THEREFORE I, THE PRISONER OF THE LORD, IMPLORE YOU:  Parakalo (1SPAI) oun humas ego o desmios en kurio: (3:1)  (Jeremiah 38:20; Romans 12:1; 1 Corinthians 4:16; 2 Corinthians 5:20; 6:1; 10:1; Galatians 4:12; Philemon 1:9,10; 1 Peter 2:11; 2 John 1:5)

Therefore (3767)(oun) is a term of conclusion. In context, Paul is saying that you Gentiles have been blessed with every spiritual blessing. You were once spiritually dead in your sins but are now alive in Christ. You once were far off from Christ, country (citizenship), covenants of promise, hope and God, but now you have been brought near by the blood of Christ, Who is your peace and Who has broken down the enmity between you and the Jews, making you both into one body or one new man, both now being reconciled to God because Christ put to death the enmity on the Cross. Furthermore you are no longer strangers and aliens, but are in the family of God, are a building of God, a holy Temple of God and a dwelling of God. Not to mention that you are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body and fellow partakers of the promise. And besides all these spiritual blessings, I have prayed for you to be enlightened to these truths and to be empowered by the Spirit. So you have the truth and you have the power. Now walk worthy of this high calling in Christ Jesus!

Therefore marks the transition from positional to practical truth, from principle to practice. Right practice must always be based on right principle. It is impossible to have a Christian life–style without knowing the realities of the life that Christ has provided.

Someone has said that at this juncture Paul turns from from the credenda of the things to be believed to the agenda of the things to be done.

Belief always precedes behavior. The Christian life is not based on ignorance but knowledge, and the better we understand Bible doctrine, the easier it is to obey Bible duties. When people say, “Don’t talk to me about doctrine—just let me live my Christian life!” they are revealing their ignorance of the way the Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer.

We must think rightly if we are to act appropriately.

On the other hand if we think wrongly, our actions will end up being wrong no matter how sincere our wrong thinking!

Ephesians 1-3 describes how God sees us in Christ and Ephesians 4-6, how the world should see Christ in us.

Ruth Paxson puts it this way...

Ephesians I-III has given us a revelation of our wealth in Christ. Wealth is never to be hoarded, but rather kept in circulation, that it may minister to the needs of all. The wealth of the Christian should be manifest in his walk. This revelation of divine truth becomes fruitful only as it is transmuted into life. Revelation must eventuate into realization; illumination into application.

One of the brightest converts of a Gospel Mission had become a backslider. In an interview with him, he thought he would gladden my heart by telling me that he believed everything in the Bible from Genesis through Revelation. The only reply that seemed applicable was, "If you believe it, then why do you not live it?" When a friend was speaking to the prisoners in Sing Sing prison, one prisoner said to her very boastfully, "I would have you know that I did not come in here as these other fellows did. I came in here a Christian." My friend quietly replied, "I am very sorry that being a Christian did not keep you out of here." The more we know the truth and believe it, the greater is our responsibility to live it. Head knowledge must become heart experience. Consistency in his daily walk should be the vital concern of the Christian.

Ephesians I-III tells us how God sees us in Christ in the heavenlies; IV-VI, how men should see Christ in us on earth. They unfold with crystal clearness the sevenfold walk of the Christian which is the divine standard for every Christian's life. (The Wealth Walk and Warfare of the Christian. Page 85. Revell Publishing)

Warren Wiersbe observes that...

All of Paul’s letters contain a beautiful balance between doctrine and duty, and Ephesians is the perfect example. The first three chapters deal with doctrine, our riches in Christ, while the last three chapters explain duty, our responsibilities in Christ. The key word in this last half of the book is walk (Eph 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15), while the key idea in the first half is wealth. In these last three chapters, Paul admonishes us to walk in unity (Eph. 4:1-6), purity (Eph 4:17-5:17), harmony (Eph. 5:18–6:9), and victory (Eph 6:10-24).  These four “walks” perfectly parallel the basic doctrines Paul has taught us in the first three chapters. (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)

Therefore walk the talk, beloved Gentiles! Below is the same idea in summary fashion...

In Paul's benediction which immediately precedes this verse he writes...

"To Him be the glory in the church..." (see note Ephesians 3:21)

And then he immediately implores the church to walk worthy of their calling. Clearly these are related ideas because when believers walk worthy they fulfill one of their purposes as recorded in the Sermon on the Mount to...

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (See note Matthew 5:16)

In other words when a formerly godless, hopeless, Christless idol worshiping  Gentile walks worthy of their calling it testifies that there is a God and in this way gives Him glory. The world then receives a proper opinion of our great God and Father when they see His good works in and through His family members, His children.

