Ephesians 4.1
“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.”
God calls you to excellence. He calls you personally and decisively to a life that reflects his character. The Lord calls you to excellence not according to the world’s standards, but according to his standards.
This is what Paul means when he admonishes us to “live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” The word for “worthy” is the Greek axios. Axios means “weighing as much as, of like value, worth as much.” A good picture of axios is a set of scales that balance so that the weight of the item on one side corresponds to the weight of the standard on the other side.
When the item on one side of the scale meets the standard—that is, corresponds to the weight—on the other side of the scale, it is said to be axios. We could translate Ephesians 4.1 this way: “I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life that meets the standards of the calling to which you have been called.”
An axios life is one that is lived in alignment with the character of Christ. It is living and working in a way that corresponds to God’s standards. Before we say something or do something, we should stop and ask, “Is this axios? Does it align with God’s standards? Is it worthy of the life to which God calls me?”
It is worth noting that the axios message—the call to the excellence of God’s standards—is repeated in several books of the bible.
“Let your manner of life be worthy (axios) of the gospel of Christ.” (Philippians 1:27)
“Walk in a manner worthy (axios) of the Lord”. (Colossians 1:10)
“Repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy (axios) of repentance.” (Acts 26:20)
“Walk in a manner worthy (axios) of God.” (1 Thessalonians 2:12)
It is critical to understand that for those who believe in Jesus Christ, “the scale of salvation” has already been balanced by God’s grace in Christ. The gospel is that none of us is worthy of God’s saving work on our behalf—not any part of it. We have worth because we are created in God’s image and likeness, but because of our sin, which is a condition or disposition and not merely an individual act, we are unworthy of God’s mercy and grace.
“None is righteous, no, not one … for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3.10, 23)
Any righteousness we have before God or even within ourselves from God, is a gift of grace. It is not something of which we are worthy. As Romans 3.23 says, we have fallen short of God’s standards of righteousness. We have missed the mark.
There is no work we can do that can compensate for or equal the “weight” of our sin. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6.23), and the payment for sin has been made by Christ’s death on the cross. As Paul teaches in Ephesians 2.8-9, our salvation is by grace through faith and not the result of works. God calls us to receive the gift of salvation by faith.
Ephesians 4.1, on the other hand, focuses on how you respond to the gift of salvation that God has given and that you have received by faith. It is the call of Christ to a life that reflects the reality of your salvation, aligns with the standards of his character, and flows from the presence of his grace and power in your life.
Jesus calls us to excellence. He calls us to live an axios life that aligns with his character. Responding to his call requires the continuous process of developing a Christ-like character. That is the topic to which we will turn next week.
