealed His purpose to us in Jesus. He sealed us with His Holy Spirit. He guaranteed us a divine inheritance.  At this point, Paul moves from who Jesus is and what He's done to how we are to live in light of that truth. Because of that, do this.

Walk worthy.  Walk called.  Walk this way.

Paul uses similar language over his letter to the Colossians.  That certainly makes perfect sense.  He wrote both of these epistles in the same sitting from his cell.  First, the apostle fired of his letter of correction to the churches in Colossae, Hierapolis and Laodicea.  A team of false teachers rolled into the region and duped Jesus’ followers into believing that He might have been very good but He wasn’t very God.  Using scriptural slight of hand, they fooled folks into thinking that Christ might have saved them but it’s up to each one of us to stay saved.  According to these spiritual snake oil salesmen, we do that by following a complicated list of religious rules, dietary laws and holidays (Col 2:16-23).  

Once he heard about this heresy and the damage being done in the church, the apostle can’t start writing fast enough.  He reminds them of who Jesus is.  He tells the Colossians that he never stops praying for them “to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him” (Col 1:10).  Later he says that we need to walk properly because of what Christ has done.  “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Col 2:6).

Walk worthy.  Walk called.  Walk this way.

After finishing Colossians, the apostle writes a very similar letter to his friends in Ephesus.  Think of Colossians as a remedy for the heretical disease.  Ephesians is the vaccine that will prevent it from spreading to the church that’s just 100 miles down the road.  Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul uses many of the same phrases and ideas.  

I constantly have to remind myself that I can’t just read the Bible.  I must let the Bible read me.  That leads to the very difficult question: Do I walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which I have been called?  At times, yes.  But not often enough.  I continually fall short of loving God and loving people.  And I will certainly fail to do so on this side of eternity as I wrestle with my sin and disobedience.  But Jesus has given me the power to obey.  He’s given me the power to walk worthy.  He’s given me the power to walk called.  I’ve been “strengthened with the power through His Spirit” (Col 3:17).  Christ has moved into my heart and made Himself at home (Col 3:18).  Despite that supernatural power source, I fail to walk this way.  

That’s where repentance comes into play.  A HUGE part of Jesus’ Gospel is realizing that it didn’t just save me once, it keeps saving me.  Let me live a life of repentance.  Let me humbly understand that I need Jesus every single day.  Every single hour.  Every single minute.  Every single second.  I can walk worthy by walking in repentance.

Walk worthy.  Walk called.  Walk this way.