DEAR CHILDREN
Ephesians 5: 1: Be ye therefore followers of
God, as dear children; 2: 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.
“Dear
children” means we are children everlastingly beloved of God our Father.
(Rom 1: 7; 1 Jn 3: 1) “Dear children”
speaks of the spirit in which we follow God. Remember our sister with the
alabaster box of ointment? Christ said, “Wherefore
I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.”
(Lu 7: 47) Children who know our sins are many, know we are forgiven much.
Therefore, we follow our Father, not as slaves by law, but as dear children by
love. Most of all, “dear children”
speaks of the dearest child of God, the pattern we, follow the only begotten
Son of God—“Be ye therefore followers of
God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath.”
First, Christ did not merely say he loved us; he loved us and gave himself. To follow God
as dear children, walking in love, is not merely to talk, but to love and give
ourselves. (1 Jo 3: 18)
Furthermore, Christ gave himself “for us.”
Who were we? We were haters of God. But Christ loved us and gave himself
for us when as yet we considered him
our enemy. Christ’s lost sheep are in that same state. We never know if that
one who appears to be our greatest enemy may be Christ’s redeemed. This is one
reason Christ teaches us to do to men as we would that men should do to us. (Lu
6: 31-36) And what about our brethren already called? “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for
us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.” (1 Jn 3: 16) To follow God as dear children, walking in
love as Christ also hath loved us, is to give ourselves for all those who
Christ purchased with his precious blood.
Lastly, Christ gave himself for us “an offering and a sacrifice to God for a
sweet smelling savour.” By giving
himself Christ made reconciliation to God for our sins. By his one offering, he
perfected his people forever. (Heb 10: 14) To do so, Christ had to come where
we are, bear our sin, our judgment and our death. Therefore, to follow God as dear children,
walking in love as Christ also hath loved us, we will have to go where our
brethren are, bear with their sins, bear their burdens, foregoing our comfort
and ease. So he tells us “bear one
another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Gal 6: 2) Doing so,
we will be to God our Father, in the sweet savour of Christ and his finished
work, “an odour of a sweet smell, a
sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.”