Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, September 22nd, 2024
the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Ephesians 5:1

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Commandments;   Example;   Holiness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Discipleship;   Followers;   Names;   Titles and Names;   The Topic Concordance - Following;   Light;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Adoption;   Conduct, Christian;   Holiness;   Titles and Names of Saints;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ethics;   Love;   Marriage;   Paul;   Wife;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Ethics;   Paul the Apostle;   Perfect, Perfection;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Adoption;   Church;   Meekness;   Self-Denial;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Adoption;   Ephesians, the Epistle to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Church;   Ephesians, Book of;   Family;   Imitate;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Atonement;   Love, Lover, Lovely, Beloved;   Marriage;   Perfection;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Ephesians Epistle to the;   Example;   Good;   Personality;   Regeneration (2);   Religion (2);   Worldliness;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Play;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Children of God;   Ephesians, Epistle to the;   Follower;   Witness of the Spirit;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for September 14;   Every Day Light - Devotion for December 13;  

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,
Simplified Cowboy Version
Do what God does because you are now his cowboys.
Bible in Basic English
Let it then be your desire to be like God, as well-loved children;
Darby Translation
Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children,
Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.
World English Bible
Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Be ye therefore followers of God, as beloved children: And walk in love,
Weymouth's New Testament
Therefore be imitators of God, as His dear children.
King James Version (1611)
Be ye therefore followers of God, as deare children.
Literal Translation
Then become imitators of God, as beloved children,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Be ye the folowers therfore of God as deare children,
Mace New Testament (1729)
Be ye therefore imitators of God, as his dear children; live together in love,
THE MESSAGE
Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.
Amplified Bible
Therefore become imitators of God [copy Him and follow His example], as well-beloved children [imitate their father];
American Standard Version
Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children;
Revised Standard Version
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Be ye folowers of god as dere children
Update Bible Version
Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children;
Webster's Bible Translation
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Young's Literal Translation
Become, then, followers of God, as children beloved,
New Century Version
You are God's children whom he loves, so try to be like him.
New English Translation
Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children
Berean Standard Bible
Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children,
Contemporary English Version
Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children.
Complete Jewish Bible
So imitate God, as his dear children;
English Standard Version
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Bee yee therefore followers of God, as deare children,
George Lamsa Translation
BE therefore God-like, as beloved chil dren.
Hebrew Names Version
Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.
International Standard Version
So be imitators of God, as his dear children.Matthew 5:45,48; Luke 6:36; Ephesians 4:32;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Be therefore imitators of Aloha, as beloved children;
Murdock Translation
Be ye therefore imitators of God, as dear children:
New Living Translation
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children.
New Life Bible
Do as God would do. Much-loved children want to do as their fathers do.
English Revised Version
Be ye therefore imitators of God, as beloved children;
New Revised Standard
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Become ye, therefore, imitators of God, as children beloved,
Douay-Rheims Bible
Be ye therefore followers of God, as most dear children:
King James Version
Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
Lexham English Bible
Therefore become imitators of God, as beloved children,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Be ye therefore folowers of God, as deare chyldren:
Easy-to-Read Version
You are God's dear children, so try to be like him.
New American Standard Bible
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children;
Good News Translation
Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor be ye foloweris of God, as moost dereworthe sones;

Contextual Overview

1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

followers: Ephesians 4:32, Leviticus 11:45, Matthew 5:45, Matthew 5:48, Luke 6:35, Luke 6:36, 1 Peter 1:15, 1 Peter 1:16, 1 John 4:11

as: Jeremiah 31:20, Hosea 1:10, John 1:12, Colossians 3:12, 1 John 3:1, 1 John 3:2

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 15:15 - General Deuteronomy 24:22 - General 1 Samuel 20:14 - the kindness Job 29:16 - a father Psalms 26:3 - For Psalms 68:5 - a judge Psalms 85:13 - shall set Psalms 112:4 - he is gracious Proverbs 3:3 - mercy Proverbs 16:32 - that is Proverbs 19:11 - and Proverbs 20:3 - an Amos 1:11 - kept Matthew 5:7 - are Matthew 5:9 - for Matthew 18:22 - but Matthew 18:33 - even John 10:4 - he goeth John 12:26 - let Acts 26:20 - and do 1 Corinthians 11:1 - even Galatians 3:26 - General Galatians 5:22 - love Philippians 2:15 - sons Colossians 2:6 - walk Colossians 3:15 - the peace 1 Thessalonians 1:6 - and of 1 Thessalonians 4:9 - touching 1 Thessalonians 5:14 - be 2 Timothy 2:19 - depart 1 Peter 3:8 - courteous 1 Peter 3:13 - followers 1 John 2:8 - which 1 John 3:10 - the children of God 3 John 1:11 - follow

