Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called” (Ephesians 4:1).
What is this calling with which Christians are called? And how do we “walk worthy” of that calling?
The word “call” has various usages in the Bible.
In one sense, God calls everyone! By grace He invites all to be saved through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ!
The water of life is offered to all. “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let him who hears say, ‘Come!’ And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). Sadly, most people reject God’s call. “Many are called, but few are chosen” (Matthew 22:14).
In another sense, only Christians are “the called” because they heed God’s call and come to Christ.
- Christians “are the called of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:6).
- Jude’s letter is addressed “To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ” (Jude 1).
- “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
- Paul was “called to be an apostle” (Romans 1:1). Jesus called apostles in the first century to proclaim His message. He called James and John to follow Him (Matthew 4:21, 22).
Christians have a calling!
Having a calling means having a meaningful mission in life to which one is zealously dedicated.
Every Christian has a calling from God “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (2 Timothy 1:9). By grace, God calls us with a holy calling so we can partner with Him to accomplish His purposes on earth!
Christians are called to holiness. In Romans 1:7, Paul says Christians are “called to be saints.” A saint is someone who has been made holy by the sacrifice of Christ. This sanctification sets him apart for a life completely dedicated to serving God.
Peter explains why we are called to be holy: “As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15, 16). We can be holy only through redemption and sanctification granted to us by grace in Christ.
We are called into the fellowship of Jesus. “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:9).
In the church we have fellowship with Christ when we partake of the Lord’s supper. “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 10:16 ESV).
We are called to the peace of God in the body of Christ. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
The one body in which God calls us to peace is the church of Christ: “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:22, 23). “He is the head of the body, the church” (Colossians 1:18).
Because our calling comes from God, it is a heavenly calling! In Hebrews 3:1 Christians are addressed as “holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling”!
This “heavenly calling” refers to the divine mission assigned to Christians. Our calling has a spiritual and eternal purpose: to glorify God by living according to the teachings of Christ and to proclaim His message of salvation to man.
The Christian’s calling is an upward call! Paul wrote: “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, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13, 14). God calls us to a higher level!
This concept is expressed in the song: “I’m pressing on the upward way, New heights I’m gaining every day; Still praying as I onward bound, ‘Lord, plant my feet on higher ground’”.i
What does it mean to walk worthy of our calling?
In Ephesians 4:1, when Paul says we must walk “worthy” of our calling, it means that we must conduct ourselves in a manner that is consistent with the values and principles of the Christian faith. This includes qualities such as humility, gentleness, patience, and love, mentioned in the verses that follow.
We walk worthy of our calling by walking in the light. John writes: “This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:5-7).
We are called out of darkness into light. “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9, 10).
We confirm our call by growing spiritually. “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble” (2 Peter 1:10). How we confirm our call was stated in the previous verses: “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love” (2 Peter 1:5–7).
We are called to freedom. “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
Christians are called to suffer with Christ for doing good. “For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:20, 21).
God calls us to eternal glory! “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10). “Eternal glory” is the hope of our calling mentioned in Ephesians 4:4.
What have we learned?
Christians have a glorious calling, a holy and heavenly calling! We must walk worthy of our calling.
We are called to the fellowship of Christ in His body, the church.
We are called out of darkness into God’s light.
We are called to be saints.
We are called to freedom.
We are called to the peace of God in the church.
We are called to suffer with Christ for doing good.
We are called to eternal glory.
“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure” (2 Peter 1:10). Amen.
Herselt, Belgium.
RoyDavison@oldpaths.net
i From the song, “I’m pressing on the upward way” with words by Johnson Oatman Jr (1856-1926) and music by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel (1856-1932).