To Be Worthy Of The Calling
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At Ephesians the sixth chapter, Paul the apostle began at verse fourteen to describe the proverbial "Christian armor" a person must employ to successfully overcome the onslaught of temptation brought by the devil.
He ordered the girting of the loins with truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the shodding of the feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. In addition to these was the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God.
However, the list did not end here. Paul then admonished the brethren to take frequent advantage of prayer; not only for self, but for others as well. It’s certainly good advice, and some that Paul practiced himself.
For example, at Second Thessalonians the first chapter, Paul remarked at verse eleven that he prayed always for the brethren. Of the specific items for which Paul prayed was that the brethren would be worthy of the calling to be a Christian.
Our understanding of grace leads us to understand that no one can be worthy of Christ in the strictest sense of the word, for mortal beings cannot achieve such a level of spiritual quality on their own to be deserving of Heaven’s rewards.
Rather, worthiness of the Christian calling involves a compliance with the will of God in obedience to Him. Under these circumstances, God grants a man reconciliation with the Divine standards.
At Ephesians the fourth chapter, Paul shows that one must acknowledge the single nature of the body of Christ, which is the church, as well as the "oneness" of the Holy Spirit, the Lord Himself, the Christian faith, the baptism of the New Testament which is prescribed for all obedient believers, and the single nature of God the Father.
All these are accepted with the proper demonstrations of Christian character Paul listed in verses two and three of that chapter. This done, one becomes candidate for the Lord in him to fulfill all His good pleasure as the Christian demonstrates his faith with spiritual power.