Our Identity and Our Walk
Main Idea of Ephesians:
Ephesians reveals God’s eternal plan to unite all things in Christ, detailing our spiritual riches, the Church’s unity as His body, and our calling to live out this new identity.
Questions to Consider:
The word “Therefore” at the beginning of 5:1 connects this command directly to 4:32. How does God’s act of forgiving us in Christ (4:32) make the command to be “imitators of God” (5:1) possible?
What identity does Paul give us in verse 1 that serves as the foundation for this high calling? Why is it significant that we are called “dearly loved children”?
Verse 2 gives the specific way we are to imitate God: “walk in love.” What does it mean to “walk” in something?
What is the model, standard, and definition of the love we are to walk in? How did Christ demonstrate this love for us?
What does the imagery of a “fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” tell us about how God viewed Christ’s death? How does this apply to our own acts of love?
The Text:
“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.”
– Ephesians 5:1-2 (CSB)
Observations:
The Ultimate Connection: The word “Therefore” makes this section the ultimate conclusion of all the “put off/put on” commands from chapter 4.
The Highest Calling: The central command is perhaps the most staggering in all of Scripture: “be imitators of God.”
The Foundational Identity: The basis for this calling is not our strength, but our status: we are “dearly loved children.”
The Practical Expression: The general command to imitate God is immediately defined by a specific, actionable lifestyle: “walk in love.”
The Perfect Model: The standard for this love is not human affection but the sacrificial love of Christ, who “gave himself for us.”
Worshipful Imagery: The description of Christ’s act as a “fragrant offering” connects His death to the Old Testament sacrifices, showing it to be an act of worship that was pleasing to God.
Interpretation:
Imitating Our Father (v. 1): The word “Therefore” links this high command directly to the previous verse. Because God has forgiven us in Christ (4:32), therefore we are called to imitate Him. This is a breathtaking command. We are not merely called to follow a set of rules, but to emulate the very character of God Himself—His kindness, His compassion, and His forgiveness. Paul immediately provides the motivation and the means: we do this “as dearly loved children.” Children naturally imitate their parents. We do not imitate God out of a slavish fear to earn His favor, but out of a joyful, secure love because we are already His children, adopted and cherished. Our new identity as loved children is the basis for our new life of imitation.
Walking in Sacrificial Love (v. 2): Paul then defines how we imitate God: we “walk in love.” To “walk” in Scripture signifies a person’s entire way of life, their daily conduct. This isn’t about occasional acts of love, but a continuous, moment-by-moment lifestyle. But what does this love look like? Paul gives us the perfect model and standard: “as Christ also loved us.” He immediately defines that love with an action: Christ “gave himself for us.” The love we are to walk in is not a sentimental feeling, but a radical, self-sacrificial action for the good of others. Paul concludes by describing Christ’s sacrifice as a “fragrant offering to God.” This language pulls from the Old Testament sacrificial system (e.g., Genesis 8:21, Leviticus 1:9). It means that Christ’s death was not a tragedy that God helplessly watched, but a perfect, voluntary sacrifice that was profoundly pleasing to the Father. It was the ultimate act of worship. This implies that when we “walk in love” and give of ourselves for others, our actions are not just horizontal (to people) but also vertical—they are a fragrant offering of worship to God.
Application:
Rest in Your Identity: Before trying to do more, spend time reflecting on your status as a “dearly loved child” of God. Let your actions flow from this secure identity, not from an effort to earn it.
Make “Walk in Love” Your Daily Filter: In your interactions at home, at work, and in the church, ask yourself: “What is the most loving way I can respond here, modeled after Christ’s sacrifice?”
Practice Small Sacrifices: Look for small, daily opportunities to “give yourself up” for someone else—sacrificing your time to listen, your preference for a movie or meal, or your resources to help with a need.
See Love as Worship: Reframe your acts of service and love for others. See them not as chores or obligations, but as fragrant offerings of worship that are pleasing to your Heavenly Father.
Connection to the Main Idea:
This passage is the very heart of what it means to “live out this new identity.” The Christian life is summed up as imitating God. Furthermore, this sacrificial love is the ultimate glue for “the Church’s unity as His body.” A community where every member walks in self-giving love for one another, based on Christ’s own love, is the ultimate expression of the church God designed.
How Does This Text Point to Christ?
This text is entirely centered on Christ. He is the reason we are “dearly loved children” (through His work of redemption). He is the perfect model of the love we are commanded to walk in (“as Christ also loved us”). And His sacrificial death on the cross is the ultimate definition of that love (“gave himself for us”). He is both our example to follow and the one who makes it possible for us to follow at all.
Summary:
Ephesians 5:1-2 calls believers to the highest possible standard: to be imitators of God. We are able to do this because of our secure identity as His “dely loved children.” The practical way to imitate God is to live a life, or “walk,” characterized by self-sacrificial love, the very love that Christ modeled for us when He gave Himself on the cross as a fragrant offering to God.
Be Intentional:
This week, find one concrete opportunity to put someone else’s needs or preferences before your own. It could be letting a family member choose the evening’s activity, taking on a chore for a coworker, or giving up your time to serve someone. As you do it, consciously offer that act to God as an act of worship.
Ask Yourself:
When I think about my relationship with God, is my primary identity that of a “servant trying to please a master” or a “dearly loved child seeking to be like my Father”?
What does “walking in love” look like in my most difficult relationships?
In the last week, what is one tangible way I have “given myself up” for someone else?
Do I tend to view my acts of service and love as simply things I should do, or as offerings of worship that are pleasing to God?
Bibliography:
Carson, D. A. (General Editor). NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible (NIVBTSB). Zondervan.
Merida, Tony. Exalting Jesus in Ephesians (Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary – CCE). B&H Publishing Group.
O’Brien, Peter T. The Letter to the Ephesians (Pillar New Testament Commentary – PNTC). Eerdmans.
Stott, John R. W. The Message of Ephesians (The Bible Speaks Today – BST). InterVarsity Press.
Thielman, Frank. Ephesians (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament – BECNT). Baker Academic.
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