Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. (Ephesians 5:1)

Imitate God

To imitate God is to be a follower of God in how He Himself reveals His character to the world. When a man obeys the gospel of Christ, he becomes a child of God. As a child, the person begins to take on the characteristics of the Father who bore him into the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The imitation of God is a learned experience as the old man of sin is removed with the new man created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. There are many traits of God that are replicated in the life of the Christian. These qualities identify the man as being like God the Father as he takes on his heavenly Father’s personality, thoughts, and expression.

There are many characteristics of God that identify His eternal glory and power. God does not lie. He gets angry, but it is righteous anger. There will never be any corrupt speech from the mouth of God. The Father does not possess bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, or evil speaking. God is full of kindness, tenderness, and forgiveness. These attributes are to be imitated in the life of the Christian so they will be like their Father. God is full of love, and He abhors evil. The Father is full of light as His Son is the light of the world. The wisdom of God is eternal. All of these things are to be imitated in the life of the child of God.

Walking like God is to learn to imitate Him so the world will no longer see self but the image of the Father. There are many traits that people possess that identify them as members of a family. Sons will take on the persona of their fathers, and daughters will grow to look and behave like their mothers. This is a natural evolution of family traits shared by parents and children. The more the Christian spends in the word of God, the more they learn how to imprint the image of God on their hearts. Imitating God becomes who a person is. When the world looks at the individual, they see the glory of the heavenly Father in kindness, forgiveness, and holiness. Sadly, the world looks like the Father of lies, imitating the character of Satan. All men are children. The question is: who do you imitate? The glory of the Father will bring eternal life. Imitate God as dear children.