carried forward into 5:2 in the words `As Christ also hath loved us'.

The love of Christ, the object of our imitation, is not an abstraction.

The reader will call to mind many passages speaking of both the Father and the

Son, where the words `loved and gave' come together.  So here.  Christ loved,

and that love we are to imitate, Christ loved and gave, and that kind of love we

are to imitate.  Christ loved and gave Himself.  This is the essence both of

loving and of giving:

`Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift ... not as

we hoped (expected), but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto

us ...' (2 Cor. 8:4,5).

The love we are to imitate, moreover, has further qualities.  He gave

Himself for us ... to God.  It is not merely philanthropy or what is now called

`charity', that might (though we doubt it) fulfil the first clause `for us'.

It is, on the other hand, not that cold and lofty disdain of all things human

and kindly that may in self-deception be called an exclusive offering to God.

We are sure God has little pleasure in monasteries or nunneries, neither in the

hypocrite's claim `It is Corban' (Mark 7:11); the twofold offering `for us ...

to God' alone satisfies the case.

Lastly, this love manifests itself in the giving of an offering and a

sacrifice.  It will be seen that there is no contradiction of the Psalmist who

said, `None of us can by any means redeem his brother', for redemption is by

blood (Eph. 1:7).  Into that part of the Saviour's work no man enters, but Paul

knew what it was to fill up what was behind of the afflictions of Christ in the

flesh for the sake of the church; he knew what it was to be offered upon the

sacrifice and service of faith (Col. 1:24 and Phil. 2:17).  Moreover, he uses

the same words, `a sweetsmelling savour' (Eph. 5:2), to describe the kindly

gifts of the Philippians:

`The things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a

sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God' (Phil. 4:18).

Christian giving should always have the atmosphere of the altar and the

sanctuary.  The children of God contribute to this and that, their gifts may be

liberal, they may be helpful, they may encourage; but do not let them miss the

highest and the best.  Let them be `even as God for Christ's sake', let them

partake of the character of the offering of the sweet savour; then such

offerings will be `wellpleasing to God'.

The apostle now brings the exhortation to walk worthy of the calling and

to repudiate the old man, to bear upon things of everyday life.  He exhorts us

`Walk in love as children of love' (Eph. 5:1,2).

`Walk as children of light' (Eph. 5:8).

`Walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise' (Eph. 5:15).

Each walk is expressed both positively and negatively.