10 Ways to Imitate Christ (According to Ephesians)
Quick Summary
Imitating Christ in Ephesians means living from the deep well of God's love and letting that love shape our character, our relationships, and our daily habits. Paul calls believers to reflect Christ's forgiveness, compassion, purity, and sacrificial love, not through pressure or self-effort, but through the renewing work of the Spirit. Imitation becomes a way of life: steady, relational, and rooted in grace.
Introduction
Ephesians paints a rich picture of what it means to live as God's beloved people. When Paul says, "Be imitators of God, as beloved children" (Ephesians 5:1), he is not asking the impossible. He is inviting believers to live in a way that reflects the love they have already received. The command flows directly from the identity God gives. They are chosen, forgiven, sealed with the Spirit, and united in Christ.
Imitating Christ is not an abstract idea. It is practical, relational, and grounded in the rhythms of everyday life. It touches how believers speak, forgive, use their gifts, love their neighbors, and navigate community. It is a call to embody the character of Christ within the world.
Discipleship writers like Dallas Willard and Eugene Peterson describe imitation not as mimicry but as transformation, the slow shaping of the heart so that Christ's way becomes natural. Ephesians offers that vision through practices of love, light, wisdom, and unity.
It also matters that Paul is writing this from prison. Ephesians is one of Paul's prison epistles, and a call to imitate Christ's sacrificial love carries different weight coming from a man who has already paid a real cost for his faith.
10 Ways to Imitate Christ in Ephesians (At a Glance)
| # | Practice | Key Verse | What It Looks Like |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Beloved Children | Eph. 5:1 | Living from identity, not toward it |
| 2 | Walking in Love | Eph. 5:2 | Self-giving, active, sacrificial love |
| 3 | Practicing Forgiveness | Eph. 4:32 | Releasing bitterness, mirroring God's grace |
| 4 | Speaking Truth in Love | Eph. 4:15 | Holding clarity and compassion together |
| 5 | Putting Off the Old Self | Eph. 4:22–24 | Inner renewal, not just behavior change |
| 6 | Walking as Children of Light | Eph. 5:8–9 | Choosing what is good, righteous, and true |
| 7 | Imitating Christ Through Wisdom | Eph. 5:15 | Discerning, purposeful, grateful living |
| 8 | Imitation in Community | Eph. 4:2–3 | Humility, patience, and unity practiced together |
| 9 | The Role of the Spirit | Eph. 3:16, 4:23 | Renewal and strength from the inside out |
| 10 | Christ as Pattern and Goal | Eph. 4:15 | Growing continually into Christ's likeness |
Imitating Christ in Ephesians
Paul's call to imitate Christ unfolds through themes and practices woven across the letter.
1. The Foundation: Beloved Children
Paul anchors imitation in identity. Believers are "beloved children" (Ephesians 5:1). This echoes the deep affirmation Jesus received at his baptism. Identity comes before imitation.
To imitate Christ, believers do not strive for belonging, they live from it. The entire letter establishes this foundation:
blessed in Christ (Ephesians 1:3–6)
redeemed and forgiven (Ephesians 1:7)
sealed with the Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)
raised and seated with Christ (Ephesians 2:6)
created for good works (Ephesians 2:10)
This identity shapes everything that follows.
2. Walking in Love
Paul's clearest statement about imitation comes in Ephesians 5:2: "Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us." Christ's love becomes the model and the measure for Christian living.
This love is:
self-giving
active
consistent
rooted in sacrifice
This theme is developed further in Walking in Love, where love becomes the guiding pattern for all relationships.
3. Practicing Forgiveness
Paul describes forgiveness as a direct imitation of Christ: "forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you" (Ephesians 4:32).
Forgiveness mirrors the heart of God. It releases bitterness, repairs relationships, and reflects the grace believers have received. This forgiveness is not optional in the life of imitation. It is central.
Writers like Henri Nouwen and Miroslav Volf point to forgiveness as a profound spiritual practice, one that shapes community and reflects God's reconciling work.
