Sold Out Christians. Part 2

Ephesians 4:1-3

Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Matching Lifestyle with Profession of Faith

The purpose of this passage is that we have a specific responsibility to match our lifestyle with our profession of faith. Take your private life—the personal you that nobody else has access to, the you behind closed doors—and match it with what you do in public. If you profess to be a believer in Jesus Christ, a specific responsibility follows.

After basking in the glory of Ephesians 1-3—the promises of predestination, salvation from deadness in sin, regeneration, and the mysteries revealed—there's a risk. We could hear those truths and think, "I'm perfectly okay; it doesn't matter how I live." But Paul counters that temptation here. Salvation is of God, yet if Ephesians 1-3 is your reality, Ephesians 4-6 is the lifestyle you live.

You're not just predestined to salvation; you're predestined to the good works God prepared for you. There's hypocrisy in claiming salvation while living contrary to it. Paul implores: walk in a manner worthy of the calling. You've been called to a specific lifestyle, saved for a specific purpose. Without this lifestyle, we question if salvation has genuinely taken place.

This passage assures us: if humility, gentleness, patience, and tolerance mark your life, you can be confident in your salvation. If absent, don't condemn yourself—be encouraged to live worthy of your calling. This text speaks directly to you: you've been called; live it. These are tools for a life of joy and greatness, hindered only by pride and selfishness.

Humility, Gentleness, Patience, and Tolerance

To walk this way requires humility, gentleness, patience, and tolerance. Humility sees God's immensity and your creatureliness, putting God first—His desires, commands, and view of you over your own.

Gentleness, patience, and tolerance mean putting others in this room as more important than yourself. Tolerance isn't embracing self-estimation but enduring lovingly, hoping the gospel transforms them into Christ's image. Endure with gentleness and patience, preaching the gospel relentlessly.

> Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. (Matthew 7, implied)

This isn't about stopping gospel preaching when rejected—maintain holiness, but preach relentlessly, like Ezekiel: whether they listen or not. Be irritating to the lost; light cannot coexist with darkness.

> What fellowship has light with darkness? (1 John 1 principle)

A humble, pro-God attitude puts God's perspective first. Wisdom sees the world as God does. Jesus said:

> If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)

Deny yourself—say no to yourself. This is self-control, essential for following Christ. No one is born with it; Ephesians 2 shows we're dead in sin. Cry to God for help; He gives life to say no. The hardest battle is saying no to self—relationships, activities, desires. It takes the cross to mortify the flesh.

Humility: God is more important than you are to you. Practice saying no when alone; these are life-and-death matters. Humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance—these belong to eternal life.

Preserving Unity in the Bond of Peace

These traits are impossible alone; they're accomplished through the Spirit, trusting Christ's work. You're justified, counted righteous, freed to live by His life in you.

You're never meant to be a Christian alone. You're saved into community:

> Being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:3)

Peace means ceasefire with God or contentment amid circumstances. Unity with believers helps you endure life's trials. Rejecting others keeps you in sin's clutches. Confess sins to one another for healing.

> Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders... and let them pray over him... Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. (James 5)

> Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty... For this reason many are weak and sick... (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)

> While I kept silence, my bones wasted away... I acknowledged my sin to you... (Psalm 32)

Unity combats sin's misery. Your sin affects the whole body—like leaven leavening the lump. Public sins damage Christ's name and the group.

A true Christian isn't a hypocrite; we confess sin, cling to Christ's righteousness, abandoning self-righteousness. Hypocrisy is legalism—professing your own righteousness while living otherwise, like Pharisees: whitewashed tombs boasting externally.

Be real: say no to sin—pornography, immorality, drunkenness—and yes to what pleases God. Align your life with your calling to eternal hope.

Having Each Other's Backs

This produces tight unity, protecting from sin. Have each other's backs with the gospel, not judgment. Limit yourself for others—modest clothing, careful words. Get to know everyone, seeing them more important than yourself. No divisions: no Jew/Greek, slave/free, male/female—only Christian, brother/sister in Christ.

> There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)

Sin alienates; gospel unites through humility.

Questions for Reflection

• Are you diligently seeking to match public and private life? Are you diligent to see others and God as more important?
• Do you seek your pleasure or God's? Does displeasing God prick your conscience? Does pleasing Him excite you?
• Are you concerned for other Christians' well-being—youth, persecuted believers, the lost? Are you a relentless evangelist with the gospel remedy?