The Charter of the Church (3)
Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthily of the calling in which you were called, with all humility and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love; being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3
Walk Worthily – Why not just “walk”? That’s what we often say, isn’t it? Walk in His footsteps. Walk in the Way. Or if you speak like Johnny Cash, “Walk the line”. But Paul adds something important. Not just walk, but also walk worthily. In Greek, the order is reversed: worthily walk (axios peripatesai). Why does Paul want us to add this characteristic to the way that we follow Jesus?
The word axios comes from the language of the marketplace. It refers to determining value by using weights on a balance scale. The idea is to walk in a way that has equal value or equal worth. Equal to what? The answer takes us back to “therefore”. We are to walk in a way that is equal to what God provided for His family. We are to walk in a way that expresses all those characteristics that are the cause of the church’s charter. Do you remember them? His riches in glory and power, the Spirit dwelling within, rooted in love, knowing the breadth and depth of Christ’s love, going beyond all that we can ask and imagine. That’s the way we should walk.
Think of this word (axios) as the direction signs along your journey. As you walk, you see the sign “Family”. That reminds you of your adoption and the equal adoption of all the others who believe. Then you see the sign “Riches”. You are reminded that God pours out His power and glory to be used according to His will for His purposes. That helps you correct your steps when you think that life is about your desires and plans. Further along you come across the sign “Spirit” and you are reminded that the only operating power of the believer is the life of God within. At a turn in the road you see the sign “Love” and you know that walking after Jesus is the call of sacrifice for others at cost to yourself. At last you come across the two signs “Ask” and “Imagine”. Of course, these two signs are the size of billboards. More than we can ask or imagine. That is what God has in mind. Now, walk equal to that!
If your life with Jesus is plodding, if it is the drudgery of one step after another, if you are part of an assembly that cannot see the signs along the road, then you are missing out on the greatest community on the face of the earth. Walking worthily is not walking under the rules and regulations of religion. It is marching with head high, joy in your steps, sparkle in your eyes because you are responding to the sound of the perfect law of liberty, free to exhibit all that God expects of His people. You are called to the balance scale of equal value; equal to the incredible and awesome plan of God.
