In Paul’s opening of his letter to the church in Colossae, he says that he and his co-laborers have not ceased to pray for them. Pray what for them? “Asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col. 1:9) Now that is an excellent prayer and worthy of a post itself. But it isn’t the focus of this one.
Paul doesn’t just mention this prayer in passing before moving on to something else. He does what he often does. He gives a “so that”, an “in order that”, or, here: “so as to…” Paul wants the Colossian Christians to have the knowledge of the Lord’s will in all Spiritual wisdom and understanding SO THAT something. His prayer for this kind of knowledge is a means to something else, or as we will see, a something that entails several something elses.
And here’s the end to which the means is working: “so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” (Col. 1:10). So, working backwards, if we are to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, we will need spiritual wisdom and understanding of the knowledge of the Lord’s will. Again, this is so worth getting into. Why exactly is it knowledge of God’s will that will lead to walking in a manner worthy of the Lord? But, also again, that isn’t what this post is about.
One foot in front of the other
This phrase, “walk in a manner worthy of the Lord” is not unique. Paul brings up the idea of living in a worthy way in a few places in his corpus. One is Ephesians 4:1, “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” Another is Philippians 1:27, “Only let the manner of your life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” Again, in 1 Thessalonians 2:12, “we exhorted each of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God…”
Four times Paul charges different communities of Christians to walk, or live in a way that is in keeping with God/the Lord (1 Thessalonians, Colossians), the gospel of Christ (Philippians), and the calling to which Christians have been called (Ephesians). Its common parlance in Paul’s writings. And in each of these instances, excluding 1 Thessalonians, Paul fleshes out what it would look like for his readers to do so. He doesn’t just tell them to walk in a worthy manner, he tells them what walking in a worthy manner entails.
Here’s what he says,
-Colossians 1:10-12,
Bearing fruit in every good work
Increasing in the knowledge of God
Being strengthened with all power
Giving thanks to the Father
-Philippians 1:27-28,
Standing firm in one spirit
Striving side by side for the faith of the gospel
Not [being] frightened in anything by your opponents
-Ephesians 4:1-3,
Humility
Gentelness
Patience
Bearing with one another in love
Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit
Cumulatively, this is what it looks like to walk in a manner worthy of God/the gospel/our calling. Paul’s charge to walk in a worthy manner is not ethereal. It isn’t ambiguous. He’s given it flesh and bones.
A vision, not a check-list
And what he’s given us is not a check-list. Can anyone say they have these things down pat? I’m not sure there is a single one of these that I can without hesitation say I have mastered. But that isn’t his point. For Paul immediately follows each of these four calls with a gospel reminder. And he does so precisely so that we will not become legalists about this walking. Look, no, stare at them,
-Colossians 1:12-14, “…who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Try being a legalist about walking worthily after reading that.
-1 Thessalonians 2:12, “…who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”
You inclusion in the kingdom has already occurred totally apart from your walking in a worthy manner. You walk from and further into your citizenship, not to gain entrance.
-Philippians 1:28, “…This is a clear sign to them (you opponents) of your salvation, and that from God
Your saved. You’re in. You’re good. And just incase doubts arise as the the firmness of this salvation, it’s from God! It can’t be lost, fumbled, or botched. Your salvation is secure and from it you live, not for it.
-Ephesians 4:4-7, “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.”
The call to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called only exists because of the previous call: the call of God to salvation which you have already received.
Brother Paul has not given a to-do list that you better get going on if you’re going to be a good Christian. Exactly not that. He’s given supernatural realties far beyond our meager grasps for us to walk further up and into by the Spirit who empowers us. He’s laid before us the full, rich, abundant life that is now available to us because of the gospel of grace we have received. He’s given us a vision of the Christian life that is open to us, that is our for the taking. And what a vision of the Christian life it is!
Christian, we’ve been bought, the price has been paid in full, we’ve been granted citizenship in the Kingdom, there is nothing left for us to do except step into the fullness waiting for us. By his Spirit, then, let’s walk in a manner worthy of such a God, his gospel, and our calling to him and it!
It is so wonderful to read how God is instructing you in your study of God's Word. Thank you for these tremendous insights.