Is anyone ever “worthy” of the Lord? On a human standpoint, no one has been or ever will be worthy. We do not deserve salvation. We always fall short of the glory of God. All of us are sinners. The Christian is one who is a sinner saved by grace. Outside of the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are doomed to a “devil’s hell.” But, praise the Lord that God so loved us that he had a plan that would redeem fallen mankind.
What does Paul mean in Colossians 1:10 where he writes: “that you may walk worthy of the Lord…?” Perhaps a better way saying it is that we are to walk in an worthy manner. We are admonished in God’s Word to look to Jesus as our example in all things. The realization that we are “in Christ,” and therefore redeemed by the blood of the Lamb should not make us haughty and proud. We should never think we are better than any one.
In Col. 1:10 and in Ephesians 4:1 we get some explanation on what it means to walk worthy of the Lord. The Colossian passage says that the goal of walking worthy of the Lord is that we are to live lives that are pleasing to Him. The result of that kind of a life is one that is a fruitful and abounding life of loving service.
In Eph. 4:1 we read: “I, therefore the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called.” If we just had verse 1 we would not know how to “walk worthy.” But we have Eph. 4:2-3 to give some insight on what it means for “An Approved Servant of the Lord” to walk in a worthy manner for the Lord Jesus.
We are to be a people who are not haughty; a people who do not think we are better than others. We must be those who are humble and gentle in our dealings with others. Most of all, we are to bear with others in love. We must also strive to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
Remember, we called our a domain of darkness into the marvelous light of the Gospel. We must practice what we preach. We must live out our life’s daily as we seek to be draw near to the Lord Jesus.
-Larry Miles, Louisville, KY November 29, 2013
