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.”
We now come to the one of the most powerful—and most important—verses in all of scripture. This verse marks the transition from the doctrinal section into the practical section of the book of Ephesians. Settle in for this, because we are going to focus on and dig deep into this verse for several days.
Where the first three chapters of Ephesians focus on who we are in Christ, the final three chapters focus on how we are to live in response to who we are. In Chapters 1-3 all of the verbs are in the indicative (statements of fact). In Chapters 4-6 most of the verbs are in the imperative (directives and commands).
What the Lord calls us to do in Chapters 4-6 is based on who we are in Christ as described in Chapters 1-3. Our position in Christ is the foundation for our practice. Orthodoxy is the foundation for orthopraxy. The message that Paul is communicating is that the effective Christian life requires faithful doctrine + faithful discipline.
Doctrine focuses on knowing and believing God’s truth. The emphasis is:
- Truth and correct theology.
- Principles and teaching.
- Orthodoxy
- Habits of the mind
“But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.” (Titus 2:1)
“He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1.9)
However, we must not emphasize doctrine at the expense of discipline. Doctrine without discipline creates:
- Declarations without discipleship
- Sit, soak, and sour
- Faith without works
- Spiritual passivity
- Self-righteousness
- Hypocrisy
- Loss of credibility and loss of trust
- Rationalization
- Greater willingness to fight for convictions than to live them
- Too much talk and rhetoric.
Discipline focuses on doing and living God’s truth. The emphasis is:
- How you behave. Conforming your behavior to God’s truth.
- Application and action
- Training and practice
- Orthopraxy
- Habits of behavior
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14.15)
However, must not emphasize discipline at the expense of doctrine. Discipline without doctrine creates:
- Unguided missile
- Works without faith
- Self-driven activity
- Self-righteousness
- Legalism
- No reference point for action. No guiding purpose.
- Rationalization
- Greater willingness to take action than to do hard work of theology
- Ready, fire, aim
Again, orthodoxy is the foundation for orthopraxy. The message that Paul is communicating is that the effective Christian life requires faithful doctrine + faithful discipline.
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22)
