NOTES for Eph 5:1-2

The apostle Paul's words about imitating God can sound strange. Can a human being imitate God, the Almighty, the All-knowing, who surpasses every human understanding? God, who created heaven and earth? But in the second verse the apostle Paul explains that he is speaking of a different kind of imitation. Would a son who wants to be like his father copy the color of his eyes, his height, his shoe size - qualities innate to the father's nature? Of course not: he would try to imitate his traits of character, his way of thinking and acting, the way the father builds his relationships with other people... So it is in our imitation of God: the apostle calls us to love others as our Heavenly Father loves us. The Lord Jesus, the Son of God, in His earthly self-emptying declares that the one who has seen Him has seen the Father - but not because He imitates His invisibility or boundlessness. The chief thing in God is love, and it is precisely in this that we can become like Him as beloved children - as His beloved Son does.