Being an Imitator

Scripture instructs us to be imitators of God and of the Lord. We also see believers imitating other believers who follow God. 

Strong’s Lexicon: The word “imitators” in Greek is mimētēs (3402) which means imitator, follower.
HELPS Word-studies: 3042 mimētḗs (the root of the English term, mimic, "one who imitates, emulates") – properly, the positive imitation that arises by admiring the pattern set by someone worthy of emulation, i.e. a mentor setting a proper example. 3402 /mimētḗs ("emulator, imitator") is always used positively in the NT (seven times) – of followers of Christ emulating a God-approved example. The supreme model is God Himself 

Ephesians shows us what we are to imitate and what we are not to imitate.

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks. For this you know with certainty, that no immoral or impure person or covetous man, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them; for you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.
Ephesians 5:1-12 NASB® 1995

To be an “imitator” of God is to be an imitator of love. 1 John 4:8 says this. 

The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4:8 NASB® 1995

We see what love is in 1 Corinthians 13.

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 NASB® 1995

The question to ask yourself is a question God asked me. He said, “Do you love me”? I said, “Yes, of course, I love you”. Then He told me to put my name in 1 Corinthians 13 and see if I loved Him. It was a sad moment and a reality check because I realized I didn't love God His way. I wasn't patient with Him or kind to Him, I took His praise for my glory, I didn't believe everything He said, and I didn't endure all things. This led to me asking Him for help. This brings us to the question to ask yourself. We see Ephesians 5 says, Christ gave Himself up for us.

  • Do you give your life up for Him?

  • Do you wake up each morning praying and asking who He wants you to talk to today or who you are supposed to pour into today?

  • Do you ask where you should go in your free time or what you should be doing every day with your life?

  • Do you give your life up for His agenda every day?

This is what Jesus did. This is what John the Baptist did. It is what Peter did, and what Paul did, and all the people in scripture that were led by the Holy Spirit. This is what it means to be led by the Holy Spirit. You will fill your time with what is on the Father's heart and mind. This is you taking part in the New Covenant and what it means to have eternal life. If we are not striving to be imitators of God and Jesus, then we are practicing sin. 1 John 3:6-10 tells us those who practice sin are of the devil. We are created for good works. Ephesians 2:10. 

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10 NASB® 1995

These works are not good unless they come from the Father's mind. Jesus says in Matthew 19:16–17 that there is only One who is good. Jesus was pointing to the Father. Therefore, we know that good works only come from the mind of the Father. It is up to Him what is good, not our opinions. The unbelievers and the church world can say a lot of what they do are good works, but unless it comes from the mind of the Father, it is not good; it is a dead work, and you are wasting your life. 

In Matthew 5, Jesus gives us more insight into how to be like our Heavenly Father.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Matthew 5:43-48 NASB® 1995

After Paul tells us who we are to imitate and he goes on to tell us what not to do. In Ephesians 5:1-12, Paul states that immorality, impurity, greed, filthiness, silly talk, and coarse jesting are not to be in our lives. We’re going to look at some of these definitions of the sin practices Paul mentions above in Ephesians 5:1-12.

Strong’s Lexicon: The Greek word for “immorality” is porneia (4202); it means fornication, sexual immorality, whoredom. Fornication means sexual intercourse between people not married to each other - Merriam-webster.
HELPS Word-studies: 4202 porneía (the root of the English terms "pornography, pornographic"; cf. 4205 /pórnos) which is derived from pernaō, "to sell off") – properly, a selling off (surrendering) of sexual purity; promiscuity of any (every) type.

Strong’s Lexicon: The Greek word for “impurity” is akatharsia (167 and means uncleanness,impurity.
Thayer’s Green Lexicon: b. it means, in a moral sense, the impurity of lustful, luxurious, profligate living.
Profligate as an adverb: means completely given up to dissipation and licentiousness : shamelessly immoral. As a noun: a person given to wildly extravagant and usually grossly self-indulgent expenditure - Merriam-webster
Dissolute means marked by indulgence in things (such as drink or promiscuous sex) deemed vices- Merriam-webster ; lax in morals: licentious. 

