Paul’s letters often fall into a basic, two-part division. The first part is theology while the second is about turning theology into biography. Paul follows this pattern in Ephesians with the first three chapters focusing on teaching and the last three on living. Paul could reach up into the heavens on subjects, but he was also down-to-earth in terms of practicality. That’s why his letters are so helpful—they have the balance we need in our lives.
As Paul turns to practical matters, how to make his glorious words of chapter 1-3 become flesh in our lives, much of what he has to say turns on the word “walk.” This is much clearer in the ESV which consistently translates peripatēsai as walk (2:2, 10, 4:1, 17, 5:2, 8, 15), while the NIV only translates it that way only in 5:2, choosing to use “live” in the other places.
“Live” is a fine translation in a general sort of way, but “walk” is much more distinctive. It’s the difference between someone drinking their coffee versus sipping it. There’s something simple yet sublime in thinking about our discipleship in terms of walking. It is a metaphor that roots the Christian life in the incremental process of putting one foot in front of the other. Walking is something everyone does, so it’s an easy idea to translate to our spiritual life. Walking is about staying on our feet and making spiritual progress.
Paul calls on them to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called” (4:1). They have a glorious calling that Paul has been spent the first three chapters describing. It involves being blessed with every spiritual blessing (1:3), being chosen and predestined (v. 4-5), “having redemption through His blood in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished upon us” (v. 7-8). And of course, he’s just getting warmed up. There’s also the truth of chapters two and three that they are part of body of Christ where God is reconciling humanity and the Holy Spirit dwells. And if that’s not enough, you can throw in his prayers for them in chapters one and three which are to a large degree petitions about them coming to grips with their marvelous calling. Finally, there’s the fact that God is using them to make known his manifold wisdom to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms (3:10-11). All of this should make us appreciate Paul’s “therefore” in 4:1 and appreciate how the theology of chapters 1-3 drives the biography of chapter 4-6.
1. They are to walk in a worthy manner. The one who has fully expounded upon grace in 2:8-10 has no reservations about telling disciples to walk in a worthy manner. They are not to trivialize or minimize their calling. Specifically, he wants it to take the form of unity promoting attitudes and actions. “Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (v. 2-3). Notice the intensifiers: “be completely humble” and “make every effort”—there’s nothing halfway about the effort they are to put forth. God has brought them together into the body of Christ and what He has joined together no one is to separate!
This is a strong rebuke against the practice of “church hopping.” The church is like a family and in healthy families you don’t leave when you run into challenging personalities, problems, or things don’t exactly as you’d like them to—you double down and allow God to grow you. When the church at Rome was going through some growing pains because of their diversity, Paul didn’t tell the Jews and Gentiles to split and form their own congregations. They were to be the church and work things out.
The unity they possessed through being one in the body of Christ was not something they had accomplished. It didn’t belong to them. It was the Spirit’s unity, and they were to recognize it, respect it, rejoice in it, and protect it.
So are we.
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 