SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:1
¶ Yo, pues, preso en el Seor, os ruego que andis como es digno de la vocacin con que sois llamados;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ephesians 4:1
Verse 1. I therefore] Therefore, because God has provided for you such an abundant salvation, and ye have his testimonies among you, and have full liberty to use all the means of grace; The prisoner of the Lord] Who am deprived of my liberty for the Lord's sake. Beseech you that ye walk] Ye have your liberty, and may walk; I am deprived of mine, and cannot. This is a fine stroke, and wrought up into a strong argument. You who are at large can show forth the virtues of him who called you into his marvellous light; I am in bondage, and can only exhort others by my writing, and show my submission to God by my patient suffering.
The vocation wherewith ye are called] The calling, klhsiv, is the free invitation they have had from God to receive the privileges of the Gospel, and become his sons and daughters, without being obliged to observe Jewish rites and ceremonies. Their vocation, or calling, took in their Christian profession, with all the doctrines, precepts, privileges, duties, &c., of the Christian religion.
Among us, a man's calling signifies his trade, or occupation in life; that at which he works, and by which he gets his bread; and it is termed his calling, because it is supposed that God, in the course of his providence, calls the person to be thus employed, and thus to acquire his livelihood.
Now, as it is a very poor calling by which a man cannot live, so it is a poor religion by which a man cannot get his soul saved. If, however, a man have an honest and useful trade, and employ himself diligently in labouring at it, he will surely be able to maintain himself by it; but without care, attention, and industry, he is not likely to get, even by this providential calling, the necessaries of life. In like manner, if a man do not walk worthy of his heavenly calling, i.e. suitable to its prescriptions, spirit, and design, he is not likely to get his soul saved unto eternal life. The best trade, unpractised, will not support any man; the most pure and holy religion of the Lord Jesus, unapplied, will save no soul. Many suppose, because they have a sound faith, that all is safe and well: as well might the mechanic, who knows he has a good trade, and that he understands the principles of it well, suppose it will maintain him, though he brings none of its principles into action by honest, assiduous, and well- directed labour.
Some suppose that the calling refers to the epithets usually given to the Christians; such as children of Abraham, children of God, true Israel of God, heirs of God, saints, fellow citizens with the saints, &c., &c.; and that these honourable appellations must be a strong excitement to the Ephesians to walk worthy of these exalted characters But I do not find that the word klhsiv, calling, is taken in this sense any where in the New Testament; but that it has the meaning which I have given it above is evident from 1 Cor. vii. 20: ekastov en th klhsei h eklhqh, en tauth menetw? Let every man abide in the calling to which he hath been called. The context shows that condition, employment, or business of life, is that to which the apostle refers.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you , &c.] Or in the Lord; that is, for the Lord's sake; (See Gill on Ephesians 3:1). Some connect this phrase, in the Lord, with the following word, beseech: as if the sense was, that the apostle entreated the believing Ephesians, in the name of the Lord, and for his sake, to take heed to their walk and conversation, that it be as became the calling by grace, and to glory, with which they were called: and this exhortation he enforces from the consideration of the state and condition in which he was, a prisoner, not for any wickedness he had been guilty of, but for the Lord's sake, which seems to be the true sense of the word; and that, if they would not add afflictions to his bonds, as some professors by their walk did, he beseeches them, as an ambassador in bonds, that they would attend to what he was about to say; and the rather, since such doctrines of grace had been made known to them, which have a tendency to promote powerful godliness; and since they were made partakers of such privileges as laid them under the greatest obligation to duty, which were made mention of in the preceding chapters. That ye walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye are called ; by which is meant, not that private and peculiar state and condition of life, that the saints are called to, and in: but that calling, by the grace of God, which is common to them all; and is not a mere outward call by the ministry of the word, with which men may be called, and not be chosen, sanctified, and saved; but that which is internal, and is of special grace, and by the Spirit of God; by whom they are called out of darkness into light, out of bondage into liberty, out of the world, and from the company and conversation of the men of it, into the fellowship of Christ, and his people, to the participation of the grace of Christ here, and to his kingdom and glory hereafter; and which call is powerful, efficacious, yea, irresistible; and being once made is unchangeable, and without repentance, and is holy, high, and heavenly. Now to walk worthy of it, or suitable to it, is to walk as children of the light; to walk in the liberty wherewith Christ and his Spirit make them free; to walk by faith on Christ; and to walk in the ways of God, with Christ, the mark, in their view, and with the staff of promises in their hands; and to walk on constantly, to go forwards and hold out unto the end: for this walking, though it refers to a holy life and conversation, a series of good works, yet it does not suppose that these merit calling; rather the contrary, since these follow upon it; and that is used as an argument to excite unto them: but the phrase is expressive of a fitness, suitableness, and agreeableness of a walk and conversation to such rich grace, and so high an honour conferred on saints.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-6 - Nothing is pressed more earnestly in the Scriptures, than to walk a becomes those called to Christ's kingdom and glory. By lowliness understand humility, which is opposed to pride. By meekness, tha excellent disposition of soul, which makes men unwilling to provoke and not easily to be provoked or offended. We find much in ourselve for which we can hardly forgive ourselves; therefore we must not be surprised if we find in others that which we think it hard to forgive There is one Christ in whom all believers hope, and one heaven they ar all hoping for; therefore they should be of one heart. They had all on faith, as to its object, Author, nature, and power. They all believe the same as to the great truths of religion; they had all been admitte into the church by one baptism, with water, in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, as the sign of regeneration. I all believers God the Father dwells, as in his holy temple, by his Spirit and special grace.
Greek Textus Receptus
παρακαλω 3870 5719 ουν 3767 υμας 5209 εγω 1473 ο 3588 δεσμιος 1198 εν 1722 κυριω 2962 αξιως 516 περιπατησαι 4043 5658 της 3588 κλησεως 2821 ης 3739 εκληθητε 2564 5681
Vincent's NT Word Studies
1. In the Lord. See on Philip. i. 14.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
4:1 {Wherewith ye were called} (hes ekleqete). Attraction of the relative hs to the genitive of the antecedent klesews (calling) from the cognate accusative hen with ekleqete (first aorist passive indicative of kalew, to call. For the list of virtues here see #Col 3:12. To anecomenoi allelwn (#Col 3:13) Paul here adds "in love" (en agapei), singled out in #Col 3:14.