Ruth Paxson explains therefore this way...

Therefore" does not indicate the commencement of something altogether new, but rather the consequence of what has preceded. Here it does not present a change of thought, but a call to prove the reality of our wealth through the rightness of our walk. "To turn from the doctrinal to the practical is not a break or a breach. There is no divorcement between Christian doctrine and Christian doing." The condition of the Christian must harmonize with his position. Being in Christ he should grow up into Christ. (Ibid)

Lloyd-Jones considers the therefore as an introduction to sanctification writing that the great doctrinal truths in chapters 1-3...

are things that promote sanctification, that encourage sanctification, and give us motives for sanctification; but they are not sanctification itself. (Lloyd-Jones, D. M. Exposition of  Ephesians in 8 Vol. Baker Book or Logos Version)

John Eadie writes that...

But doctrine has been expounded ere duty is enforced. Instructions as to change of spiritual relation precede exhortations as to change of life. It is in vain to tell the dead man to rise and walk, till the principle of animation be restored. One must be a child of God before he can be a servant of God. Pardon and purity, faith and holiness, are indissolubly united. Ethics therefore follow theology. And now the apostle first proceeds to enjoin the possession of such graces as promote and sustain the unity of the church, the members of which are “rooted and grounded in love”—a unity which, as he is anxious to show, is quite compatible with variety of gift, office, and station... The retrospective ou\n refers us to the preceding paragraph—Christian privilege or calling being so rich and full, and his prayer for them being so fervent and extensive. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians)

Barnes explains the therefore this way...

"Such being your exalted privileges; since God has done so much for you; since he has revealed for you such a glorious system; since he has bestowed on you the honour of calling you into his kingdom, and making you partakers of his mercy, I entreat you to live in accordance with these elevated privileges, and to show your sense of his goodness by devoting your all to his service."  (Albert Barnes. Barnes NT Commentary)

As William MacDonald writes...

The position into which grace has lifted us was the dominant theme up to now. From here on it will be the practical outworking of that position. Our exalted standing in Christ calls for corresponding godly conduct. So it is true that Ephesians moves from the heavenlies in chapters 1-3, to the local church, to the home, and to general society in chapters 4-6. As Stott has pointed out, these closing chapters teach that “we must cultivate unity in the church, purity in our personal lives, harmony in our homes and stability in our combat with the powers of evil.” (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson)

I - here Paul clearly testifies he is the author of this letter.

Prisoner (1198) (desmios from desméo = bind from desmos = bind, chain) is a captive or one who is bound or who is in bonds. Paul became the Lord’s prisoner on the road to Damascus and never sought to be free of that divine imprisonment. He may be reminding his readers of his imprisonment to present them a realistic picture of what he was willing to go through to “walk worthy” as a model to them, and what it might cost them to walk worthy.

Compare Ephesians 3:1

For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles

John Eadie comments that Paul's...

writing to them while he was in chains proved the deep interest he took in them and in their spiritual welfare—showed them that his faith in Jesus, and his love to His cause, were not shaken by persecution—that the iron which lay upon his limb had not entered into his soul—and that his apostolic prerogative was as intact, his pastoral anxiety as powerful, and his relation to the Lord as close and tender as when on his visit to them he disputed in the school of Tyrannus, or uttered his solemn and pathetic valediction to their elders at Miletus. Letters inspired by love in a dungeon might also have a greater charm than his oral address. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians)

MacArthur writes that...

By mentioning his imprisonment he gently reminds his readers that he knows the worthy Christian walk can be costly and that he has paid considerable cost himself because of his obedience to the Lord. He would not ask them to walk in a way in which he had not himself walked or pay a price that he himself was not willing to pay. His present physical circumstance seemed extremely negative from a human perspective, but Paul wanted his readers to know that this did not change his commitment to or his confidence in the Lord. (MacArthur, J: Ephesians. Chicago: Moody Press)

McGee comments that Paul...

is a “prisoner of the Lord.” He is a prisoner because of his position in Christ. Isn’t it interesting that Paul can be seated in the heavenlies in Christ and can also be seated in a prison because he was a witness for Christ to the Gentiles? (McGee, J V: Thru the Bible Commentary:  Thomas Nelson)

Theodoret comments that...

“What the world counted ignominy, he counts the highest honor, and he glories in his bonds for Christ, more than a king in his diadem.”

Of the Lord - not of Rome (which was the reality). But Paul walked not by sight (seeing Roman prison) but by faith (seeing His risen Lord) and with an eternal purpose, for he knew that his tribulations were not wasted but were for the sake of the Gentiles. This divine purpose gave him an eternal perspective on his afflictions.

