    Today’s passage is important to the life of a Christian because it is framed in a single idea, and that idea is action. Ephesians 4:1 begins with this idea. The word PERIPATEW, meaning ‘conduct of life’ in Greek, is alternately translated ‘to walk’ as in ‘to act in accordance with’ or ‘to live’. Whether the word is translated to walk or to live, the idea is simply the same: as Christians, we are supposed to do something as a result of our faith.
    Paul then goes on to explain exactly what this doing is supposed to be. In fact, he sums up his thoughts in verses 5:1-2 in this statement: imitate Christ. This is not some kind of subjective ‘what would Jesus do’ kind of command. To the contrary, Paul tells us that the Christian life is to be composed of humility, gentleness, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, hope, unity, labor, and love. Each of these are actions that we are to apply to everything we do everyday, not because this application saves us but because this application helps us strive to be like the One who saved us.
    Faith is about receiving salvation as a free gift, there is no doubt, but that free gift not only saves us from our sins, but also gives us a new life, a life meant to be lived. Living is an action we commit everyday, and these verses give us a guide as to what that action should look like. If we dedicate ourselves toward these actions, how can our faith not grow and our testimony be spread? And that is what God would have us do with our free gift of faith, grow and spread.
DLH
