There is something really cute when a 2 year old boy tries to act just like his daddy. And, if the father is the kind of man he should be, it’s wonderful to see that boy at 12 or 17 trying to measure up to his dad’s example. Unfortunately, there are some fathers whom one hopes their children never imitate. In Ephesians 5:1–7, Paul calls you to imitate, not a human father, but the perfect Father in heaven, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Be imitators of God. Live as the beloved children that you are. The Fifth Commandment summons children to honor their parents. Paul expands on that, and calls you to honor your Father in heaven. Children learn by imitating. You are called to imitate God. Pattern your life after his holiness. The standard expressed in Leviticus 19 is challenging! You are his holy people—saints. Live as is appropriate for a member of his family. Paul continues the theme of walking (living). Walk in love (our text), in the light (verse 8), and in wisdom (verse 15). Love, as we will see, characterized the obedience of Christ. To imitate God, walk in love.
“In saying that we are saints, God employs sweetness and graciousness, as if he should say, My children, consider with yourselves: for I have not created you without plan and purpose in this world, but I have also adopted you, in order to call you to the heavenly heritage…. I have redeemed you with the blood of my Son, and given you my Spirit who dwells in you, in order that you should be my temples, and I be worshipped there…. If you will be my children, keep yourselves in the state in which I have set you.”
John Calvin, Sermons on Ephesians, on Ephesians 5:3–5
See love against the background of impurity. Don’t let impurity even be named among you. You are commanded to love. But there are other kinds of behavior which sometimes masquerade as love. Satan is an imitator, and offers substitutes. Part of teaching a child to be safe involves warning him of what to avoid. God does the same to us. Immorality, impurity, and covetousness are to be avoided. Don’t even name these sins. You don’t need a detailed description to know that such behavior is wrong. Be aware of how foolish and coarse talk can have a cheapening effect, how they are part of a continuum that leads to deeper sin. Instead of seeing how far you can push the envelope without actually falling into sin, stay clear! Notice the antidote that Paul gives for unclean talk—thanksgiving. That pushes you away from gratifying sinful desires and reminds you of the greatness and goodness of your God. He has created people with powerful desires–and set up a wonderful place (called marriage) for the expression of those feelings.
God’s love to you in Christ Jesus sets the pattern for you, so walk in love! Be aware of the consequences of sin. You warn a child of the consequences of dangerous behavior (whether it is crossing the street without looking or peer pressure for recreational use of drugs). Paul points out the eternal consequences of sin. The wages of sin is death—and Paul describes those who are immoral, impure, and covetous as having no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Hell, eternal judgment, is a frightening reality. Ignoring it does not make it go away. Just as the command to imitate God reflects the Fifth Commandment, this warning reflects the following commandments. Paul is not hung up on sexual sins. Notice that he describes covetousness as idolatry. But these sins take over a life. They try to dominate it. And you cannot be part of God’s kingdom and the kingdom of darkness at the same time. One family had a system for dealing with violence on TV–the set went off as soon as someone got hurt. Imagine a filter that turned off the TV anytime a program or an ad was based on immorality, impurity, coarse language, or covetousness. Be aware of the danger of treating as normal what God calls a contradiction of his kingdom.
Against that background, trust Christ, who offered himself as an offering in your place. Are Christians never guilty of theses sins? The Ephesians were, and we are. Paul summons you to repent, to trust the Savior who offered himself. To understand real love, look at the work of the Savior, particularly at his offering of himself as a sacrifice in your place. Understand God’s grace involved in the preposition for us.
“About Christ they [believers] have heard and through him they have learned that they must put away the old self and put on the new self, which is created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph. 4:21ff.). As beloved children they must be imitators of God (5:1). They must live in love as Christ has loved them (5:2). They are light in the Lord and therefore they must walk as children of light (5:8). In a word, not law but gospel, the salvation granted and received in Christ, is the one mighty motive for a holy walk of life.”
Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, Vol. 4, page 256
Rejoice in the richness of Christ’s sacrificial love for you, and reflect that in the way that you live your life with those around you. Instead of using others, serve for Christ’s sake.
Your Father in heaven has made you his family. Live as someone who belongs there!