Ephesians 5:1–2
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
Followers and imitators would imply acting as we see the master do. Paul was saying that people can see our behavior and conclude that that is how God behaves. If Christ finds himself in a situation, the way he would respond is how we should respond.
Verse 2 is showing us how we should imitate God. It tells us to walk in love because God is love, and that is his nature should imitate God. It instructs us to walk in love because God is love and that is his nature.
We need to pay attention to the instruction that says “as Christ.” Christ has become our standard and template. Christ serves as the framework within which believers are expected to walk.
It appears that believers are wired with an operating system that they are meant to operate in. The nature of Christ is like software installed into a system. Christ becomes our pattern. The one who shapes us. If you do not comprehend this, you may be unable to embrace what Paul has said. God’s DNA should be our DNA. There should be clear resemblances and patterns.
We should begin asking ourselves, whenever we face a circumstance, what Jesus would do if he were in our shoes. The instruction is to walk in love, just as Christ has loved us.
vs. 20 Paul began by instructing us to submit ourselves in the fear of the Lord. Christ is the Lord so, this instruction is that we follow Jesus’ example. The fear of God connotes reverence and honor.
Paul gave us a general rule that may be applied to any type of human relationship. It demands mutual submission and respect in reference to Christ. The demand for submission is not limited to a man and his wife, it is a demand for all. The standard that is constant in our life is as unto the Lord.
Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
We do in words and in deed
Our day-to-day life deduces that we are exalting Christ. There is no aspect of society that doesn’t involve relating with others. It is usually between a superior and a subject. The principle applies across society. The constant for a son who is imitating God is that he does it unto God. The constant should be that whatever we do should be unto Christ and like Christ.
Paul is writing from the perspective that all we do should be done with the understanding that we are expected to submit to Christ’s Lordship. With a clear understanding of Christ’s Lordship, we must let it influence everything we do. We do not have an opinion. As we get a better understanding of Christ, He becomes our Lord and Master. We come to a point where we are in full submission to Christ. We may have opinions with our earthly masters but not with Christ. We are expected to submit to all authorities as unto Christ.
We may not feel like it, but it is required of us. This way, if the Lord places us in a situation where we have no say. We are conditioned to submit to Christ. If you are of the Lord and carry his DNA, you will walk in love.
Get to the point where you see Christ as your head. A demand is placed on your submission. In your marriage, you may not want to submit, but do so as befitting to the Lord We need to get to the point where we can lay down our ego. We are saved in the church but not everyone submits or has learnt to submit.
Learning Christ brings us to a place where his nature is fully formed in us. When you give honor to someone you believe does not deserve it, you are doing so for Christ. Jesus was willing to lay down his life even though we were unwilling to repent. He loved us while we were still sinners. So, we are expected to love even while the other party is hurting us.
Don’t withhold love till you see changes, Christ did not wait for your repentance before dying for you. Many of us are learning too much and are not submitting to the Lordship of the master. Many have depths of knowledge yet struggle with submission. A person’s limitation should not influence your actions.
Colossians 3:16
Paul stated that whatever we do, there comes a point when our learning must be reflected in our deeds. We would allow the word to dwell in us richly, and our deeds will reflect what we are learning. What we learn reflects in our words and in our deeds.
Paul also mentioned that he didn’t come to Lord it over us. Headship is not us sitting down as Lord; it starts from serving like Christ did. When a spouse fails to meet your expectations, particularly with regard to provisions, this is not the time to accuse them of being an infidel.
You need to learn and study that passage of the scripture well. You don’t honor your husband only because he provides the necessities of the house. Never see your marriage as a poverty alleviation scheme for your family. As parents, we shouldn’t provide for our children because they will help us in the future, nor should we make them get angry by the way we act. Everyone is involved in this submission conversation.
We must be affectionate in every situation. It usually demands patience. Your actions and words reflect whether or not you are exalting Christ on a daily basis. Do everything as unto the Lord, regardless of who or what is coming at you.