This ‘calling’ is not about the calling to a ministry or career – this ‘calling’ is about being called and chosen to become a Christian. This is a powerful verse, and it is the key verse of Ephesians, shaping our perspective of the whole book. How do we then live a life worthy of the calling?

1. Realize the Worth of the Call

Before we can even attempt to live a life worthy of God’s calling, we need to first realize and accept the worth of that call. In Ephesians 1: 3-14, Apostle Paul speaks of how high God’s calling is – that God had chosen us in him, and to be holy and blameless in His sight, before all creation. This represents the height of that call, and it is a tall order indeed.

In Ephesians 2, Apostle Paul speaks of the depth of that call, reminding us that we were made alive in Christ through His death and resurrection. He speaks of the depths of sin we were originally wallowing in, and then the glory of salvation that we have been saved into. More importantly, we were called to be His people – sons and daughters of God.

In Ephesians 3, Apostle Paul speaks of his own testimony in a way, and of his understanding of this truth, and ends with a prayer for the Ephesian church that essentially is for them to similarly realize the worth of their calling.

What greater worth is there than to be offered the position of being God’s own children? Although God saves us by grace, and accepts us for who we are, in response, we must live worthy of the honour and expectations that arise from us being the children of God.

Once in a while, we tend to forget our own worth. We are easily influenced by the world, and we tend to see ourselves the way the world sees us – by how rich we are, how academically qualified we are, how good looking we are, and etc. For God, it is much simpler – we are saved by the death of His Son, so we had better live deserving of that sacrifice. Indeed, if someone had died for the sake to save you that you may live you will definitely cherish your life more and try to live a better life, because your life, in a way, is no longer just your own.

2. Receive the Word of God and Change

Apostle Paul then tells the church the key verse – to live a life worthy of the calling, and proceeds to teach them how to live a life worthy of Christ. In chapter 4 verse 2, he speaks of humility, gentleness, patience and tolerance done in love, and in verse 3, he tells us what those traits are for – unity in the body. In proceeding verses till the end of the chapter, he speaks of putting off the old self, and putting on the new holy and righteous self, and in order to do this, he goes on to tell us to be truthful, not to sin in our anger, be productive with our hands and work, not to have unwholesome talk but speak edifyingly, being kind to one another, and etc. All these seem to be in the context of the church body. Chapter 5 continues with more reminders about the sins to avoid, calling us to live in the light. However, we see Apostle Paul’s emphasis on honouring relationships – wives and husbands, children and parents, slaves and masters.

How do we live a life that is worthy of God? We need to walk holy and blameless in God’s sight. But beyond that, we have to demonstrate God’s love to the people around us, in our every relationship. More importantly, to be worthy of Christ, we need to be united in spirit with our spiritual brothers and sisters. First we needed to realize the worth of God’s call for us; now we need to realize the worth of God’s call for others, and show love, for if Christ had sacrificed Himself for them too, we should treat them deserving of the love and grace that God had shown them.

3. Resist the Work of the devil and Conquer

The ending verses of chapter 6 give us a very practical handhold on how to live a life worthy of God. Previously, Apostle Paul speaks of what we have to achieve and accomplish. Here, he reminds us that the evil one is against us, and that we have to resist him in prayer. We have to fight the spiritual battle with truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God. If we do not pray, we will face great danger from the evil one’s schemes against us to keep us from walking in the light. Only then can we conquer ourselves and the enemy, and live a life worthy of God, where we are worthy of our calling as God’s children.

Further Reflections