Become What You Are Declared to Be!

Walk. Walk. Walk. Walk. Four times in the latter half of Ephesians Paul commands the church to “walk” (4:1, 17 [in a prohibition]; 5:2, 8). Not sit. Not recline. Not relax. Conversion means motion. Forward motion. 

Paul is communicating something important: God has called us off our recliners and commanded us to get on the field (in Hebrews he tells us to run!). Sure, walking doesn’t sound so bad. But this isn’t the stroll behind a curious toddler stopping at every other step to pick up some new marvel. The kind of walking Paul commands is intentional and active. In Eph.4, Paul we’re called to break a sweat. 

Look at Ephesians 4:1. “I . . . urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” The calling to which he refers is captured within the whole of chapters 1–3. It’s the magnificent news of God’s eternal purposes to supply his children redemption and new life, through the blood of the eternal incarnate Son. That, Paul indicates, is worthy of a serious walk. A certain kind of walk. 

We Walk Balanced

There is an interesting idea behind that word “worthy.” The Greek word is axios, a term used for weighing and measuring. Axios literally means “bringing into balance” or “making equivalent.” It conjures up the idea of a scale. So, Paul’s call here is to bring our walk into alignment with our reconciliation to God and our unity in Christ. Synchronize your actions with your salvation reality. 

When I use a program like Evernote, Dropbox, or Google Drive, my computer self-synchronizes with the server on which those files are stored. It compares the data and then makes sure the file on the server aligns with the open file on my computer that I’ve just edited or saved. Paul wants our Christian life to work the same way. He wants our direction to be consistent with what God has done, to become in practice what God has declared us to be.

So, here’s my question. What kind of walk reflects the reconciliation and unity declared and celebrated in Ephesians chapters 1–3? Here are two ways, God’s salvation declarations impact our walk.

We Walk… Small Towards Ourselves

What does “walking” small look like? Humility, gentleness, patience, unity. Seems simple, right? Well, no–character is never simple. Just consider how we respond when criticism comes. Humility is no longer simple.. Gentleness? Just try dealing with disobedient and willful toddlers for a few hours without raising your voice. Eager for unity? How about when opposition is stacked up against us at the line of scrimmage? Think you’re ready for a test of patience? Put me in traffic for ten minutes and I will show you impatience!

There’s more as we go deep into the chapter. Think purity looks good in the playbook? Try running it into the teeth of a blitz of sensual imagery. Committed to the ground game of truth-telling? What does our speech look like when truth gets us nowhere? Or even triggers a setback?

This is starting to sound less like a stroll in a park and more like an Olympic speed-walking competition.

We Walk Large Towards the Gospel

Here’s the good news: the gospel gives us all we need to walk well. Ultimately, the outcome of our walking is not in doubt. This is the path of eternal life, and the good news is, you’re already on it! When Paul commanded the Ephesians to put on their walking shoes, he wasn’t just telling them that they needed to get their act together in order to earn their stripes. He’s urging them in view of Christ, to become what God has already declared them to be.

In January 1940, a Black nationalist named Marcus Garvey suffered a stroke. Ironically, he survived it, but his obituary was wrongly published in the Chicago Defender. It described him as “broke, alone, and unpopular.” Garvey was so shocked to read those words that he suffered a second stroke and died—thus fulfilling the obituary. It’s a negative example, but here is the point: He became what he was declared to be.

In this passage, God calls them “saints” and reminds them of the great hope of the inheritance which is theirs in Christ. He even tells them that the Holy Spirit is the seal of their redemption. It’s secure. Guaranteed. Victory is theirs . . . and ours!

Because Christ’s sacrifice was acceptable, God’s verdict over us was (and remains!) not guilty. We can now become what he has declared us to be. 

We don’t walk in our own power. In fact, we don’t even walk in our own shoes. By the power of the Spirit, we walk in shoes of righteousness and peace that God has supplied. Our job isn’t to cook up the energy to get off the recliner all on our own, but to march forward on the path in the strength he delivers. 

The gospel empowers our progress. We walk wisely by keeping it large in our life. 

Photo by Ludomił Sawicki on Unsplash