Ephesians 5:1-2
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The verse emphasizes that our imitation of God should flow from our identity as His "beloved children." This isn't just a gentle suggestion; it highlights that our capacity to reflect God's character, especially His love and forgiveness, is directly linked to the profound love He has already shown us.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul urges believers to actively mimic God's character, directly building on the previous chapter's emphasis on God's forgiveness in Christ. This imitation is framed not as a distant aspiration, but as a natural response for children who are deeply loved by their heavenly Father. The following verses will then explore this imitation further, highlighting Christ's self-sacrificing love as the ultimate model.
Paul calls us to be imitators of God, but what does that practically look like? It's more than just a vague aspiration; it's a reflection of divine character in our daily lives.
The word 'therefore' in this verse signals a direct connection to the end of chapter 4, where Paul discusses how God in Christ has forgiven us. Our imitation of God, therefore, isn't arbitrary. It's rooted in His own actions towards us.
Following God's Example
This imitation isn't about achieving perfection on our own, but about responding to the immense love and forgiveness God has already shown us.
We're called to imitate God, but why? The verse gives us a clue: 'as beloved children.' What does this unique relationship mean for our imitation?
The phrase 'as beloved children' provides the motivation and the natural inclination for imitation. Children naturally look up to and want to be like their parents, especially when they feel loved and secure.
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The Heart of the Imitation
Understand the original words
mimētai · Greek Noun
One who replicates the character, attributes, or actions of another; in this context, the believer’s calling to reflect God’s holy character in their daily life.
tekna · Greek Noun
Those who have been brought into a familial relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, enjoying His affection, care, and protection.
peripateite · Greek Verb
To live, conduct oneself, or behave in a specific manner; in Scripture, it often refers to the entirety of a person’s moral and spiritual life path.
prosphoran · Greek Noun
A sacrificial gift or presentation offered to God; in this context, it emphasizes the sacrificial nature of Christ’s death as an act of obedience and atonement.
thysian · Greek Noun
The act of offering something valuable (or a life) to God; historically involved the shedding of blood to provide atonement for sin, which Christ fulfilled perfectly.
Jesus calls us to be perfect, just as our heavenly Father is perfect. This connects directly to the idea of imitating God's character, particularly His mercy and love, as taught in Ephesians.
1 John 4:7-11This passage explains that love originates from God and that because God first loved us, we are commanded to love one another. This illuminates the 'beloved children' aspect and the motivation for imitating God's loving nature.
Luke 6:36Similar to Matthew 5:48, this verse urges believers to be merciful, just as their Father is merciful. This highlights the practical outworking of imitating God, emphasizing mercy and compassion.
Colossians 3:12-13This passage calls believers to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving freely. It directly parallels the imitation of God's merciful actions mentioned in Ephesians 5:1.
Romans 8:14-17This text describes those led by the Spirit as children of God, an inheritance tied to being sons and heirs with Christ. It supports the identity of believers as God's 'beloved children' from whom imitation of their Father flows.
barnesEphesians 5:1: "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;"
Be ye therefore followers of God - Greek, "Be imitators - μιμηταὶ mimētai - of God." The idea is not that they were to be the friends of God, or numbered among his followers, but that they were to imitate him in the particular thing under consideration. The word "therefore" - οὖν oun - connects this with the previous chapter, where he had been exhorting them to kindness, and to a spirit of forgiveness, and he here entrea…
vincentEphesians 5:1: "Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;"
Be ye (γίνεσθε)Become, as Ephesians 4:32.Followers (μιμηταὶ)Rev, correctly, imitators.Dear (ἀγαπητά)Rev., beloved. As those to whom Christ has shown love
The verse emphasizes that our imitation of God should flow from our identity as His "beloved children." This isn't just a gentle suggestion; it highlights that our capacity to reflect God's character, especially His love and forgiveness, is directly linked to the profound love He has already shown us.
Paul urges believers to actively mimic God's character, directly building on the previous chapter's emphasis on God's forgiveness in Christ. This imitation is framed not as a distant aspiration, but as a natural response for children who are deeply loved by their heavenly Father. The following verses will then explore this imitation further, highlighting Christ's self-sacrificing love as the ultimate model.
Paul urges believers to actively mimic God's character, directly building on the previous chapter's emphasis on God's forgiveness in Christ. This imitation is framed not as a distant aspiration, but as a natural response for children who are deeply loved by their heavenly Father. The following verses will then explore this imitation further, highlighting Christ's self-sacrificing love as the ultimate model.
"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." — The verse emphasizes that our imitation of God should flow from our identity as His "beloved children." This isn't just a gentle suggestion; it highlights that our capacity to reflect God's character…
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Last reviewed October 2026
