As we consider the worthy walk as an expression of the Will of God for the member

of Christ's Body, let us turn to Paul's epistle to the Ephesians.

In the prayer at the commencement of this letter (1: 17-23), Paul makes clear that this

calling is none other than the calling of Christ Himself: "that ye may know what is the

hope of His calling" (18). Thus it is a calling almost beyond comprehension: how can

we understand the full significance of "His calling"? Perhaps it can be summed up in

words which Paul uses elsewhere: `that God may be all in all' (I Cor. 15: 28). Hence it

is necessary for the believer to come to the point where he recognizes in practice that in

the new man "Christ is all, and in all" (Col. 3: 11). But as we consider the walk which is

counted `worthy' in Ephesians we find that in contrast to the tremendous heights `far

above all' at the commencement of the epistle, the later `practical' section brings us very

much `down to earth'.

It is in the first verse of chapter 4: that Paul says `I therefore, the prisoner of the

Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called'. The

word he uses for `worthy' has the significance, when used of price, of `equal value': our

walk should `balance with' or `equate with' His calling. Here is a tremendous thought!

We may well ask `who is sufficient for these things?' It is, then, not surprising to find

that we are to walk `with all lowliness', or better, `with humility of mind'. For our walk

to equate with His walk we must "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus"

(Phil. 2: 5), and this exhortation is in the context of `lowliness of mind' (verse 3). In both

instances Paul uses exactly the same word. It is with the disposition of the mind that the

worthy walk begins. Christ `being in the form of God', was called to walk with such

humility of mind that `even the death of the cross' was not beneath His dignity. The

`lowliness' this calling demands of us should equate with this. But `meekness, with

longsuffering' is also called for: `gentleness, with patience (or endurance)'. These

qualities are required for `forbearing one another in love'. So often it is when we are not

lowly in mind we are impatient with others, but realizing there are aspects of our own

character others may find a trial, we are gentle with them and prepared to `put up with'

them `in love'. Clearly this love is something far greater, and different from, much that

passes for `love' in our day: this love is not dependent on feelings, nor does it seek

gratification, it is a self-giving concern such as that manifested by the Lord when He

became obedient unto death, and that the death of the cross. The whole of verse 2 might

well be summed up "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus".

Arising directly from this in the worthy walk is the endeavour `to keep the unity of the

Spirit in the bond of peace'. The word for `endeavouring' is precisely the one Paul uses

in II Tim. 2: 15, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God". Perhaps here a better

translation would be `give diligence to keep the unity'. How careful we ought to be, both