Gr. mimētai, “imitators.” This verse is a continuation and expansion of ch. 4:32. The apostle has been urging that the example of God be followed, particularly in the spirit of forgiveness. God is the pattern, the ideal to which we strive to attain, in this case with special reference to the spirit of forgiveness. Surely the earnest believer, by God’s own grace, can learn to forgive even as God forgave.

 Or, “beloved children.” The knowledge that God loves us is the first source of the ability to imitate Him (1 John 4:19). The realization of His Fatherhood encourages us to love one another (1 John 4:11). Those who sincerely call God their Father must inevitably regard other human beings as brothers and sisters.