17.5 A Life Worthy of the Calling (Box 17.4)

Ephesians 4:1–6:18 offers these “dos and don’ts” with regard to Christian behavior.

Do

be humble and gentle (4:2)
be patient, bearing with one another in love (4:2)
make every effort to maintain unity and peace (4:3)
speak the truth in love to others in the body (4:15)
speak truth, not falsehood, to neighbors (4:25)
work honestly at manual labor (4:28)
be sufficiently productive to share with the needy (4:28)
speak only words that impart grace and edify others (4:29)
be kind to one another (4:32)
be tenderhearted, forgiving one another (4:32)
be imitators of God (5:1)
live in love, as Christ loved us (5:2)
offer thanksgiving (5:4)
try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord (5:10)
expose the secret and shameful works of darkness (5:11–12)
be careful to live wisely (5:15)
make the most of the time (5:16)
understand what the will of the Lord is (5:17)
be filled with the Spirit (5:18)
sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (5:19)
give thanks to God at all times and for everything (5:20)
be subject to one another in reverence for Christ (5:21)
be strong in the Lord and stand firm (6:10, 14)
pray at all times (6:18)

be tossed about by every wind of doctrine (4:14)
fall prey to people’s trickery, craftiness, or deceitful scheming (4:14)
pursue licentiousness or impure practices (4:19–20)
yield to lust (4:22)
let the sun go down on your anger (4:26)
make room for the devil (4:27)
steal (4:28)
let evil talk come out of your mouth (4:29)
grieve the Holy Spirit of God (4:30)
hold on to bitterness, wrath, anger, wrangling, slander, or malice (4:31)
even mention fornication, impurity of any kind, or greed (5:3)
make any allowance for obscene, silly, or vulgar talk (5:4)
let anyone deceive you with empty words (5:6)
associate with deceivers or the disobedient (5:7)
take part in the unfruitful works of darkness (5:11)
be foolish (5:17)
get drunk with wine (5:18)