Ephesians 5:1
Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children,
Be imitators of God
The Greek word for "imitators" is "mimētai," which is the root of the English word "mimic." This term suggests a deliberate and conscious effort to emulate or replicate the actions and character of another. In the context of Ephesians, Paul is urging believers to actively pursue a lifestyle that reflects God's holiness and love. Historically, the concept of imitation was significant in Greco-Roman culture, where students would learn by imitating their teachers. For Christians, God is the ultimate model, and this call to imitation is a call to holiness, righteousness, and love, reflecting the divine nature in our daily lives.

therefore
This word serves as a bridge, connecting the exhortation to imitate God with the preceding context in Ephesians 4, where Paul discusses the new life in Christ. The use of "therefore" indicates that the call to imitation is a logical conclusion of the transformation that believers undergo through the Holy Spirit. It emphasizes that this imitation is not an isolated command but a continuation of the ethical and spiritual renewal that Paul has been discussing.

as beloved children
The phrase "beloved children" is rich with theological significance. The Greek word for "beloved" is "agapētoi," which denotes a deep, unconditional love. This term is often used in the New Testament to describe the love God has for His people. By referring to believers as "beloved children," Paul is reminding them of their identity in Christ. This identity is not earned but is a gift of grace, rooted in the love of God the Father. The imagery of children also implies a relationship of intimacy and dependence, suggesting that just as children naturally imitate their parents, believers are to imitate God, their heavenly Father. This familial language reinforces the idea that our ability to imitate God stems from our relationship with Him, grounded in His love and grace.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Paul the Apostle
The author of the letter to the Ephesians, Paul was a key figure in the early Christian church, known for his missionary journeys and theological teachings.

2. Ephesus
A major city in Asia Minor, Ephesus was a center of commerce and culture. The Ephesian church was one of the early Christian communities to which Paul wrote.

3. God
The central figure whom believers are called to imitate, representing holiness, love, and righteousness.

4. Beloved Children
Refers to the believers in Christ, emphasizing their relationship with God as His cherished offspring.
Teaching Points
Imitation as a Form of Worship
Imitating God is an act of worship, reflecting His character in our daily lives. It is a response to His love and grace.

Understanding Our Identity
Recognizing ourselves as "beloved children" is crucial. This identity shapes our actions and attitudes, encouraging us to live in a way that honors God.

Practical Holiness
Imitating God involves practical steps towards holiness, such as loving others, practicing forgiveness, and living righteously.

The Role of the Holy Spirit
We cannot imitate God in our own strength. The Holy Spirit empowers us to reflect God's character and live according to His will.

Community and Accountability
Being part of a Christian community helps us grow in our imitation of God, providing support, encouragement, and accountability.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to be an "imitator of God" in your daily life, and how can you practically pursue this calling?

2. How does understanding your identity as a "beloved child" of God influence your actions and decisions?

3. In what ways can you rely on the Holy Spirit to help you imitate God more effectively?

4. How can being part of a Christian community aid you in your journey to imitate God?

5. Reflect on a specific area of your life where you feel challenged to imitate God. What steps can you take to address this challenge, and what scriptures can guide you?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:27
This verse speaks of humans being created in the image of God, which lays the foundation for the call to imitate God.

1 Peter 1:15-16
These verses echo the call to holiness, urging believers to be holy as God is holy, reinforcing the idea of imitation.

1 John 3:1
This verse highlights the love of God in calling us His children, which is the basis for our identity as "beloved children."
Christians Must Resemble GodT. Manton, D. D.Ephesians 5:1
Followers of GodH. J. Wilmot-Buxton, M. A.Ephesians 5:1
Followers of GodT. Croskery Ephesians 5:1
Following as ChildrenH. W. Beecher.Ephesians 5:1
Following GodPreacher's AnalystEphesians 5:1
God's ImitatorsAlexander MaclarenEphesians 5:1
Imitators of GodC. H. Spurgeon.Ephesians 5:1
Imitators of GodW. H. Aitken, M. A.Ephesians 5:1
Imitators of GodW.F. Adeney Ephesians 5:1
Imitators of God in Wisdom and PowerDean Vaughan.Ephesians 5:1
The Careful Walk of the ChristianMartin LutherEphesians 5:1
The Deity of Believers to Imitate GodJames Stratten.Ephesians 5:1
The Duty of Imitating GodP. McFarlan, D. D.Ephesians 5:1
Third Sunday in LentMartin LutherEphesians 5:1
Two Methods of Imitating GodS. T. S. Nonich.Ephesians 5:1
What to Imitate and to AvoidR. Finlayson Ephesians 5:1-14
The Love and the Wrath of God Enforcing MoralityR.M. Edgar Ephesians 5:1-16
People
Christians, Ephesians, Paul
Places
Ephesus
Topics
Beloved, Dear, Dearly, Desire, Followers, Imitators, Loved, Well-loved
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ephesians 5:1

