Ephesians 5:1, “Be ye, therefore, followers of God, as dear children.” (KJV)
The word “followers” here literally means “imitators.” But, how do we imitate someone if we don’t know them? To imitate God, we must know Him, and to know Him means eternal life, without which we cannot follow or imitate Him.
Christ was and is the perfect image of His Father. This means that He must live within us if our character and lives are to resemble that of the Father. Jesus has left us an example so that we can follow in His footsteps.
I understand that it is much easier to follow the example of another Christian than Christ Himself, and doing so may help us become self-satisfied. But, we are instructed to follow the Lord, who has compassion for the lost, who is jealous for His own glory, who is merciful and long-suffering, who shows us His self-sacrificing love.