Ephesians 5:1
1 Be [ginomai] ye [mimetes] therefore [oun] followers [mimetes] of God,
[theos] as [hos]
dear [agapetos] children; [teknon] KJV-Interlinear
1
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; NASB
Therefore, ‘oun,’ ties
the previous chapter and its principles, to this chapter wherein you are called
to put off the old and put on the new habits in your life.
This means to stop living
under the influence of the sin nature, or the old man, and begin and continue
living under the influence of the Holy Spirit who is the power behind your
spiritual life.
The word for followers, ‘mimetes,
means to imitate. This does not mean to follow as in walking behind, not to be
friends, not to be simply numbered among, but to imitate. And to imitate means to pursue and live the
same pattern of life, namely the spiritual life, as God lives, but do so in and
for your life.
Apart from salvation, you
cannot imitate Gods life.
Apart from confession and
fellowship, you cannot imitate Gods life.
Apart from spiritual
growth through study and learning and understanding and so forth, you cannot
imitate Gods life.
You cannot do something
that you know nothing about.
Most believers imitate
the lives of unbelievers, which is to say that they live in the sphere of their
carnal lives. And even though they are saved, they do not have a functional
spiritual life and therefore have no spiritual growth. They are simply stagnant and going nowhere as
far as their spiritually intended life is concerned.
As children, we are expected
to follow the pattern that a child is expected to follow of a father.
The father is the leader
and master of the family and it is he who sets the pattern of life for those
members of his family. The wife is the
mirror of her husband, and her reflection likewise sets or reinforces that same
pattern for the children. Thus the children
are raised up and trained properly in the Christian life. Or at least that is the idea in a perfect
world.
Therefore, God the Father
is the pattern, Christ is the example, and the Holy Spirit is the power, and we
are to imitate what God has lived and provided for us.
E-Books, E-Book Reader
Your Comments
Daily Bible Study Quick Links
Subscription Options
