Ephesians 4-6

Imitators of God. Let's talk about Paul's advise on how believers ought to show they are children of God. "Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. " Ephesians 5:1‭-‬2 NLT. What depicts us as children of God is not whether we congregate in our churches or wear emblems that says we are Christians. Paul says we show others we are children of God by imitating God. How can human beings imitate God? Paul's answer is simple, love; to live a life filled so much with love and thereby following the example of Christ. In this verse, Paul is also inadvertently telling us that the standard and type of the love being asked of us is clear, it is the same as Christ's. How did Christ love us, we ought to know if we are going to follow his example? "And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. Romans 5:5‭-‬8 NLT. Christ's love might make more sense to us if he died for people that were worthy, instead, Christ died for worthless sinners. That is the kind of love we are called to imitate. Christ's love is sacrificial. It does not think of self first or that it ought to be compensated. It is clear there was no way we were going to be able to equally reciprocate his love, still Christ died for the ungodly. That's the love we are called to imitate. You see, this is what truly depicts us as God's children; displaying to the world the same kind of love Jesus showed us.