Ephesians 5:1

AMP – Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father];

NRSVUE – Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,

VOICE – So imitate God. Follow Him like adored children,

Imitation is Flattery

Christians are called to reflect God’s holiness, mercy, truth, righteousness, and love. God’s character gives us the framework of what a transformed life is like through Christ. To imitate God, we’re not doing it for acceptance. We do it in a way to strengthen our relationship with Christ and what the transformative work of the Holy Spirit can impact within us.

Paul’s words in this verse comes after an instruction for the church to put away sins like anger, bitterness, and wrath and replace them with practices of kindness, love, and forgiveness. God’s mercy gives us the reason and model to forgive others. We’re called to respond to God’s call to love as a family, not as strangers looking for acceptance. Christ welcomed in the stranger as a member of God’s family. As children respond to the ways of their guardians, we’re called, as Christians, to respond as a reflection of God in all ways through love and forgiveness.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: There’s a long list of what we’re called to reflect. How can all of that be implemented in our everyday life?

Understanding Imitation

What does it mean to be an imitator? This isn’t a word that we see in the Bible a lot, so it’s important to me to ensure that we see an accurate understanding of the original Greek that Paul used.

The Greek word that Paul used is mimétés (mee-may-TACE). It goes beyond just copying behavior. To be an imitator means to express a Spirit-empowered conformity of belief, character, and conduct to an approved pattern. Ultimately, it comes from God first, and then the churches and believers that mirror God. In the context of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, imitation comes from our relationship with God, not our own concept of morality. Christ’s self-sacrifice becomes our template for love, holiness, and light in a corrupt world.

In the Greco-Roman world, a disciple was viewed as a committed learned; an imitator was viewed as thriving off of emulating a teacher’s life. The goal is this: the model is divine, the power is Spirit, and the goal is to conform to Christ’s image. By encouraging Christians to looked to the verified patterns shown in the leaders, the faithful churches, and God’s command – Scriptures shows us concrete foundations in our subjective experience of the world. Imitation also comes out as a path of growth.

We are called create intentional relationships with each other. Within the church, we need to create bonds where the older seasoned Christians can reflect God’s love and mercy to the newer Christians. The more we witness believers living according to God’s standard, the higher of a chance that we see it being replicated in our world. It’s a way of teaching via our actions, and using our words if needed above and beyond that. The best way we can teach Christian values is to lead by example. People, especially nowadays, can be hit hard with teachings of Scripture, sermons, and Bible studies, so often enough it’s more impactful to see these teachings through our behaviors. Within the church, this starts from the top down. Leadership should lead by these examples instead of a common, “Do as I say, not as I do” mindset. When I was leading the Youth and Children’s ministry, this was 100% where I came from. In my first few years, I was the leading through event coordination (focusing on number over quality.) About 3-4 years in, a gear switched and focused on quality over quantity. The more we created environments, events, and opportunities to reflect God’s love and compassion to our neighbors, the higher chance we had of people joining the community. It didn’t have to be opportunities to learn about Scripture, but opportunities to share that someone cares about them, loves them, and wants the best for them. We also wanted to walk with people through tough times. We recognized that life was far more difficult and stressful than what happened inside our four walls. We wanted to provide a safe space that people can breathe, reflect, and relax. To be able to talk with someone that they know cares for them. This was our goal.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When you think back at the people who shaped your Christian journey, where they imitators of Christ?

Share Mercy with All

To embrace this imitation, let’s look at the words of Luke 6:36:

AMP – Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your [heavenly] Father is merciful.

NRSVUE – Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

VOICE – So imitate God and be truly compassionate, the way your Father is.

Jesus commands His followers to show compassion, forgiveness, and practical care to all people, regardless of how one feels about them. Mercy doesn’t ignore sinful behavior or abandon the hope for justice. Mercy needs our needs with the kindness that God has shown to all people. Those who call themselves God’s child should reflect His character in how they treat each other. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and to do good without expecting anything out of it. Mercy is a part of God’s character. As shown in Exodus 34:6-7, God is compassionate, gracious, patient, loving, and faithful. Christian don’t earn God’s acceptance by acts of mercy, but mercy which flows through our lives is shown through the mercy given to us by Christ.

God wants us to be responsive to the needs of others. We need to react with compassion and immediacy, ensuring that we are working to hear their needs and create routes to help receive what they need. God wants us to be compassionate. We need to ensure that everything we do is in love and a reflection of His love. Compassion can be show through our acts and words. God calls us to forgive and forget, much like He does with us. It’s not ignoring the consequences of our actions, but it’s recognizing that we cannot hold someone’s past against us. It’s recognizing that our past doesn’t define us, but our transformation in Christ creates in us a new identity defined by His love and grace. How we offer this needs to be tender and gentle. We can’t force anyone to be helped, to be loved, to be kind, yet we are called to share that with all people. Don’t overdo it. Don’t undersell it. Meet people where they are and allow God’s love to flow.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Where can you share God’s mercy in your community right now?