Strong’s Lexicon: The Greek word for “greed” is pleonexia (4124); it means covetousness, avarice, aggression, desire for advantage.
HELPS Word-studies: 4124 pleoneksía (a feminine noun derived from 4119 /pleíōn, "numerically more" and 2192 /éxō, "have") – properly, the desire for more (things), i.e. lusting for a greater number of temporal things that go beyond what God determines is eternally best (beyond His preferred-will cf. 2307 /thélēma); covetousness (coveting).

These definitions make me think of the desire for the American Dream and remind me to cut off and get out of the lustful desires of Babylon in Revelation 18. 

Strong’s Lexicon: The Greek word for “filthiness” is aischrotēs (151) ; it means baseness, obscenity, and filthiness. 
Baseness n. means mean lacking in dignity or falling short of the standards befitting humans. Base suggests a contemptible, mean-spirited, or selfish lack of human decency: Base adj.: 1. Having or showing a lack of decency; contemptible, mean-spirited, or selfish. 2. a. Being a metal that is of little value. - American Heritage® Dictionary

Strong’s Lexicon: The Greek word for “silly talk” is mōrologia (3473), which means foolish talking.
HELPS Word-studies: 3473 mōrología (from 3474 /mōrós, "dull, without an edge," and 3004 /légō, "speaking to a conclusion") – literally, "foolish (moronic) words," i.e. speech flowing out of a dull, sluggish heart (mind) that lost its edge (grip) on reality. This is the "talk of fools, involving foolishness and sinning together"

Strong’s Lexicon: The Greek word for “coarse jesting” is eutrapelia (2160) and it means coarse jesting, vulgarity, ribaldry.
Ribaldry means: Vulgar, lewdly humorous language or joking or an instance of it. - American Heritage® Dictionary

I encourage you to examine yourselves to see if you engage in any of these sinful practices and ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to remove them from your life when you are tempted to engage in them. 

Now, we will look at people who were imitators of the Lord in much tribulation.

You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 NASB® 1995

These people were imitators because they received the word in much tribulation with the joy of the Holy Spirit.

Strong’s Lexicon: The word “tribulation” in Greek is thlipsis (2347); it means persecution, affliction, distress, tribulation. From thlibo; pressure (literally or figuratively) -- afflicted(-tion), anguish, burdened, persecution, tribulation, trouble.
HELPS Word-studies: 2347 thlípsis – properly, pressure (what constricts or rubs together), used of a narrow place that "hems someone in"; tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, "without options").
2347/thlípsis ("compression, tribulation") carries the challenge of coping with the internal pressure of a tribulation, especially when feeling there is "no way of escape" ("hemmed in").

For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea, for you also endured the same sufferings at the hands of your own countrymen, even as they did from the Jews, who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out. They are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved; with the result that they always fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the utmost.
1 Thessalonians 2:14-16 NASB® 1995

These people became examples to others because of their faith toward God. Many people may think these scriptures "don't apply to me." But if you are in a "Christian" family, church denomination, or people group that claims to be Christians and you start speaking the truth that people must repent, stop practicing sin, and tell them there is no such thing as once saved always saved in the Bible, you will be persecuted. If you tell people Christmas is a lie and you shouldn't partake of the table of demons, and if you tell people Easter is not of God, Passover is, you will be hated by many. This is often shocking to people, as they tell their Christian family and friends, and they are shunned and hated. Some of what I just posted might make you furious; if it does, please go look into it for yourself.

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
Hebrews 6:11-12 NASB® 1995

Those who show the same diligence in being an imitator are the ones who will inherit the promises. We must test ourselves to see if we are really in Jesus. This may be very offensive to you, but wouldn't it be better to test yourself against scripture than to get angry and disregard this post?

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you⁠—unless indeed you fail the test?
2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB® 1995

Resources:

  • Strong’s Lexicon: Biblehub.com

  • HELPS Word-studies taken from The Discovery Bible, available at discoverybible.com, copyright © 2021, HELPS Ministries Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  • MERRIAM-WEBSTER ONLINE (www.Merriam-Webster.com) copyright © 2012 by Merriam-Webster

    • “Fornication.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fornication. Accessed 9 May. 2025.

    • “Profligate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/profligate. Accessed 9 May. 2025.

    • “Dissolute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dissolute. Accessed 9 May. 2025.

  • THAYER'S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2002, 2003, 2006, 2011 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. BibleSoft.com

  • American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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