What is the meaning of Ephesians 5:1? Be imitators of God “Be imitators of God” (Ephesians 5:1) lays out the call plainly: copy the character of the Father you worship. • Holiness: “For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy” (Leviticus 11:44). • Compassion: “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). • Love: “Walk in love, just as Christ loved us” (Ephesians 5:2). • Integrity: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). A life patterned after God is not optional; it is the natural outcome of knowing Him. therefore The word “therefore” connects this verse to what Paul has just written. • Ephesians 4:32 urges, “Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Imitation flows from forgiveness already received. • Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice.” The mercy shown compels the response of imitation. • Colossians 3:12 follows the same pattern: “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion.” “Therefore” reminds us that copying God is rooted in what He has done, not an attempt to earn His favor. as beloved children The motivation is relational: we imitate because we are “beloved children.” • Adoption: “You have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, ‘Abba, Father!’” (Romans 8:15). • Identity: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are” (1 John 3:1). • Assurance: “To all who received Him, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Children naturally mirror their parents. Because God has made us His own, the family resemblance should become increasingly visible. summary Ephesians 5:1 calls every believer, already loved and adopted, to reflect the holy, loving character of the Father. Rooted in the astounding grace laid out in the earlier chapters, we now respond by walking, speaking, and loving in ways that let the family likeness shine. |
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