Ephesians 5.1-The Command in Ephesians 5.1 is an Inference from the Contents of Ephesians 4.25-32
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday January 6, 2026
Ephesians Series: Ephesians 5:1-The Command in Ephesians 5:1 is an Inference from the Contents of Ephesians 4:25-32
Lesson # 304
Ephesians 5:1 Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives by imitating the one and only God because each and every one without exception are beloved children. (Lecturer’s translation)
Ephesians 5:1 is composed of the following:
(1) Inferential command: Ginesthe oun mimētai tou theou (Γίνεσθε οὖν μιμηταὶ τοῦ θεοῦ), “Therefore, each and every one of you as a corporate unit must continue to make it your habit of conducting your lives by imitating the one and only God (Lecturer’s translation)
(2) Elliptical causal clause: hōs tekna agapēta (ὡς τέκνα ἀγαπητὰ), “because each and every one without exception are beloved children. (Lecturer’s translation)
Therefore, we can see that command required that the members of the Gentile Christian community in the Roman province of Asia were to continue to make it their habit of conducting their lives by imitating God while the causal clause asserts that they are the Father’s beloved children and presents the reason for this command.
In Ephesians 5:1, the inferential conjunction oun (οὖν) is marking this command as an inference from the contents of Ephesians 4:25-32.
To “infer” is to derive a conclusion from facts or premises and implies arriving at a conclusion by reasoning from evidence.
Therefore, this inferential conjunction indicates that the command which it introduces is presenting the logical conclusion which can be derived from the various commands and prohibitions presented by Paul in Ephesians 4:25-32.
Therefore, the command in Ephesians 5:1 to be imitators of God the Father because the believer is His beloved child is the logical conclusion which can be derived from the various commands and prohibitions presented in Ephesians 4:25-32.
This interpretation is indicated by the fact that these commands and prohibitions are all different ways or manifestations of obeying the Lord’s Spirit inspired command in John 13:34 and 15:12 to self-sacrificially love one another as He has self-sacrificially loved the believer at the cross.
They are manifestations of obedience to this command because it reflects God’s holy character and are doing right by one’s fellow believer and treat their fellow believer the way they would want to be treated.
Therefore, because the command in Ephesians 5:1 is an inference from the various commands and prohibitions in Ephesians 4:25-32, we can conclude that the former summarizes the contents of the latter.
We can also conclude that if the believer conducts their life by imitating the Father, they will be reflecting His love for them in their interactions with each other.
Thus, they will do the following when interacting with each other:
(1) They will never speak falsehood with a fellow believer (Eph. 4:25a).
(2) They will speak truth with a fellow believer (Eph. 4:25b).
(3) They will be justifiably angered when a fellow believer unrepentantly possesses a sinful lifestyle (Eph. 4:26a).
(4) They will not procrastinate in practicing church discipline when a fellow believer unrepentantly possesses a sinful lifestyle (Eph. 4:26b).
(5) They will not give the devil an opportunity to disrupt unity in the Christian community by procrastinating in practicing church discipline in relation to a fellow believer unrepentantly possessing a sinful lifestyle (Eph. 4:27).
(6) They will not steal from a fellow believer (Eph. 4:28a).
(7) They will work hard for a living (Eph. 4:28b).
(8) They will produce divine good by working hard for a living (Eph. 4:28c).
(9) They will share with a fellow believer in need (Eph. 4:28d).
(10) They will not use harmful words when speaking to a fellow believer (Eph. 4:29a).
(11) They will produce divine good by building up a fellow believer with a spiritual need (Eph. 4:29b).
(12) They will not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30).
(13) They will not possess the mental attitude sins of bitterness and malice toward a fellow believer (Eph. 4:31a).
(14) They will not explode in anger when interacting with a fellow believer (Eph. 4:31b).
(15) They will not express rage toward a fellow believer (Eph. 4:31c).
(16) They will not quarrel with a fellow believer (Eph. 4:31d).
(17) They will not slander a fellow believer (Eph. 4:31e).
(18) They will be characterized by kindness when interacting with a fellow believer (Eph. 4:32a).
(19) They will be characterized by compassion when interacting with a fellow believer (Eph. 4:32b).
(20) They will be characterized by forgiveness when interacting with a fellow believer (Eph. 4:32c).