     1085   God, love of
     5876   helpfulness
     7115   children of God

Ephesians 5:1-2

     2339   Christ, example of
     6746   sanctification, means and results
     7925   fellowship, among believers
     8115   discipleship, nature of
     8205   childlikeness
     8206   Christlikeness
     8217   conformity
     8241   ethics, basis of
     8245   ethics, incentives
     8435   giving, of oneself
     8449   imitating
     8475   self-denial

Ephesians 5:1-3

     8444   honouring God

Library
January 1. "Redeeming the Time" (Eph. v. 16).
"Redeeming the time" (Eph. v. 16). Two little words are found in the Greek version here. They are translated "ton kairon" in the revised version, "Buying up for yourselves the opportunity." The two words ton kairon mean, literally, the opportunity. They do not refer to time in general, but to a special point of time, a juncture, a crisis, a moment full of possibilities and quickly passing by, which we must seize and make the best of before it has passed away. It is intimated that there are not
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

June 27. "Be Filled with the Spirit" (Eph. v. 18).
"Be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. v. 18). Some of the effects of being filled with the Spirit are: 1. Holiness of heart and life. This is not the perfection of the human nature, but the holiness of the divine nature dwelling within. 2. Fulness of joy so that the heart is constantly radiant. This does not depend on circumstances, but fills the spirit with holy laughter in the midst of the most trying surroundings. 3. Fulness of wisdom, light and knowledge, causing us to see things as He sees them.
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

April 22. "Christ is the Head" (Eph. v. 23).
"Christ is the head" (Eph. v. 23). Often we want people to pray for us and help us, but always defeat our object when we look too much to them and lean upon them. The true secret of union is for both to look upon God, and in the act of looking past themselves to Him they are unconsciously united. The sailor was right when he saw the little boy fall overboard and waited a minute before he plunged to his rescue. When the distracted mother asked him in agony why he had waited so long, he sensibly replied:
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Third Sunday in Lent
Text: Ephesians 5, 1-9. 1 Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a sweet smell. 3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints; 4 nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, or jesting, which are not befitting: but rather giving of thanks. 5 For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. II

Twentieth Sunday after Trinity the Careful Walk of the Christian.
Text: Ephesians 5, 15-21. 15 Look therefore carefully how ye walk [See then that ye walk circumspectly], not as unwise, but as wise; 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be filled with the Spirit; 19 speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 giving thanks always for all things
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

God's Imitators
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children'--Eph. v. 1. The Revised Version gives a more literal and more energetic rendering of this verse by reading, 'Be ye, therefore, imitators of God, as beloved children.' It is the only place in the Bible where that bold word 'imitate' is applied to the Christian relation to God. But, though the expression is unique, the idea underlies the whole teaching of the New Testament on the subject of Christian character and conduct. To be like God, and
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

Pleasing Christ
'Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.'--Eph. v. 10. These words are closely connected with those which precede them in the 8th verse--'Walk as children of light.' They further explain the mode by which that commandment is to be fulfilled. They who, as children of light, mindful of their obligations and penetrated by its brightness, seek to conform their active life to the light to which they belong, are to do so by making experiment of, or investigating and determining, what is 'acceptable
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

Unfruitful Works of Darkness
'And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.'--Eph. v. 11. We have seen in a former sermon that 'the fruit,' or outcome, 'of the Light' is a comprehensive perfection, consisting in all sorts and degrees of goodness and righteousness and truth. Therefore, the commandment, 'Walk as children of the light,' sums up all Christian morality. Is there need, then, for any additional precept? Yes; for Christian people do not live in an empty world. If there were
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

Sleepers at Noonday
'Wherefore He saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light,'--Eph. v. 14. This is the close of a short digression about 'light.' The 'wherefore' at the beginning of my text seems to refer to the whole of the verses that deal with that subject. It is as if the Apostle had said, 'I have been telling you about light and its blessed effects. Now I tell you how you may win it for yours. The condition on which it is to be received by men is that they awake
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

What Children of Light Should Be
'Walk as children of light.'--Eph. v. 8. It was our Lord who coined this great name for His disciples. Paul's use of it is probably a reminiscence of the Master's, and so is a hint of the existence of the same teachings as we now find in the existing Gospels, long before their day. Jesus Christ said, 'Believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light'; and Paul gives substantially the same account of the way by which a man becomes a Son of the Light when he says, in the words preceding
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

The Fruit of the Light
'The fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.'--Eph. v. 9 (R.V.). This is one of the cases in which the Revised Version has done service by giving currency to an unmistakably accurate and improved reading. That which stands in our Authorised Version, 'the fruit of the Spirit' seems to have been a correction made by some one who took offence at the violent metaphor, as he conceived it, that 'light' should bear 'fruit' and desired to tinker the text so as to bring it into
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

Paul's Reasons for Temperance
'And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 12. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. 13. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. 14. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light. 15. See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16. Redeeming the time, because the days
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

Redeeming the Time
'See, then, that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.'--Eph. v. 15, 16. Some of us have, in all probability, very little more 'time' to 'redeem.' Some of us have, in all probability, the prospect of many years yet to live. For both classes my text presents the best motto for another year. The most frivolous among us, I suppose, have some thoughts when we step across the conventional boundary that seems to separate the unbroken sequence
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Ephesians, Peter,John

