Identity The Value of Imitation God
We all tend to imitate others even without knowing. • We imitate to feel connected. • We imitate our role models. • We imitate to be socially accepted. • It is natural for children to be like their parents. • It must also then be natural for Christians to imitate their Father in heaven. Imitating God is a serious matter when you consider our Father’s character.
According to the apostle Paul we must walk in a manner worthy of our calling: We are being taught to put off our old ways. We become the new creation according to God in true righteousness and holiness (4:23-24). Accomplished by bringing our whole self under the control of the Spirit, through the word, destroying any power the devil had over our speech and mannerisms. This lesson is from Ephesians chapter 5 – and is titled “Value in Imitating God”
In Ephesians 5 Paul outlines the great value the saints receive by doing the 3 following things…
- Imitate God
- Be the Example
- Avoid Evil
Imitating God is a serious matter when you consider our Father’s character. There are aspects of the Father’s character that are beyond our ability to imitate. He is eternal (Rev. 4:8), His omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence are beyond us. And He is our Final Righteous Judge.
Then there are the things we can and must strive to imitate…