Ephesians 4-6 is not a to-do list for how to become a Christian.

Ephesians 4-6 is not a to-do list for how to become a Christian. As Ephesians 2:1-10 says, we cannot merit our salvation. We are saved by grace, and then God gives us good works to do in response to the gospel.  If one never hears repentance for the forgiveness of sins then all good works become to-do lists in order to be saved.  The good works in the New Testament are not binding law.  They are marks of a disciple who has already repented and continues to repent daily.  We look at them to see how we are doing as saved Christians, not as a how-to manual to become saved Christians.  If a church does not preach repentance in the shed blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sins, then the good works in the New Testament become law for the congregation and they get mired down in a works-based religion again.