Imitators of God

Imitators of God

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Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

The thought in these lines from Ephesians 5:1-2 continue the thought from the end of Ephesians 4, where he described how Christians should relate to one another. The believer has an example for how they should treat other believers: God Himself. Christians are to be imitators of God.

Imitators of God

The idea is simple – that believers are to make God their example and model. It does not say here, “Think about God” or “Admire God” or “Adore God,” though those are all important Christian duties. This is a call to practical action, going beyond our inner life with God.

We could say this is a continuation of the same idea Paul mentioned in Ephesians 4:13 regarding the extent of Christian growth: to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. We could also say that this is a continuation of the idea from Ephesians 4:32, where we were commanded to be forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. God’s behavior towards us becomes our measure for our behavior towards one another.

It is important to see that God is far more than our example. Many errors come into the church when Jesus is presented only as an example of behavior. We are not saved by the example of Jesus, but once we are set in right relation with God by the work of Jesus, then His example is meaningful to us. God is more than our example, but He is also our example.

We are to imitate God as dear children: Children are natural imitators. They often do just what they see their parents or other adults do. When we act according to our nature as children of God, we will imitate Him.

We all imitate someone or something. We meet a person and are impressed by them – and unconsciously want to be like them. We see a video of someone we admire and want to be like them. Christians should make the conscious choice to let God be their example, God as He is displayed in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Therefore, believers should walk in love, as Christ also has loved them. As in all things, Jesus is our example. As He has loved us and has given Himself for us, we are to display the same kind of self-giving love.

We sometimes think we could lay down our life in a dramatic way to show our love for others. But God often calls us to lay down our life little by little – in small coins (as it were) instead of one large payment – but it is laying down our lives, nonetheless.

As Christ dwells in you, be an imitator of God. It is fitting for the children to imitate their father.

Click here for David’s commentary on Ephesians 5

 

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First Appearing, Second Appearing

First Appearing, Second Appearing

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To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)

Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ, whom the Bible teaches is God the Son, the Second Person of the eternal, triune God. At a specific moment in history God the Son added humanity to His deity and was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb. Nine months later He was born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet said would happen (Micah 5:2).

First Appearing, Second Appearing

That was the first appearance of Jesus, and it is all worthy of celebration. It’s wonderful to see how many people have Jesus somewhere in mind in the Christmas season. The world’s emphasis during Christmastime is on vacation, holidays, giving and receiving gifts, spending time with family, and special meals. Yet even with their attention on those things, many people still find themselves thinking about Jesus and His birth, even if only a passing sense.

Hebrews 9:28 points to this first appearance by implication, saying Jesus will appear a second time. The author of this letter to the Hebrew Christians set the first coming of Jesus beside His second coming because they are in many ways similar.

At His first coming, Jesus brought light. When He appears again, Jesus Himself will be a light that replaces the light of the sun (Revelation 21:23).

At His first coming, Jesus came as the fulfillment of God’s promise. When He appears again, Jesus will complete those promises of God’s reign over the earth and the fulfillment of all things.

At His first coming, Jesus brought honor to the lowly and made the honorable humble themselves. The shepherds were honored with an angelic visit, and the wise men bowed low in worship before the young child Jesus. When He appears again, Jesus will bring honor to His humble people, and will judge those who think of themselves to be so great and mighty that they don’t need Him.

The focus of Jesus’ first coming was to deal with the sin problem through His atoning sacrifice. But now, having dealt with the sin problem perfectly, He comes again apart from sin – for the salvation, for the rescue, of His people.

At the time of the first coming of Jesus, the world was eagerly waiting for a messiah, a savior. The author of Hebrews assumed that God’s people today would eagerly wait for Him. It’s a sad case that this assumption doesn’t always turn out as true.

To paraphrase a quote from Charles Spurgeon, believers should be a bit disappointed every day if Jesus does not come in that day. Instead, many Christians today assume that Jesus won’t be coming soon. They aren’t eagerly waiting for Him. This isn’t good.

It’s a great thing to celebrate the first appearing of Jesus. From Bethlehem to the cross and the empty tomb, Jesus won salvation for His people at His first appearing. It’s good to let Christmas make you long for the glorious return of Jesus.

Click here for David’s commentary on Hebrews 9