Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ

loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1)

When I arrived at The University of Kentucky in the Summer of 1994, I had two basic plans for my life.

Plan A was to spend a long and illustrious career in the National Football League. Sadly, Plan A never

came to fruition, which led me to Plan B.

Plan B was to graduate from Physical Therapy School and spend a long and illustrious career in sports

medicine. Plan B actually worked… for about two months. After graduating from PT School and acquiring

my dream job, it took me about two months to realize that Physical Therapy was NOT my dream job.

Instead, I decided to answer God’s call to full time vocational ministry and found myself back in school at

Covenant Theological Seminary in the Summer of 2002.

The most important lesson that I learned in seminary centered on the difference between “imperatives”

and “indicatives.” Think about it this way… Imperatives are things that are imperative to follow in

Scripture; they are the commands. Indicatives, on the other hand, indicate why we should follow; they

are the promises. Not only are the concepts for indicatives and imperatives important, but keeping

these concepts in the correct ORDER is critical!

Disordered indicatives and imperatives explain why some people view God as an overbearing judge or

law giver. It explains why I thought God was upset with me throughout my young adult life whenever I

failed to obey Him. Let me explain…

Using our text above, disordered imperatives and indicatives would read like this: Follow God’s example

and walk in the way of love SO THAT you WILL BE a dearly loved child of God.

This is absolutely NOT what Paul was trying to say in Ephesians 5. Sadly, many of us live as if this is what

God’s Word teaches.

Now, keeping the imperatives and indicatives in their original order, we understand what Paul intended

to communicate: BECAUSE Christ gave himself up for us and BECAUSE we are dearly loved children of

God… we SHOULD follow God’s example and walk in the way of love.

One order teaches moral performance to earn God’s favor. The correct order teaches unearned love and

favor from God as a result of Christ’s performance. We call this “grace.”

Do you ever slip into moral performance to earn God’s favor? Spend some time identifying all the

indicatives and imperatives found in Ephesians 5:1-21.

By Jimmy Carter

Jimmy serves as the Ministries Pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church. He is married to Carrie, his treasured

wife of 24 years, and they have one beloved daughter named Christy Ann “C.A.” who is a Senior at LCA

and will attend UK and play golf for the Wildcats next Fall.