This description is literally not "of the Lord" but "in the Lord". S Lewis Johnson explains that...

In the Greek text, it is not “of” but “in,” so he speaks of himself as the prisoner in the Lord. In other words, it is his relationship of vital communion to the Lord Jesus Christ that lends authority to what he is saying. He’s a prisoner alright, but he’s a prisoner in the Lord. So what he says is to be regarded as coming from someone who is in vital union with the Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the ancient church fathers said, “He glories in his chains more than a king in his diadem.” Paul had reason in the chains in which he found himself, because he was in those chains because of his testimony for Jesus Christ. A man has a perfect right to glory in the marks that mark him out as one who belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, if it is because of his relationship to the Lord. But of course if he suffers merely because he has been out of the will of God or has done something foolish, and as a Christian at the same time, then he has no right to glory in the things that have happened to him. Peter tells us that we ought to suffer as Christians in our suffering. So, the Apostle speaks of himself as a prisoner in the Lord. (Unity of the Body)

I implore you - I beseech you continually. I beg you continually. I am earnestly asking you. He is urging them in order to stimulate them to begin the process of progressive, step by step (like walking), sanctification (growth in holiness), growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He is saying in essence that truth demands an appropriate response. In other words a true understanding of Christian doctrine should stimulate a desire to live a holy life, the character of that life he will outline in these next 3 chapters.

Are you living in the light of the of the unfathomable riches of Christ which you are learning that you possess from your study in Ephesians? Are these great truths in Ephesians making any perceptible difference in your Christian life? If not, why not?

The truths about our heavenly position and possession are wonderful but Paul wants to make sure that these believers are not so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good to God and His work!

McGee makes an interesting observation of the flow of these first six verses writing that...

In his discussion of this walk of the believer, Paul speaks first to the individual. The individual is to walk in lowliness and meekness. Then he widens out to the entire church, which is one body and one spirit. Finally, he brings this passage to a great, tremendous crescendo, which pictures the eminence and transcendence of God. (Ibid)

Implore (3870 ) (parakaleo from para = side of + kaléo = call) means literally to call one alongside to help or give aid and conveys an intense feeling and strong desire. Because a person can be called alongside for many purposes, the word has a wide range of meanings. They include to entreat, appeal to, summon, comfort, exhort, or encourage.   In this context parakaleo is not simply a request but a plea, an imploring or begging.  The idea of implore is to beg earnestly or even desperately. Interestingly, the English word implore is from the Latin implorare meaning to "invoke with tears"! Paul wants the Gentile believers to be all they can be in Christ.

Parakaleo conveys a sense of warmth and personal concern but at the same time a sense of urgency. God could have inspired Paul to write this as a command, but instead is is presented as an entreaty, because God desires a grateful surrender of our will.

The present tense indicates that Paul that this was a lifestyle or mindset to continually come alongside these Gentiles, for he knew that was the call on his life. It is notable that Paul does not issue a command to walk worthy but based on the glorious truths that have brought them from far off to near he gently and tenderly appeals to them in the language of grace.

Regarding implore (beseech) Ruth Paxson writes...

Oh! the intensity of desire and the deep sense of responsibility which the aged apostle writes into that word "beseech!" He has already given them a marvellous revelation of their heavenly calling. Now with equal clarity he would show their responsibility for a corresponding conduct. It would well repay you to make a study of such words and phrases as "therefore," "wherefore," "for," "that," "as," "so," "let," "be ye," "be not ye," "see then," in Ephesians to see how Paul's appeals are always made on the ground of one's condition corresponding with one's position. "Ye are" -- "therefore be ye" -- is invariably the basis of Paul's appeal. (Ibid. Page 86)

Parakaleo is the same verb Paul uses in the beginning of his practical exhortations in Romans 12 writing...

I urge (parakaleo) you therefore (Paul uses "therefore" just as in Eph 4:1 to draw his reader's attention back to the preceding glorious truths), brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (see notes Romans 12:1; Romans 12:2) (Comment: Note also that Romans 12:2 parallels Paul's call in Ephesians 4:1 to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling...")

The English word "encourage" means “with heart” To encourage in a sense is to give them new heart. Shallow sympathy makes people feel worse-true spiritual encouragement makes them feel better. It brings out the best in people.)

The Prisoner of the Lord

The great Apostle called himself
"The prisoner of the Lord;"
He was not held by Roman chains
Nor kept in Caesar's ward;

Constrained by love alone,
By cords of kindness bound,
The bondslave of the living Christ,
True liberty he found.

