As God’s Dear Children – Ephesians 5:1-14
‘Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;’ — Ephesians 5:1
The one who believes on Christ becomes a child of God. The reality of this truth ought to be amazing every time we think about it! A child of God! God’s dear children!
As children of God, we should then follow (imitate) our heavenly Father as children are prone to parental imitation. Here are some ways that we should mimic our heavenly father:
- In love (v.2). The first way to imitate God is to ‘walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us…’ It is no accident and should be no surprise that love is first. More than anything else, the thing that we should know about our Heavenly Father is that He loves us. And as a result, we should love others, to the point of self-sacrifice.
- In purity (v.3). Secondly, we should imitate our Heavenly Father by living a pure life. The child of God is a ‘saint’ (a holy one, a set-apart one), and so we should live lives that are free from fornication, all uncleanness, and covetousness. These things ought not to be even named among us, because we are living lives consistent with our sainthood.
- In speech (v.4). The third way we should imitate our heavenly Father is in what we say. God is a God of truth. His Word refutes lies. He has spoken and has given us His Word. We too should use our words to express giving of thanks instead of saying filthy, foolish, or vulgar things. These things are out of place (‘not convenient’) for the child of God.
- In knowledge (v.5-6). Fourth, we know that our Heavenly Father knows all things and has a kingdom in which no unbelieving sinner has any inheritance. Just as God sees through the ‘vain words’ of false teachers and has perfect understand of the end of the wicked, so we need to learn and understand what is really true. We need to know what the Bible says, what the end of the wicked is, and to not be taken in by deceptive words. The child of God should live a life that is based on what is really true.
So, today, let us rejoice in the fact that we are God’s children. And let us follow our Heavenly Father’s example. Let us be children who imitate His love, His purity, His speech, and His knowledge.
The believer has firsthand experience with all these things. As we meditate on God’s example in Christ, we see how to live these things out. In Christ, this is who we are. Let us live like God’s beloved children.