4. Speaking Truth in Love
Imitating Christ involves truthfulness shaped by love. Paul urges believers to "speak the truth in love" (Ephesians 4:15) as part of the church's growth into Christ.
This balance prevents two distortions. Truth without love becomes harshness. Love without truth becomes avoidance. Christ embodies both clarity and compassion, and for believers, speaking truth in love builds maturity and unity.
5. Putting Off the Old Self and Putting On the New
Ephesians 4:22–24 describes imitation as transformation. The old patterns, anger, deceit, bitterness, impurity, are removed like worn clothing. The new self, created in God's likeness, is put on.
This is not behavior modification. It is inner renewal "in the spirit of your minds," the Spirit's quiet work shaping desires, habits, and reactions. Dallas Willard calls this "the renovation of the heart," where Christ's character slowly becomes our own.
6. Walking as Children of Light
Paul contrasts the old way with a life shaped by light: goodness, righteousness, and truth (Ephesians 5:8–9). Light reveals what is real and good. It exposes harmful patterns and guides the heart toward what pleases the Lord.
This theme is developed in Walking in Light, where believers learn to discern and choose what aligns with Christ.
7. Imitating Christ Through Wisdom
Paul invites believers to "walk wisely" (Ephesians 5:15). Wisdom is more than knowledge. It is the art of discerning how to live faithfully in everyday circumstances.
Characteristics of wise imitation include:
using time purposefully
seeking what pleases the Lord
practicing gratitude
avoiding destructive influences
living alert to God's presence
This connects with Walking in Wisdom.
8. Imitation in Community
Paul never imagines imitation as a solitary pursuit. It unfolds in the life of the church. Christlike character is practiced in:
humility
gentleness
patience
unity
bearing with one another in love
These communal practices are explored further in Walking Worthy of Our Calling and The Unity of the Body of Christ.
Eugene Peterson described discipleship as "a long obedience in the same direction," a communal journey where believers help one another grow.
9. The Role of the Spirit
Imitation is Spirit-formed. Believers are "renewed in the spirit of their minds" (Ephesians 4:23) and "strengthened in the inner being" by the Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). The Spirit guides, convicts, encourages, and empowers.
Imitation without the Spirit becomes exhaustion. With the Spirit, imitation becomes transformation.
10. Christ as the Pattern and Goal
Every instruction in Ephesians reflects the character of Christ: unity, forgiveness, sacrifice, purity, truth, love, and strength. Christ is both the pattern believers follow and the goal they grow toward.
Paul describes maturity as "growing into him who is the head, into Christ" (Ephesians 4:15). This growth is continual, hopeful, and sustained by grace.
Walking in Love (Eph. 5:1-7)
Dig deeper into Christ's self-giving love as the model for how we love others.
Read Study →Walking in Light (Eph. 5:8-14)
Study how light exposes what's false and guides believers toward what's good.
Read Study →Walking in Wisdom (Eph. 5:15-20)
See what it looks like to live purposefully, gratefully, and alert to God.
Read Study →Walking Worthy of Our Calling
Explore the humility, patience, and truth-in-love that imitation looks like in community.
Read Study →The 4 Prison Epistles of Paul
Ephesians was written from a Roman prison cell, see how it fits with Paul's other captivity letters.
Visit Hub →Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian Elders
Hear Paul model the same sacrificial, others-first love he calls the Ephesians to imitate.
Read Study →FAQs
Is imitation only personal? It is personal and communal. Christlike character is practiced in relationships.
How does forgiveness fit into imitation? Forgiveness reflects the heart of Christ and restores community.
What role does the Spirit play? The Spirit renews, strengthens, guides, and empowers believers for imitation.
Works Consulted
Barth, Markus. Ephesians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. Anchor Yale Bible Commentary. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1974.
Willard, Dallas. Renovation of the Heart. Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2002.
Peterson, Eugene H. A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. Downers Grove: IVP, 1980.
Nouwen, Henri J.M. The Return of the Prodigal Son. New York: Image Books, 1992.
Imitating Christ is a lifelong practice, and this letter offers far more to grow into. Visit the Ephesians Bible Study Hub for the fuller picture.
