THE ESSENCE OF BEING CHRISTLIKE

The apostle Paul was an example worthy of following because he continuously surrendered everything to the Lord. He lived what he preached, and to him it was, “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). At the beginning of the 4th chapter of the Epistle to the Ephesians, the apostle beseeched us to walk worthy of the calling we received to become God's children. The fact that he reminded the readers of the epistle that he was in prison for his faith in Jesus, reaffirms that he made no compromise in his relationship with the Lord to avoid suffering or cost. The exhortations offered by such a person is worth following! Let us not forget that Paul originally addressed those he had lived with and knew that he was telling them the truth about himself.
 

• Ephesians 4:1-3 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

 
What calling was Paul talking about? The original word in Greek for “calling” is “klḗsis,” and it means “calling; used of God inviting all people to receive His gift of salvation – with all His blessings that go with it.” And the original Greek word translated “worthy” is “axiós” and it means, “worthily (viewed as ‘becoming’); suitable because recognized as fitting (having worth that ‘matches’ actual value)” (according to “HELPS Word-studies”).
 
A behavior worthy of being a child of God, must be a behavior worthy of the calling to salvation received from the Lord, which is the opposite of pride and arrogance. The humble, respectful, modest, and decent attitude helps us to be gentle and long-suffering when needed. To be able to be humble, we need to realize that all that is good in us is Jesus, and that only through Him can we be righteous. Only when we live by the Holy Spirit, following His leading, do we allow His fruit to manifest in us and have long-suffering. Love and patience help us have the right attitude when things do not go our way or when those around us do not do as we please. Even though Paul originally addressed the Christians in Ephesus, his counsel is also for us. As believers, we must do our part to live in peace with each other, in unity through the Holy Spirit. Only between believers can the connection of the Spirit be preserved because every born-again Christian is a temple of the Holy Spirit. We try our best to live in peace with all people, as long as we please God. But unity with those in the world cannot be in the Holy Spirit, because He does not dwell in them. The true bond of peace can only be between believers, because peace is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.
 

• Colossians 1:10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

 
As we spend more time in the Lord's presence, we allow His fruit of love to manifest more in our hearts, and we’ll be more pleasing to the Lord. Love prompts us to do good deeds and gives us the desire to know God more, so that we know how to live according to His will.
 

• 1 Thessalonians 2:12 That you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

 
How could anyone think that it doesn't matter how we behave if we are God's children? We are not only called to belong to the Kingdom of God, but to also benefit from His glory, which is the manifestation of His presence, honor, and greatness. This means that we cannot act like those who belong to world and think that we are doing God's will.
 
The apostle Peter wonderfully summed up the essence of the life lived for the Lord, in the following verses:
 

• 2 Peter 1:3-10 As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

 
These verses have so much to say! We are able to please the Lord because we have His power, the Holy Spirit, who gives us true life and the ability to behave with respect and admiration for the Lord. Godliness means total dedication, a behavior full of reverence and gratitude towards God and we can have it only if the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts and we obey His promptings. Only by studying the Scriptures to know God the Father and His Son can we have true life, eternal life, as Jesus also said in John 17:3. We will live in the presence of the Lord forever if we know Him, Who is life itself and through Whom we exist. Because we cannot follow Jesus and the lusts of the sinful nature at the same time, we must choose. The Lord has called us to Himself, through the Holy Spirit, and shown us what His "great and precious" promises are. To become "partakers of the divine nature," we must have such a close fellowship with the Lord that we begin to resemble Him. By faith we can have real communication in our spirit with the Lord of our lives, but only after we escape “the corruption that is in the world through lust.” To be children of the Kingdom of Light, we cannot desire the things of the world where the devil rules. God wants to form His character in us, but only if we want it with all our hearts it will happen. When we want to be like Jesus, we do everything to unite our faith with action, that is, to act on the basis of faith and do what we know God's Word says. And because we know what pleases God, we can choose to restrain ourselves from what the Lord does not want us to do and be patient in order to become truly dedicated to the Lord, totally surrendered to Him. And when we have given everything to the Lord, we can love our fellow believers and show love to all people, wanting to help them come to Jesus and be saved. If we sincerely seek these things, we will draw closer to the Lord and know Him more and more, knowing without a doubt that He has cleansed us of our sins and that sin no longer has any power over us to cause us to fall back into its trap. If we earnestly seek to live this way, to strengthen our calling and choose to wholeheartedly follow Jesus, we will never stumble and will be with our Lord forever. And this is the most wonderful and blessed path! Thank You, Lord!
 
 
 
 
Carmen Pușcaș