On Marriage.
TEXT: EPH. v. 22-31. IN completing lately the annual round of our Christian holy-days, I expressed to you the wish that the holy emotions which our hearts experience at such seasons might not pass away with them; but that the impressions then made might accompany us during the other half of the year, so that without any extraordinary festival incitement we might constantly retain a more lively sense of communion with the Redeemer, and a fuller enjoyment of what the eternal Father has done through
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

The Light of God
Preached for the Chelsea National Schools.] Ephesians v. 13. All things which are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever is made manifest is light. This is a noble text, a royal text; one of those texts which forbid us to clip and cramp Scripture to suit any narrow notions of our own; which open before us boundless vistas of God's love, of human knowledge, of the future of mankind. There are many such texts, many more than we fancy; but this is one which is especially valuable
Charles Kingsley—Sermons for the Times

Against Foolish Talking and Jesting.
"Nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient."-- Ephes. v.4. Moral and political aphorisms are seldom couched in such terms that they should be taken as they sound precisely, or according to the widest extent of signification; but do commonly need exposition, and admit exception: otherwise frequently they would not only clash with reason and experience, but interfere, thwart, and supplant one another. The best masters of such wisdom are wont to interdict things, apt by unseasonable
Isaac Barrow—Sermons on Evil-Speaking, by Isaac Barrow

Sensual and Spiritual Excitement.
Preached August 4, 1850. SENSUAL AND SPIRITUAL EXCITEMENT. "Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit."--Ephesians v. 17, 18. There is evidently a connection between the different branches of this sentence--for ideas cannot be properly contrasted which have not some connection--but what that connection is, is not at first sight clear. It almost appears like a profane and irreverent juxtaposition
Frederick W. Robertson—Sermons Preached at Brighton

Members of Christ
"For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones."--Ephesians 5:30. YESTERDAY, when I had the painful task of speaking at the funeral of our dear friend, Mr. William Olney, I took the text which I am going to take again now. I am using it again because I did not then really preach from it at all, but simply reminded you of a favorite expression of his, which I heard from his lips many times in prayer. He very frequently spoke of our being one with Christ in "living, loving, lasting
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

Living, Loving, Lasting Union
With new portraits of Pastor C. H. Spurgeon and Mr. William Olney "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones--Ephesians 5:30. BEFORE the funeral, at Norwood Cemetery, of the late Mr. William Olney, senior deacon of the church at the metropolitan Tabernacle, a service was held in the Tabernacle. The building was crowded with sympathizing friends, who came to testify the affection they bore to the beloved deacon who had been so suddenly called from their midst. The senior Pastor
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

Wary Walking.
(Twentieth Sunday after Trinity.) EPHESIANS v. 15. "See then that ye walk circumspectly." Some people tell us that salvation is the easiest thing in the world. We have only to feel that we believe in Jesus Christ, and all is done. Now neither Jesus Christ Himself, nor the Apostles whom He sent to teach, tell us anything of the kind. On the contrary, our Saviour, whilst He dwells on the fulness and freedom of salvation, offered to all without money, and without price, tells us that many are called,
H. J. Wilmot-Buxton—The Life of Duty, a Year's Plain Sermons, v. 2

Tenth Day. Love to the Brethren.
"And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us."--Eph. v. 2. "Jesus," says a writer, "came from heaven on the wings of love." It was the element in which he moved and walked. He sought to baptize the world afresh with it. When we find Him teaching us by love to vanquish an enemy, we need not wonder at the tenderness of His appeals to the brethren to "love one another." Like a fond father impressing his children, how the Divine Teacher lingers over the lesson, "This is My commandment!" If
John R. Macduff—The Mind of Jesus

"For to be Carnally Minded is Death; but to be Spiritually Minded is Life and Peace. "
Rom. viii. 6.--"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." It is true, this time is short, and so short that scarce can similitudes or comparisons be had to shadow it out unto us. It is a dream, a moment, a vapour, a flood, a flower, and whatsoever can be more fading or perishing; and therefore it is not in itself very considerable, yet in another respect it is of all things the most precious, and worthy of the deepest attention and most serious consideration;
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have not the Spirit of Christ, He is None of His. "
Rom. viii. 9.--"If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." There is a great marriage spoken of, Eph. v. that hath a great mystery in it, which the apostle propoundeth as the sample and archetype of all marriages or rather as the substance, of which all conjunctions and relations among the creatures are but the shadows. It is that marriage between Christ and his church, for which, it would appear, this world was builded, to be
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

"The Truth. " Some Generals Proposed.
That what we are to speak to for the clearing and improving this noble piece of truth, that Christ is the Truth, may be the more clearly understood and edifying, we shall first take notice of some generals, and then show particularly how or in what respects Christ is called the Truth; and finally speak to some cases wherein we are to make use of Christ as the Truth. As to the first. There are four general things here to be noticed. 1. This supposeth what our case by nature is, and what we are all
John Brown (of Wamphray)—Christ The Way, The Truth, and The Life

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