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Sermon #4141

Imitators of God

A Sermon on Ephesians 5:1-2

Originally preached Oct. 5, 1958

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Scripture

Ephesians 5:1-2 ESV KJV
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (ESV)

Sermon Description

With so much input on how Christians are supposed to live their lives, how can they discern which way is correct? In this sermon on Ephesians 5:1–2 titled “Imitators of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones explains from Scripture how Christians are supposed to live and why they are to follow these guidelines. Paul says “we are to be imitators of God.” Christianity, Dr. Lloyd-Jones says, is more than just a moral code. Believers are never to obey simply because it is the normal “Christian” thing to do. Rather, they are to obey because they know what God has done for them and why God tells them to avoid certain things. In His graciousness, the Lord did not leave His people without reasons for obedience— instead, He tells often in Scripture the reasons why people are better off obeying His instructions. Just as children are representatives of their families, God’s children act as representatives of Him to the world. People should be able to look at them and see the Father because Christians should strive to become like their heavenly Father in the same way that they often attempt to imitate their earthly parents.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. The sermon text is Ephesians 5:1-2. The first two verses introduce a principle that governs everything - "Be ye therefore imitators of God".
  2. This is a staggering and astonishing statement. We are called to mimic and imitate God. Is this possible? We must understand God's attributes to answer this.
  3. God's attributes can be divided into communicable (can be imitated) and incommunicable (cannot be imitated) attributes. We are called to imitate the communicable attributes like holiness, righteousness, justice, goodness, love, mercy, compassion, tenderness, long suffering, loving kindness, faithfulness, forgiveness.
  4. We are to imitate God because we are God's children ("as dear children") and God's beloved children. As children, we should desire to please our Father and be like Him.
  5. We are representatives of God's family so we should be careful how we live. There is no greater privilege than being a child of God.
  6. We are to imitate God by "walking in love" - ordering our whole conduct and behavior in the realm of love. This means doing to others what God has done for us in Christ.
  7. Matthew 5:43-48 expounds on this - we are to love our enemies, bless those who curse us, do good to those who hate us, pray for those who mistreat us - just as God sends rain on the just and unjust. Our lives are to be extraordinary and special.
  8. We can imitate God on earth as Christ loved us and gave Himself as an offering and sacrifice to God. As we imitate God, our lives will be a sweet smelling savor to God.

Sermon Q&A

Understanding Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Teaching on Imitating God

What does it mean to be "imitators of God" according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, being "imitators of God" means we are to mimic or imitate God in His communicable attributes. He explains: "Become imitators of God. Indeed, become mimics of God. That's the word [Paul] used." Lloyd-Jones clarifies that we cannot imitate God's incommunicable attributes (His glory, eternity, majesty, omnipotence), but we can and should imitate His moral attributes: "His holiness... His righteousness, His justice, His goodness, His love, His mercy, His compassion, His tenderness, His long suffering, His loving kindness, His faithfulness, His forgiveness."

Why is context so important when studying the Bible according to Lloyd-Jones?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that context is crucial when studying Scripture: "It's a dangerous thing just to extract a verse and take it right out of its context. That is how most heresies have arisen in the church because texts have been taken out of their context." He notes that understanding any verse, particularly in Ephesians, requires seeing how it fits within the entire letter's flow and structure. He reminds listeners that the first three chapters of Ephesians are doctrinal, while the following chapters apply that doctrine to practical life.

How does Lloyd-Jones differentiate Christian ethics from worldly morality?

Lloyd-Jones draws several important distinctions:

  1. "The New Testament is not interested in goodness in and of itself" unlike worldly morality which values "goodness for its own sake."
  2. Christian ethics is not "a code that is imposed upon us without our understanding it."
  3. Christians should not follow moral rules "merely because it is the thing to do and merely because most Christian people do them."
  4. "Our conduct must always arise from and be dictated by our doctrine."
  5. Christian conduct should feel "inevitable" and "unavoidable" to believers because of what they believe.
  6. "The grand motive always for Christian behavior is gratitude to God for what he's done for us in Jesus Christ our Lord."

Why should Christians imitate God according to this sermon?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents several reasons why Christians should imitate God:

  1. Because we are God's children: "Become imitators of God as children, beloved."
  2. Because we are deeply loved by God: "If you're a true Christian, you are dear to God... God's interest in and his concern for his children is infinitely greater than the greatest and the noblest natural parent's interest."
  3. Because the honor of God's family is in our hands: "We are representatives of the family... what matters is the honor of the family, not what you want."
  4. Because of the privilege of belonging to God's family: "Is there a greater privilege than being a Christian?"
  5. Because our conduct should make people think of our Father: "The conduct of the child makes people think of the Father."

How specifically are Christians to imitate God according to Lloyd-Jones?

Christians are to imitate God by "walking in love." Lloyd-Jones explains: "It means that the whole of our conduct and behavior and conversation must be ordered in the realm and in the sphere of love." He cites Jesus's teaching to "love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you."

The true Christian life is not ordinary but extraordinary: "There's nothing ordinary about the Christian. He's extraordinary in every single respect because he's a child of God and he does things that nobody else can do." Lloyd-Jones points to Christ as our ultimate example who "gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice."

The Book of Ephesians

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.