Please give me a job description

by Emma Strelan Werner

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Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).

Read Ephesians 4:25–32

Allow me to pull out my ‘I learnt a tiny bit of biblical Greek’ card for a moment to point out some cheeky wordplay from Paul in this passage. In verse 32, the Greek word for ‘be kind’ is chrestos – strikingly similar to the Greek for Christ. So, when Paul tells us to ‘be kind’ to one another, perhaps he’s hinting that we ought to also ‘be Christ’ to one another. After all, that is, in fact, what we still call ourselves as Christians – our job is to be little Christs.

But there’s nothing I fear more than being given a job title with no blueprint or direction for what doing that role actually looks like. Perhaps many Christians have found that once they put their faith in Jesus and are told they are a new creation in him, they have no idea what that even means in practice!

Well, thankfully, we get a job description for a ‘new creation’ right here in Ephesians.

A new person in Christ:

• tells the truth (verse 25)
• knows when to let go of anger so it doesn’t lead to sin (verse 26)
• works honestly and gives generously (verse 28)
• speaks for the building up, not tearing down of others (verse 29)
• lives in a way that does not grieve the Holy Spirit (verse 30)
• controls emotions that lead to hurting others (verse 31)
• seeks to show the same kindness that God has shown them (verse 32).

This can be a nice list to spend some time considering: ‘In which area can I be more Christ-like right now?’ But, in all these things, a theme becomes evident: as Christians, the needs of others are to be our first concern, and Christ is the greatest example of that.

There’s one thing even better than a job description: having the person who did that job before you demonstrate what it looks like.

When we struggle to know what ‘being Christ’ looks like in a specific situation and can’t find a Bible verse giving us the answer, we can turn to Christ as our example. I don’t have to forge my own path ahead as a Christian, even in this ever-changing world, because Christ goes before me.

Lord Jesus, thank you for demonstrating love perfectly. Give me a hunger to know you more, so that more and more of you shines out of me. Bring to my attention where I can be living better as your new creation today. Amen.

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