A Resolution of Substance

“I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”  Ephesians 4:1-3

Some of us make resolutions at the first of each year with good intentions to keep those resolutions.  I made one to eat more vegetables and fruits and less sugar.  So far, I have stuck with it, but we are only five days into 2022.  Most resolutions get kicked by the wayside usually quite quickly after January 1, but still, there is an advantage to making resolutions because they make us aware of areas in which we could use some improvement.  Our spiritual life is no different.  We can always benefit from giving our commitment to Christ a review and then determine to practice what we preach.

In the first three chapters of the letter to the believers in Ephesus, Paul reminded them of the doctrines of truth concerning the redemption obtained only through the blood of Christ, salvation by grace through faith in Christ, and the revealed mystery of God’s intention to offer the gift of salvation to Gentiles.  In the remainder of his letter, Paul emphasized the need to live for Christ in gratitude for His sacrifice which provided freedom from the guilt and stain of sin.  Paul referred to himself as “the prisoner of the Lord” because he was at the time locked up in Rome awaiting trial for preaching the gospel.

Paul’s first admonition to the believers in Ephesus, and all believers for that matter, was a plea to walk in a manner worthy as a believer in Christ.  None of us are worthy to receive salvation.  Even so, we are to walk, that is, live our lives worthy of our calling.  The highest vocation, which is a calling to life’s work, career, etc., is that of a Christian.  An unbeliever may have a calling to a profession, such as a doctor, teacher, etc., but earthly professions cannot offer eternal life nor meet spiritual goals of maturity in Christ.  These types of callings end in retirement or death.  A Christian’s calling is for all eternity, and thus it behooves the believer to strive for excellence in order to be a “good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

There are several qualities of a good and faithful servant of Christ.  One is lowliness, or humility, which is the opposite of pride.  Pride is the number one enemy of God.  Pride thinks it doesn’t need God while humility knows it can’t survive without God.  Humility knows that it is bankrupt, “poor in spirit” (Matthew 5:3), without Christ.  Pride believes it can be “good enough” on its own to please God while humility throws itself on the mercy of God offering nothing but its life.  The believer is also to exhibit meekness in his or her walk with Christ.  Meekness is strength under control.  A person who is meek is also humble, not in a cowering, intimidated, or resigned way, but, as a child of God, is able to withstand criticism, ridicule, or persecution without fighting back or retaliating.  Meekness does not provoke others or is easily provoked.  Jesus is the perfect example of meekness because He endured the pain and suffering of the cross.  He could have called thousands of angels to destroy all those who hated Him, but His mission to be sacrificed so that sinners could be forgiven and be reconciled to the Father was greater than any judgment He could have passed upon those who put Him to death.  His sacrifice on the cross was their judgment.  Unless those who reject Christ repent and believe on Him, they will experience God’s wrath for all eternity.

Longsuffering is also a quality of a true believer in Christ.  Longsuffering means having patience with others and patience in the face of insults, injuries, disappointments, and ridicule.  Paul also urges believers to have forbearance, which simply means to put up with others in those things which irritate us because we let love be our guide and motivator.  It doesn’t mean to overlook the sin of others or the harm they may be causing by their bad judgments.  In those cases, it is imperative that we gently lead them back into the fold.  As has been said by many, “There for the grace of God go I”.  The very thing for which we might criticize others, we could find ourselves guilty of or worse.  “What goes around, comes around”.

The overall result of following these admonitions is to be at peace with one another.  Harmony doesn’t happen automatically.  Those who have received the new nature that Christ provides also still have the sin nature with which they were born.  It is the struggle between the new and old natures which either strengthens one’s resolve to live committed wholeheartedly to Christ and avoid sin or diminishes one’s witness and prevents Christian growth of those who follow a pattern of sin.  The strong bond of peace unites all believers together, with a “non obstante” (L), permission to agree to disagree, but to hold together as brothers and sisters in Christ because of their love for Him and for one another.  Let’s all resolve to be more like Christ.