Lifestyle Of A Believer

Part 1 – Imitating God in a Loveless World

Introduction – The Mirror of Belief

Every morning, before you ever speak a word, you live a sermon.

The decisions you make, the tone in your voice, the way you treat the person behind the counter or the one driving too slow in front of you—all of it preaches.

Paul says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love.”

That’s not a slogan for the refrigerator door. That’s the Christian calling card.

If you belong to Christ, your lifestyle is meant to be the living proof that what you believe about Him is real.

Our world is in a full-time identity crisis. It sells us the idea that lifestyle is something you buy, not something you become.

It defines success by what you drive, confidence by what you wear, and value by how many people follow you online.

But Scripture insists that who you imitate determines who you become.

Paul says to the Ephesians—and to us—“Imitate God.”

Not your favorite preacher, not the trendiest influencer, not the loudest voice in your circle.

Imitate the God who loved you when you were still unlovely.

And if that sounds impossible, remember this: every command God gives is a compliment to His own grace.

He never tells His children to do what He will not enable them to do.

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1. Grace Before Demand

Paul roots Christian lifestyle in grace, not guilt.

Our salvation, he reminds us, is “based not on merit, but on grace and mercy.”

The world says, “Perform, and you’ll be accepted.”

The gospel says, “You are accepted—now go live like it.”

That’s where lifestyle begins.

Before God ever tells you what to do, He tells you who you are.

You are His dearly loved child.

You are not trying to earn His favor; you are learning to reflect it.

When you live from that place of grace, obedience becomes a response of love, not a currency of fear.

It changes the flavor of your days.

The believer’s lifestyle isn’t motivated by applause or avoidance of punishment—it’s a love offering back to the One who first loved us.

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2. Divine Love vs. Human Love

Paul draws a line between human affection and divine imitation.

“Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering.”

Human love loves the lovely.

It measures, weighs, and evaluates.

We love people who make us feel good about ourselves.

Divine love, on the other hand, chooses the unlovely.

It moves toward the broken, not away from them.

It’s a decision more than an emotion—an act of the will anchored in the character of God.

That’s why Calvary remains the curriculum for Christian living.

Every act of kindness, every moment of patience, every decision to forgive someone who doesn’t deserve it is a reenactment of the cross.

Paul’s phrase “fragrant offering” is worship language.

He’s saying, when you imitate that kind of love, your lifestyle becomes incense in the nostrils of God.

This is countercultural love.

The world asks, “What’s in it for me?

The believer asks, “How can Christ be seen through me?”

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3. The Serious Side of Love—Taking Wrath Seriously

Now Paul surprises us. Right after commanding love, he warns about wrath.

It almost feels like a mood swing—until we realize real love must take sin seriously.

He says, “Among you there must not even be a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”

God’s wrath is not the loss of His temper; it’s the expression of His holiness.

It’s love defending what is good against what destroys it.

If you have ever watched someone you love destroy themselves, you understand.

You don’t stop caring—you start burning inside with a protective ache.

That’s the heart of divine wrath.

So when Paul says that persistent immorality, impurity, or greed place people under God’s judgment, he’s not being severe; he’s being pastoral.

He’s warning the church not to trivialize what cost Jesus His life.

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4. Greed—The Respectable Sin

Of all the vices Paul could mention, greed may sound tame next to immorality.

But Paul equates it with idolatry.

He says, “Greedy people are idolaters.”

Why?

Because greed is worshiping self under a religious disguise.

It says, “If I can just have more, I’ll be secure, satisfied, and significant.”

But every time we believe that lie, we dethrone God and enthrone our appetite.

In Greek, the word Paul uses for greed means “a continual desire for more.”

Never enough. Never content. Never resting.

And the tragedy is that this disease often looks so respectable—well-dressed, successful, disciplined.

But underneath, it’s a hunger that can never be filled because it’s feeding on the wrong source.