Cross-References

Genesis 2:4
This is the history [fn] of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
Genesis 5:26
After he begot Lamech, Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years, and had sons and daughters.
Genesis 5:27
So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years; and he died.
Genesis 6:9
This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.
Genesis 10:1
1 Chronicles 1:5-27">[xr] Now this is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And sons were born to them after the flood.
1 Chronicles 1:1
Genesis 5:1-32; 10:1-32; 11:10-26; Luke 3:34-38">[xr] Adam, Seth, Enosh,
Ecclesiastes 7:29
Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes."
Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, "I have no pleasure in them":
Matthew 1:1
Ruth 4:18-22; 1 Chronicles 2:1-5; Luke 3:23-38">[xr] The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
1 Corinthians 11:7
For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be ye therefore followers of God,.... Not in his works of infinite wisdom and almighty power, which is impossible; but in acts of righteousness and holiness, and particularly in acts of mercy, goodness, and beneficence; as in forgiving injuries and offences, and in freely distributing to the necessities of the saints; as the connection of the words with the preceding chapter, and the instance and example in the following verse show: and this should be done by the saints,

as dear children; and because they are such by adopting grace; being predestinated unto the adoption of children, in the eternal purpose of God, and taken into that relation in the covenant of grace; and which is declared and made manifest in regeneration, and by faith in Christ Jesus: and they are dear, or beloved children, being loved with an everlasting and unchangeable love, and which is the spring and source of their adoption; and their being dear to him is seen by what he is unto them, their covenant God and Father; and by what he has done for them, in giving his Son to them, and for them; as well as in choosing, calling, and quickening them by his grace, and by the account he makes of them, as his jewels, his peculiar treasure, and the apple of his eye; and by the pity and compassion he has for them, and the care he takes of them; and therefore it becomes them to imitate him; for who should they imitate and follow after, but their Father, and especially when they are so dear unto him?

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Be ye therefore followers of God - Greek, “Be imitators - μιμηταὶ mimētai - of God.” The idea is not that they were to be the friends of God, or numbered among his followers, but that they were to imitate him in the particular thing under consideration. The word “therefore” - οὖν oun - connects this with the previous chapter, where he had been exhorting them to kindness, and to a spirit of forgiveness, and he here entreats them to imitate God, who was always kind and ready to forgive; compare Matthew 5:44-47; As he forgives us Ephesians 4:32, we should be ready to forgive others; as he has borne with our faults, we should bear with theirs; as he is ever ready to hear our cry when we ask for mercy, we should be ready to hear others when they desire to be forgiven; and as he is never weary with doing us good, we should never be weary in benefiting them.

As dear children - The meaning is, “as those children which are beloved follow the example of a father, so we, who are beloved of God, should follow his example.” What a simple rule this is! And how much contention and strife would be avoided if it were followed! If every Christian who is angry, unforgiving, and unkind, would just ask himself the question, “How does God treat me?” it would save all the trouble and heart-burning which ever exists in the church.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER V.

Christians should imitate their heavenly Father, and walk in

love, after the example of Christ, 1, 2.

They should avoid all uncleanness, impurity, covetousness, and

foolish jesting, and idolatry, because these things exclude

from the kingdom of God, 3-7.

The Ephesians were once in darkness, but being now light in the

Lord, they are exhorted to walk in that light, and bring forth

the fruits of the Spirit; and to have no fellowship with the

workers of iniquity, whose evil deeds are manifested by the

light, 8-13.

All are exhorted to awake; to walk circumspectly; to redeem the

time; and to learn what the will of the Lord is, 14-17.

The apostle gives particular directions relative to avoiding

excess of wine, 18.

To singing and giving thanks, 19, 20.

Submission to each other, 21.

To husbands that they should love their wives, as Christ loved

the Church; for by the marriage union, the union between Christ

and the Church is pointed out; and wives are exhorted to

reverence their husbands, 22-33.

NOTES ON CHAP. V.

Verse Ephesians 5:1. Be ye therefore followers of God — The beginning of this chapter is properly a continuation of the preceding, which should have ended with the second verse of this. The word μιμηται, which we translate followers, signifies such as personate others, assuming their gait, mode of speech, accent, carriage, c. and it is from this Greek word that we have the word mimic. Though this term is often used in a ludicrous sense, yet here it is to be understood in a very solemn and proper sense. Let your whole conduct be like that of your Lord; imitate him in all your actions, words, spirit, and inclinations; imitate him as children do their beloved parents, and remember that you stand in the relation of beloved children to him. It is natural for children to imitate their parents; it is their constant aim to learn of them, and to copy them in all things; whatever they see the parent do, whatever they hear him speak, that they endeavour to copy and imitate; yea, they go farther, they insensibly copy the very tempers of their parents. If ye therefore be children of God, show this love to your heavenly Father, and imitate all his moral perfections, and acquire the mind that was in Jesus.


 
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