What does Eph 5:1 mean to you?

Question

Eph 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

Answer 1

We are to be like God in our walk. Matthew 5:48 tells us to be like the Father as well. It is a manner of conduct in our lives for we are to be children of God.

Answer 2

If you have experienced the love of God and accepted-then you are His dear children------ So that means we should strive to act as Jesus and walk in love. Unfortunately the world has such a grip on some people that they have a hard time doing it. t takes prayer, time, patience, and willingness to do it. I hadf to stqy off here for a bit in order to get my prayer up to the point of dealing with all the garbage and very insenitivity to the Christian Faith. Some people just can't allow others to have their belief and voice their opinion. They only want to make fun, ask really stupid questions, and belittle the Christian Faith. But, I finally accepted the fact thet you can't get upset with the, because they don't know any better. PRAY IS ALL YOU CAN DO AND IGNOR THE RIDICULOUS COMMENTS AND QUSESTIONS. I CAN DO THAT NOW.

Answer 3

Watch a small child some time. One of their favorite pastimes is playing "dress up". They will put on clothes that belong to their parent, and act out the part of being the mother or father of the family. Of course, the clothes do not fit, and they usually have no real clue of what being a "parent" involves. But they will mimics the speech patterns and habits of their parent.

So God tells us, like children, to "dress up" as him. To act in this world the way that we believe God would act. (Like the WWJD idea). Granted, God's "clothes" do not fit us, and we are too often clueless about what it really means to act like God.

But just as a child learns through dressing up and imitating their parent, so we as Christians can learn by imitating God.

Answer 4

Eph 5:1 Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children:
Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor.

it seems self explanatory to me, but to follow God and Christ is to Keep Gods commandments.

Mat 19:17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.

Answer 5

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dear;y loved children. I would think it is saying be like God, show unconditional love, grace and understanding like what is shown to/for children.

Answer 6

The NIV says "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children"

In context, this verse is following a verse that describes instructions to us to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving and a parallel of God's character reminding us how God has forgiven us through Jesus Christ.

We are to follow God's example which is Jesus Christ.

Answer 7

The word dear there means affectionate, agapetos, a strong word. Reminds me of how a child in adoration of his father or mother would imitate them, to be "just like" them.

Answer 8

Paul wants us to see God through the eye's of a child.
As a child idolizes daddy ,in innocence, and does what he does. So it woul be, that we ,as His children can return to that stage of innocence and be restored to a more pure relationship with the Father God.

Answer 9

To me it means that we shuould go on walking in love, just as the Christ also loved you and delivered himself up for you. God is the personification of love and we need to try to imitate this type of love. children try to imitate their parents and the love that they recieve from them.

Answer 10

I am constantly in trouble because my grandson (20 months) likes to imitate me and I kinda press the issue by doing things to get him wound up. He sees the things I do, and hears the things I say, and he wants to do just like I do.

So it should be with us. God has set forth in His Torah the characteristics that He expects us to develop, those things show us how and what God is, and we should, like my little grandson, want to be just like Him.