The word “worthy” comes from the Greek word “axios,” which means, to weigh on a scale and bring to balance. When used in everyday Greek language it applied to anything that corresponded to equal value. For example, a laborer who was worthy of his pay was someone whose work paralleled his day’s wages. In the New Testament, the word is used of believers whose walk corresponds to their Christian calling. A believer is someone whose daily living should match up with what God requires of him in the Bible. To walk worthily then is to live according to God’s standard. To live in a manner that is commendable to God. However, if you don’t live that way you are not worthy to be called a Christian.
The adverb is used in Ephesians 4:1-4:
1 I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
The reason the Apostle Paul urges the Ephesians to walk worthy is that some were not. He wanted them to honor the office of a Christian. He wanted their lifestyle to be worthy of their high calling as God’s children. That means they needed to demonstrate virtues in their lives. He mentions several of these virtues in verses 3 and 4, which correspond to the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Colossians 1:10 says something similar,
that you may have a walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.
Our life before God must be representative of His definition of a believer. A born-again believer pleases God, in fact they make it their aim to be fully pleasing to Him (2 Corinthians 5:9). They also bear fruit, just like Jesus said, a good tree will bear good fruit (Matthew 7:17-18). And then Paul says a believer who fulfills his calling will increase in their knowledge of God. They will grow spiritually in the grace and knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
Jesus even goes a step further and tells us that we must be willing to suffer, if necessary, if we are going to be His disciples. He explained in Matthew 10:37-38,
37 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.
Jesus says that our love for Him should be so great that compared to our love for family, it pales. He also says if we are not willing to take up our crosses than we are not “worthy” of Him. The cross implies death. When Christ says to take up the cross, He is referring to any type of suffering that comes while walking with Him, including martyrdom. Christians certainly have a high calling and anyone who desires to follow Christ must first count the cost (Luke 14:26-33).
Scripture Reference
Unity of the Spirit
1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,
2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,
3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.
18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.”
37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”
26 “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.
27 “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.
28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?
29 “Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who observe it begin to ridicule him,
30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
31 “Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to encounter the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
32 “Or else, while the other is still far away, he sends delegation and asks for terms of peace.
33 “So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.
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