EPHESIANS: Walk This Way
EPHESIANS Number 53
Ephesians 5:1 (KJV 1900)
1Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Ephesians chapter five continues explaining how we should walk, what kind of life we should live. Here in the opening verses we get a clue that we are about to set out into the deep water of Christian living. Yet at the same time, we see the absolute simplicity that is in Christ.
Perhaps that can be said to be our biggest takeaway here. We are IN Christ, it’s just that simple. Simple, yes. Easy? Well, not so much.
We are called to be followers of God. Most translations have “imitate” here, and with good reason. The Greek word is μιμητής (mimetes) from which we get our English word mimic. The NIV has “follow God’s example”. This provides us with a kind of compromise that I think helps us remain centered in our interpretation of the sentence.
Many have focused their attention on “following hard after” or following in exactly the right way. “Following” is not like that. Following is easy because the One in the vanguard is leading. All that is necessary is that we keep our attention on Him.
He chooses the path.
He decides which obstacles to surmount and which to circumvent.
He determines the route to be taken.
He is the energizer needed to continue the trek.
We follow God when we keep our focus on Him. We follow God when we depend on Him to make the decisions and provide all that is needed.
Likewise, “imitate” can be understood to mean that we are to literally mimic Jesus. We are incapable of that and it’s an unhealthy way to interpret what the Scriptures are calling us toward. If our focus is on what Jesus did, we will find ourselves mired in overthinking our choices in every situation. We will feverishly search the Scriptures to find examples from the record of His life on earth that provide us the correct response for every eventuality. Since these Scriptures were never intended for this use, we will begin interpreting them erroneously, building doctrines not consistent with the Scriptures or the character of Christ.
That’s why I think the NIV’s expression “follow God’s example” is a wonderful way to interpret the word (mimetes). It is the godly manner of living that Jesus exemplified in His earthly life. His life expressed the character of God. He lived a life of dependence upon God. This is what it means to follow God, and this is what it means to imitate God. Living in dependence on God by faith, trusting that He is leading, that He knows what He is doing, and that His direction is always what is best.
To be sure, this can seem daunting. I just love the way Holy Spirit through the Apostle helps free us from any such thinking. He elaborates for us that the manner in which we are to be followers of God is “as dear children.”
This prompts us to think about how “dear children” imitate or follow the example of their parents. As children grow and mature the way they speak and act develops in ways that they have experienced their parents speaking and acting. When we hear a child say something more typical of an adult, our first response is often to wonder where they heard that. As I advance in years, I notice that I do and say things in the same ways that my parents did. All of this is effortless. I’m not trying to act like my dad or speak like my mom, I just do.
This passage urges us in this direction. We would be remiss if we fail to notice that it specifies that we are to follow God’s example not only as children, but as dear children. We are Loved with a self-sacrificing agape’ Love. We are dear to God. He is the perfect parent and most worthy of our imitation.
