The Summation of All Things in Christ

Studies in Ephesians with a Local Church Emphasis

Lesson 104 : Practical Injunctions About the Old and New Life – Imitate God (5:1-2)

THE MOTIVE FOR OBEYING IS UNIQUELY CHRISTIAN – STRONGLY CONNECTED TO PREVIOUS VERSE – ON-GOING AND CONTINUING – IMITATE = EMULATE, FOLLOW AFTER – ‘IMITATE GOD’ ONLY USED ONE TIME IN THE BIBLE … – … BUT THERE ARE MANY SIMILAR STATEMENTS – TO IMITATE GOD REQUIRES KNOWING WORD OF GOD – JEWS HESITATED TO ‘IMITATE GOD’ – BUT HELLENISTIC JEWS DID HAVE CONCEPT OF BEING IMITATORS OF GOD – IN CONTEXT: WE IMITATE GOD BY LOVING SHOWN IN FORGIVENESS – ‘LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON’ – BELIEVERS ARE AGAIN COMMANDED HOW TO WALK – THE ‘SUMMUM BONUM’ (THE ‘HIGHEST GOOD’) OF CHRIST THAT WE ARE TO IMITATE – CHRIST IS OUR PATTERN – THE ESSENCE OF CHRISTIANITY – SELF-SACRIFICIAL LOVE – NO MAN TOOK CHRIST’S LIFE FROM HIM – ‘HAND OVER, GIVE OVER, DELIVER TO’ – ‘FOR US’ = REPRESENTATION AND SUBSTITUTION – CHRIST, THE SACRIFICIAL OFFERING TO GOD – GOD WAS WELL-PLEASED WITH THE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST – OT SACRIFICES ‘A SWEET AROMA’