Imitate God

Ephesians 5:1-5
“Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. But sexual immorality and any impurity or greed should not even be heard of among you, as is proper for saints. Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.”

Who is God?

When Paul calls us to “be imitators of God,” we might first ask: Who is God, and how can we imitate Him? Can we possibly embody God’s omniscience, His infinite wisdom and power? Can we speak stars into existence, or transcend time and space, existing in all places at once?

Of course not. These divine attributes are beyond our reach. But this is not what Paul asks of us. He does not call us to imitate God’s abilities or attributes but to imitate God Himself—His character.

So, who is God at His very core? John helps us in 1 John 4:8 when he tells us, “God is love.” And not merely as an action, but as an identity. Love is not just something God does; love is who He is.

When we say God is love, we are not talking about sentimental affection. God’s love is far deeper, far more costly. It is the kind of love that gives endlessly, even when it costs. It is a love that holds nothing back. A love that does not give from surplus but empties itself for the sake of the beloved.

The Radical Generosity of God’s Love

Think for a moment about generosity. We understand generosity in human terms—giving money, time, or effort. But God’s generosity is of another kind entirely. His generosity is radical, sacrificial, and relentless. He does not simply give from abundance; He gives until it costs Him everything.

Consider this: if I had a billion dollars and gave you a penny, that would hardly be meaningful. But if I gave you my very last penny, the only thing I had left, that would be a profound gift. The widow’s offering from Mark 12:41-44 is a perfect example of this sacrificial generosity:

“Sitting across from the temple treasury, (Jesus) watched how the crowd dropped money into the treasury. Many rich people were putting in large sums. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two tiny coins worth very little. Summoning his disciples, he said to them, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. For they all gave out of their surplus, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had—all she had to live on.’”

Her act of giving wasn’t significant because of the amount. It was significant because of the cost. If the widow’s offering, made from her poverty, was so profound, how much more profound would it be if someone with great wealth gave everything they had, even to the point of becoming poor?

And this is precisely what God did. He gave everything. In Christ, God gave not from His surplus, but from His very being. Jesus, the King of kings, became poor, so that we, the poor in spirit, could inherit the Kingdom. As Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ: Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.”

God’s love is not just generous—it is sacrificial, boundless, and poured out for us at great cost. The cross stands as the ultimate display of this radical love, where Christ gave Himself as a “sacrificial and fragrant offering” to God (Ephesians 5:2).

Imitating the Love of God

So how are we to imitate this kind of love? What does it look like to reflect God’s character of radical generosity and sacrificial love?

Let’s first acknowledge that kindness, while essential, is not unique to Christianity. The world knows kindness. You’ve likely heard the popular quote from the novelist Henry James:
“Three things in human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind.”

Kindness is good, but it’s not enough. The kindness we often see in the world can be transactional—done for personal gain, reputation, or self-fulfillment. Acts of kindness are sometimes motivated by a desire for recognition or personal reward. We often see this in “random acts of kindness” campaigns, “pay it forward” initiatives, or ‘virtue signaling’ on social media, where doing good is often more about making ourselves feel good than it is about the good of others.

But the love to which we are called—the love that imitates God—is something far deeper than random acts of kindness. It is a self-emptying, sacrificial love. It is love that doesn’t ask, “What do I get out of this?” but instead asks, “What can I give, even if it costs me everything?”

This is why Scripture tells us that the world will know we are followers of Jesus, not by our kindness, but by our love (John 13:35). Love that lays down its life for others, as Christ laid down His life for us. This is the love that stands apart from the world’s version of goodness. It is love that flows from the very heart of God.

The Practical Outworking of Love

Jesus shows us what this kind of sacrificial love looks like in real, practical terms:

“If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:39)
“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.” (Matthew 5:41)
“Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:42)
“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:44)
“When you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” (Matthew 6:3)
“Forgive seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:22)

These commands are not just ideals; they are invitations into the life of love that Jesus lived. They are examples of how we are to pour ourselves out for others, not because we expect something in return, but because this is what it means to imitate the self-giving love of God.

And why do we live this way? Because we are “dearly loved children” (Ephesians 5:1). We don’t earn God’s love by living sacrificially. Rather, because we are already so deeply loved by Him, we respond by loving others in the same way.

A Fragrant Offering to God

When we walk in this kind of love, when we give of ourselves for the good of others, it is as if our lives become a “fragrant offering” to God, just as Christ’s sacrifice was (Ephesians 5:2).

And in that offering, we reflect the very heart of our Father to the world. We bear witness to a love that is not self-serving, but self-giving. A love that draws others to Christ, because it mirrors the love He poured out for us.

This is our calling, dear family—to imitate God, to walk in love as Christ loved us. To love not with the shallow kindness of the world, but with the deep, sacrificial love of the Father, who gave all He had for us.

May we walk in this love, as dearly loved children, offering our lives as a fragrant sacrifice to our God. Amen.

Closing Prayer:
Father, help us to walk in Your love. Fill us with Your Spirit, that we may imitate You, laying down our lives for others as Christ laid down His life for us. May our lives be a fragrant offering to You, a witness to Your great love for the world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.