THE CHURCH:
GOD’S NEW SOCIETY
Improving Your Love-Life
Ephesians
5:1-6
9/6/09
Jerry A Collins
SCC
v Why is it important whom we
imitate?
v What kind of behavior is
improper for believers?
v Do you want to pursue what
id closest to God’s character?
INTRODUCTION
I had a laugh this week when a friend told me of a
group of people he used to hang around with. As an outsider now, he has noticed
how the group dynamics center on imitating one particular man and woman in the
group. This guy pulls up in a new car and very soon each of the others will
pull up with the sane car. The woman will get into a certain fashion and yes
the other women in the group will be wearing the same brand and fashion too. He
said that recently he was invited to join this group for a get-together and he
watched each of the guys drive up in the same car one by one. Then he saw the
wives get out of the cars with the same fashion wear one by one each carrying a
small dog under one arm since it is apparently in fashion to have a small dog
like many of the Hollywood actresses to carry around shopping with you. There
is nothing wrong with imitating someone. I would like to imitate Tiger Woods
for instance. Think about this. God wants us to imitate Him.
There are things we must ‘lay aside’ in order to do
this 4:22 & 4:25. In 5:1 we are told exactly that “be imitators of God”.
The idea is to be a copier—one who impersonates. God wants us to imitate but
just how are we to do this? Let me suggest first of all that we are not being
asked to imitate God’s attributes. This is the confusion of Satan and the cults
like the Mormons. They want to be like God in the sense of God’s attributes
like omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. These are what we commonly
call incommunicable attributes. Those attributes of God’s character, which are
inherently, Divine. No one can possess these attributes because no one can like
God as God. What Got Satan in trouble was His desire to have a share in the
nature of God so that He might compete with God as God. That was impossible and
justified His condemnation. But our passage also suggests that there is a way
in which we can imitate God. Namely, imitating God’s moral preferences that
emanate form His character and we can put on display in our own lives. So the
injunction, ‘be imitators of God’. God wants us to impersonate Him. The bar is
raised as high as it can go. I do not think we would give this kind of thing
much thought unless we were taught to do so. Let’s learn how to do this.
INTERPRETATION
IMITATING GOD
MEANS LOVING EACH OTHER SACRIFICAILLY
He begins by reminding us we are ‘beloved children’.
Children often imitate their parents. So as believers we ought to imitate God
our Father. We do this by ‘walking in love’. The conduct of our lives has been
a regular theme throughout the book—2:2, 10; 4:1, 17; 5:2, 8, 15. In each case
it is the manner of our behavior that is in view. Here the behavior is
sacrificial love, which is giving without reciprocity. We know this because
this love is further qualified by ‘just as Christ also loved you’. So the
standard by which we measure our manner of loving is the manner in which Christ
loved us. And what manner was this? He ‘gave
Himself up for us’ ‘as an offering and a sacrifice to God’. The first
concept is ‘substitution’. He voluntarily died in my place. He took the hit for
me. So notice that what He did He did with me in mind—in my best interest. This
is an essential component of God’s love—the loving manner in which we are to
imitate. But another aspect of this love is as ‘an offering and a sacrifice’.
This love costs something to manifest. Love by its very nature is sacrificial
since it is giving—becoming an offering of some kind without reciprocity. It is
giving (offering, sacrificing) something that is in the best interest of another.
Now this kind of demonstration is savored by God. It is very pleasing to Him ‘a
fragrant aroma’. In order to stay the
course we will have to keep Jesus standard of a loving manner as the measure of
our own. Don’t dumb it down. Don’t
make it easy. Don’t focus on yourself.
IMITATING GOD
IS LIVING WITHOUT ANY ACCUSATIONS OF IMMORALITY OR GREED
The first three vices cover two kinds of lust in vs
3. Sexual lust and material lust. Immorality and any impurity prohibit sexually
lustful behavior. Linked together they cover every kind of sexually deviant
behavior that violates God’s standard in scripture. The third vice, greed,
prohibits material lust—a craving for more and more. So in our lives there
should not even be a hint of lustful craving. Think about it. These are the two
lustful cravings of the world and must never be so of believers. It is contrary
to the nature of God’s children. This one-two punch of sexuality and
materialism hits home every day. God wants us to imitate Him right where we
live out our lives, raise our families, do our jobs, pay our bills, and manage
our money. Don’t ever do anything to place yourself in a situation where you
might be accused of lustful behavior sexually or materially.
IMITATING GOD
MEANS EDITING OUR SPEECH.
The next set of vices in vs 4 hit our mouth not only
our hearts and pocketbook. These three vices include ‘filthiness or obscene
speech’ which is filthy, demeaning and shameful speech. The next one is ‘silly
talk’ which is silly or stupid conversation. The final one is ‘coarse jesting’
which is vulgar, frivolous wit, or double meaning jesting with risque’
innuendo. These vices are never fitting or proper imitation of God. What is
fitting conversationally is ‘thanksgiving’. Thanksgiving is a basic feature of
Christian living and ethics. Consecrated to God, this kind of speech has
absolutely no place in our lives and relationships. We live in a filthy and
vulgar culture. So imitating God is not adapting to our culture but supplanting
it. Not seeing what we can get away with but pursuing what is closest to the
heart of God. A life-style of gratitude in contrast to coarse and vulgar
conversation must be our passion.
IMITATING GOD
IS CONSISTENT WITH OUR IDENTITY
What is the motivation we have to imitate God? Well,
it certainly does not come from an unbeliever’s actions and attitudes. That we
know ‘with certainty’. There is no good reason why any believer would take
his/her queue to imitate God form an unbeliever’s lifestyle. Lustful and greedy
people have no inheritance in Christ’s kingdom. The greedy one is even an
idolater—idols are simply ways to replace God with your own. Your greed and
lustful passions captivate and drive you to have what you want. God is
marginalized. Since these kinds of people have no kingdom inheritance then you
have no business imitating them. But watch out lest you believe otherwise vs
6a—with thinking that contradicts or disagrees and leads you astray.
Disobedient to God, idolaters’, and sinfully corrupt people will have Gods
wrath in the end. God is not in their equation and their lifestyles are a
testimony to this. All that is left for them is judgment. So do not be enamored
by their sinful behavior. Don’t imitate it. You no longer belong there. Stop
it. That is not who you are.
APPLICATION
1. If you are going to imitate God it is going to
make you uncomfortable and different.
2. Get all forms of lustful ideas, images and
actions out of your life.
3. Take more seriously how you talk. Be careful what
and how you communicate. No trash talk, blasphemy of filthy stories.
4. Do not use any unbeliever as a role model.