Oh, happy those who see
In poverty and pain,
In weakness and in toil,
Their Father's golden chain;

Who feel no prison walls
Though shut in narrow ways,
And though in darkness fettered fast
Can still rejoice and praise;

From sin's dread bondage bought,
They own their Master's ward,
They bear the brand of Christ,
Blest prisoners of the Lord!
--Annie Johnson Flint

TO WALK IN A MANNER WORTHY OF THE CALLING WITH WHICH YOU HAVE BEEN CALLED:  axios peripatesai (AAN) tes kleseos es eklethete, (2PAPI):  (17; 5:2; Genesis 5:24; 17:1; Acts 9:31; Philippians 1:27; 3:17,18; Colossians 1:10; 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 4:1,2; Titus 2:10; Hebrews 13:21)  (4; Romans 8:28-30; Philippians 3:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:9; Hebrews 3:1; 1 Peter 3:9; 5:10; 2 Peter 1:3)

Eadie writes that...

Their calling, so high, so holy, and so authoritative, and which had come to them in such power, was to be honored by a walk in perfect correspondence with its origin and spirit, its claims and destiny. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians)

Walk worthy - is a call to walk on a plane commensurate with our heavenly position in Christ and our possession of every spiritual blessing in Christ. Our walk have an "equal weight" with the truth in chapters 1-3. Our calling and our conduct should be in balance. We do not become Christians by living the Christian life; rather, we are exhorted to live the Christian life because we are Christians, that our lives may measure up to our position in Christ. Paul's call for a worthy walk resonates throughout his epistles. The point is that it is not enough to just know the truth, but we must live it out...

Philippians 1:27 (note) Only conduct (peripateo) yourselves in a manner worthy (axios) of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; (Comment: Paul is exhorting the church at Philippi to live their lives like what they are -- citizens of heaven -- [see Phil 3:17 below] so their conduct in a sense "weighs as much as" the gospel they preach and the faith they profess. In other words, they are to see to it that they practice what they preach, that their experience measures up to their new standing as children of the King. We do not behave (or conduct ourselves in a certain way) in order to go to heaven, as though we could be saved by our good works, but we conduct ourselves because our names are already written in heaven, and our citizenship is in heaven.)

Philippians 3:17 (note) Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk (peripateo) according to the pattern you have in us. 3:18 For many walk (peripateo), of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, 3:19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.

Colossians 1:9 (note) For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 so that you may walk (peripateo) in a manner worthy (axios) of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

1Thessalonians 2:11 (note) just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, 12 so that you may walk (peripateo) in a manner worthy (axios) of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

To Walk (4043) (peripateo from peri = about, around + pateo = walk, tread) (Click word study on peripateo) means literally to go here and there or to tread all around.

Most NT uses are figurative referring to the daily conduct of one's life or how they order their behavior or pass their life. In the figurative sense then peripateo refers to one's habitual way or direction of life, and so to their life-style. In simple terms to walk in the Christian life pictures (1) activity and (2) an advance step by step.

We see this figurative use of peripateo throughout Paul's letters...

and (Abraham) the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. (See notes Romans 4:12) (Comment: although peripateo is not used this verse clearly illustrates the essential dynamic of the spiritual life which is pictured as a walk).

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk (peripateo) in newness (a brand new life heretofore unknown, "resurrection life" in resurrection power enabled by the indwelling Spirit of the living God) of life. (See note Romans 6:4)

for we walk by faith, not by sight (2Cor 5:7) (Comment: Although we cannot see Christ visibly today, we can live by faith in the reality of His presence in us and the certainty of all His promises concerning our future)

Peripateo used in a good sense by Luke describes Zacharias and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, as being

Ephesians 5:8 for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light (See note Ephesians 5:8)

Ephesians 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 5:16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil. (See note Ephesians 5:16)

In Colossians 4 Paul uses peripateo charging the saints to

We have previously told the incident of a man handing out tracts, a ministry, by the way, that takes much prayer and intelligence. A black man who could neither read nor write was handed a tract. He asked, “What is this?” When he was told it was a tract, he said, “Well I can’t read it; so I’ll watch your tracks.” That was the greatest short sermon this Christian could ever have had preached to him. Someone was watching his tracks.   (McGee, J V: Thru the Bible Commentary:  Nashville: Thomas Nelson) (Bolding added)

S Lewis Johnson writes...

There’s an old story about St. Francis of Assisi, who one morning said to the disciples that he was responsible for training, let’s go down into the village from the monastery and preach. And, according to this ancient story, St. Francis went out with a group of young men, they walked down from the monastery into the village, they walked through the streets of the village, they made contact with a number of people, primarily about the things of ordinary life. They walked up and down the few streets of the village, finally walked out of the village. Walked to the next little community and then finally made their way back to the monastery when one of the young men said, “But, sir, you said we were going