Reflecting God's love, holiness, and hope is our privilege to embrace and our purpose to fulfill.

Paul clearly calls us to be imitators of God, to copy Him in our words and deeds, which is seemingly impossible at times.

It is because He has given us so much that we can imitate the God of heaven, reflecting His love, holiness, and hope that we have in Him. This is our privilege and our purpose.

Embrace the Privilege of Being God’s Beloved Children (Ephesians 5:1)

As imitators of God, we ought to embrace the privilege of being God’s beloved children.

As a result of what God has done for us, we can be kind to one another, tenderhearted, and forgiving (Eph. 4:32). We can forgive freely because we have been forgiven, and we can love sacrificially because we have been loved.

God has given His beloved children (Eph. 1) the necessary ability to reflect Him in Christ who has modeled how to sacrificially love. Because God is the source of love, forgiveness, and holiness, we have the ability to imitate Him.

Because of whose we are, imitating God is our responsibility, rooted in and shaped by the unconditional and gracious love of God. Our gratitude as adopted children ought to compel us to imitate the core family values of God’s household, love, forgiveness, and holiness.

Walk in the Pathway of Love and Holiness (Ephesians 5:2-4)

We are privileged people who ought to walk in the pathway of love and holiness.

Loving Like Christ

Paul tells us to walk in love just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us. Jesus obeyed the Father willingly, an offering and sacrifice for our sins and a fragrant aroma to God.

This gift of love is a sufficient, noble, effectual, and complete offering and sacrifice.

It is easy to say we love, but it is harder to love when it costs us something. Yet, to imitate how Christ has loved us, we must be prepared for the cost of loving (John 15:13, 2 Cor. 8:2-5, Matt. 18:21, Gal. 6:2).

Holy Like Christ

As children of God who have been given so much, we are to live holy lives as is proper among saints. Paul warns against six areas that God’s holy ones must avoid:

• immorality, which includes all sexual activity outside of marriage as defined by God,
• any impurity, which includes sexual and nonsexual uncleanness, corrupting thoughts, behaviors, and attitudes which all allow for bitterness, resentment, gossip, and more to root,
• greed, a desire which replaces God with wealth, power, or gratification and is where covetousness and jealousy take root,
• filthiness or obscenity, sexually explicit speech, songs, or vulgarity,
• silly or foolish talk, thoughtless and trivial speech inconsistent with consistent Christian wisdom, speech that trivializes serious matters, careless and hurtful speech,
• coarse jesting or vulgar joking, which includes clever, hurtful, malicious wit that often has sexual or degrading undertones.

Paul is clear that all these areas must be put off and not even named among us holy ones. Instead, Paul would have us put on thanksgiving, which is the culmination of a mind captivated by the grace of God and a heart that trusts in His provision.

As children who imitate God, our lives ought to be saturated with thanksgiving, the proper response to all that we have been given in Christ by the Father, focusing on what God has done and trusting in His provision.

Look to the Promise of Eternal Hope (Ephesians 5:5-7)

Paul declares with certainty that those living an ungodly lifestyle which includes those areas listed in this passage are idolaters and will not inherit the kingdom of God. As His beloved children in Christ, we have certainty of an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God, the promise of eternal hope.

Therefore, Paul states, as imitators of God and heirs of His kingdom, we must not be partakers with those who are idolaters but represent our Father and King well.

Our identity in Christ and what we have as heirs in Christ is certain. We can live securely as God’s children, focusing on what He has given us as well as what He has promised us.

Application Points

• Do you believe that you have been given the necessary ability to imitate God? He has given His children everything needed for life and godliness.
• Have you put off the unholiness of the idolater you once were? Are you actively putting on His holiness as an imitator of your heavenly Father?

Tools for Further Study

Cross References to Explore

• 2 Peter 1:3-4; John 13:34-35

A Hymn to Encourage: "Marvelous Grace of Our Loving Lord"

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary's mount out-poured–
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!

Sin and despair, like the sea-waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater– yes, grace untold–
Points to the Refuge, the mighty Cross.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
All who are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?