In Ephesians 4:1-3 (NIV), the Apostle Paul writes, “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

In Philippians 1:27 (NIV), Paul says, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.” He makes similar statements elsewhere in his writings, including 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 and 2 Thessalonians 1:11.

Paul expounds on this matter in Colossians 1:9-12 (NIV) where he writes, “Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.”

What is “a life worthy of the calling you have received?” What calling have we received? If we were to study these verses in depth, we would learn that Paul is talking about our salvation through and in Jesus Christ. If we claim to have received this salvation, then there are certain expectations placed on us.

The Amplified Bible helps us better understand this in the way Ephesians 4:1 is translated. It says that we are to live “a life that exhibits godly character, moral courage, personal integrity, and mature behavior — a life that expresses gratitude to God for your salvation.”

What actions and attitudes does Paul associate with living a life worthy of the Lord? If we look to all of the above passages, we can generate a list of such actions and attitudes. Of course, this list is not exhaustive, but it provides a good starting point.

Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient. Bear with one another in love. Keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Bear fruit. Grow in the knowledge of God. Be strengthened by God so that we may endure and be patient. Be joyful. Be thankful.

The items on this list sound very much like those on the list of the fruit of the Spirit given to us in Galatians 5:22-23 — “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

This leads us to conclude that living “a life worthy of the calling you have received” entails bearing much fruit for God and his kingdom. This ties in well with Jesus’ words in John 15 where he says that he is the vine, and we are the branches.

In verse 8 (NIV), he declares, “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.“ In Matthew 7:15-20, Jesus further proclaims that people will be known or identified by their fruit.

With these things in mind, each of us must ask ourselves the following questions. Am I bearing the spiritual fruit that God desires for me to produce? Are others able to identify me as a follower of Christ based on the fruit that I bear? Am I truly living a life worthy of the Lord and his calling, salvation, and gospel? If not, what steps must I take, with God’s help, to correct this?