Ephesians 4: Growing in holiness

Lieut-Colonel Mark Herbert challenges us to walk in the way of love.

Key text

• Ephesians 4:17 to 5:2

I wasn’t great at school. Most of the time I felt the sole purpose of being in a class was to enable the top 50 per cent to sound even brighter. I’m not sure what my teachers would think of me being principal of William Booth College!

As I began to study Paul’s instructions for Christian living, a memory came of a strict English teacher demanding that we follow all the grammatical rules for writing. Paul’s words also come with the sense of there being no negotiation. Take a look for yourself. In Ephesians 4:17, Paul writes: ‘I tell you this, and insist … that you must...’ So follows the tone throughout this passage.

Paul’s directness alerts us to the importance of the message. It’s time to choose how we will live our lives. Our study passage gives us the stark contrast between the old, self-centred life and the new life in Christ. ‘Put off your old self … be made new’ (vv22 and 23). In short, we need a to-stop-doing list as much as we need a to-do list.

Jonathan Edwards, the 18th-century evangelist, put it another way: ‘A true and faithful Christian does not make holy living an accidental thing. It is his great concern. As the business of the soldier is to fight, so the business of the Christian is to be like Christ.’

Paul calls us to live life in a distinct way – ‘speak truthfully’ (v25), ‘in your anger do not sin’ (v26), ‘steal no longer’ (v28), ‘do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths’ (v29). As the non-Anglicised New International Version puts it, we must ‘walk in the way of love’ (5:2). Before we go any further, some context will help our study passage. Acts 19 gives some details of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus. We also discover Paul’s love for the believers there, a love that was reciprocated (see Acts 20:36–38). Sometime later, Paul addresses Christians in Ephesus as ‘God’s holy people’ (Ephesians 1:1).

What I find gripping about this letter is that, apart from some references to the cultural understanding of slavery, Paul could be writing to us today. Paul describes a growing awareness of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives: ‘All of us also lived among them...gratifying the cravings of our flesh… Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God...made us alive with Christ... For we are God’s handiwork, created...to do good works’ (Ephesians 2:3–10).

Pause and reflect

• Take time to thank God for his great mercy (see 2:4). 
• Consider how lives can be transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit. 
• How have you changed?
• How might you still need to change?

Let us now jump to Ephesians 4:1, where Paul urges his readers to ‘live a life worthy of the calling’. This is one bookend of our passage for study, with the other being the description of us being ‘dearly loved children’ (5:1).

It’s a reminder that the key to living a holy life is our relationship with God. Holy living has always been God’s desire for us.

How then, do we live a life worthy of our calling? In a word – exercise! It’s not what you do in the future; it’s about your faithfulness to God today.

Nicky Gumbel wrote: ‘Holiness does not mean being perfect. It means living a life of integrity. It’s the opposite of hypocrisy. It means being real, honest and authentic.’

It’s not what we do occasionally that makes the difference but what we do consistently. Gym membership soars at the beginning of each year, but by the end of January it starts to drop significantly. Does this resonate with anyone? We should put into practice daily what grace alone makes possible. Make small, good choices every day!

Pause and reflect

• Your life speaks louder than your words. What is it saying?

A lot of walking is mentioned throughout Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In 5:2, the instruction is given to walk in the way of love. This aids our understanding of the kind of life that powerfully points to Christ. As God’s adopted children, we are to reflect our Father’s character – love. 

Humble service is the design for all followers of Jesus. Our doing – walking in love – comes out of what we have become: dearly loved children.

Pause and reflect

• What does it look like to walk in the way of love?

Life is full of challenges, and we can bring the worst out of each other. We need to live better and walk towards acceptance, compassion, empathy, grace, justice and truth. We should aim to put others first, remember people’s names, get to know their stories, help make their lives better and, in doing so, reflect the character of God.

The way of Jesus is a cross-bearing life. A life surrendered to Christ for the sake of others. This is much more about the way we live than the words we speak. Our actions should always be driven by a desire to honour Jesus.

As my mind goes back to the beginning of this study and sitting in a classroom all those years ago feeling that time had stood still, I now realise that time has passed very quickly.