It means, any offering by which gratitude was expressed for temporal blessings received from the bounty of God.”
Adam Clarke on an offering: “An oblation, an eucharistic offering the same as minchah, Leviticus 2:1 and following, which is explained to be an offering made unto the Lord, of fine flour, with oil and frankincense.
But God often calls us to lay down our life little by little - in small coins (as it were) instead of one large payment - but it is laying down our lives nonetheless. We often think we could lay down our life in a dramatic way to show our love for others. We can also offer a pleasing sacrifice ( a sweet-smelling aroma) as we give ourselves in love to others. An offering and a sacrifice: Jesus’ giving of Himself was obviously a sacrifice pleasing to the Father. As He has loved us and has given Himself for us, we are to display the same kind of self-giving love.Į. Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us: As in all things, Jesus is our example. I have heard of an atheist who said he could get over every argument except the example of his godly mother: he could never answer that.” (Spurgeon)ĭ. “What are we sent into the world for? Is it not that we may keep men in mind of God, whom they are most anxious to forget? If we are imitators of God, as dear children, they will be compelled to recollect that there is a God, for they will see his character reflected in ours. As we do imitate God, we become representatives of God, especially before those who have shut God out of their life. When we act according to our nature as children of God, we will imitate Him. They often do just what they see their parents or other adults do. As dear children: Children are natural imitators. God is more than our example, but He is also our example.Ĭ. We are not saved by the example of Jesus, but once saved His example is meaningful to us. Many errors come into the church when Jesus is presented only as an example of behavior. It is important to see that God is far more than our example. God’s behavior towards us becomes our measure for our behavior towards one another. We could also say that this is a continuation of the idea from Ephesians 4:32, where we were commanded to be forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you. We could say this is a continuation of the same idea Paul mentioned in Ephesians 4:13 regarding the extent of Christian growth: to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. This is a call to practical action, going beyond our inner life with God. It does not say, “Think about God” or “Admire God” or “Adore God,” though those are all important Christian duties. We must heed the idea of 1 Peter 1:15-16: as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” We can’t content ourselves comparing us among men. Be imitators of God: The idea is simple - that we are to make God our example and model. Therefore: Here, Paul concludes the thought from Ephesians 4, where he described how Christians should relate to one another.ī. 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.Ī. Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
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