To imitate Christ is the loftiest goal anybody can have on this planet. And yet here’s the deal: we all will be like Jesus ultimately. John said we shall be like him when he comes the second time; we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2). This is called glorification. All who are predestined are (sooner or later) effectually called; all those who are effectually called (regenerated) are justified (declared righteous before God by our faith); and those who are justified will be glorified (Rom.8:30).
So it is a fact that all children of God will become like Jesus. But the moment we are born again – regenerated – we are given the command to follow in Jesus’ steps – even though salvation is irrevocably ours. For example, we are called to be baptized.
Baptism does not save us; it is a demonstration that we are unashamed to be children of God. We are called to be sanctified; and yet our sanctification is not what saves us; it shows our gratitude to God for being saved by sheer grace. And so too the command to be like Jesus; it is not what gets us to Heaven but it demonstrates that we are persisting in faith. As we have received Jesus Christ we are to walk in him (Col.2:6).
Paul put it this way: let this mind be in you which was in Christ. Though he was truly and fully God he did not consider equality with God something to be grasped – held on to – but he became nothing; he emptied himself and became truly and fully man. Not only that; he went to the cross (Phil.2:5-8).
Paul brought up the issue of imitating Christ in the context of unity (Phil.2:1-4). He was urging the Philippians to be united and not governed by a rival spirit. The best way to avoid a spirit of rivalry is to be like Jesus; to do what he did. A rival spirit is deadly. It is what divides churches, leadership, marriages and friendships. When we truly imitate Jesus Christ here is what follows: an absence of wanting to get the credit for what we do; an absence of keeping a record of wrongs – but also an absence of keeping a record of rights (saying “I told you so”). If every church member made a serious, consistent effort to be like Jesus twenty-four hours a day the problem of disunity in the church would be over – at once.
The trouble is, we want the credit for what we do. We want to be noticed. We want the compliments. We want to control.
I ask you: do you want to be like Jesus? Do you? Do you think about it? Do you plan ahead – asking the Lord to help you to be like him? A man known as Gypsy Smith many years ago wrote a little chorus: “Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me”. I pray this for myself.
When one stops to realize that we all will be like Jesus one day it should give us pause. All of us just like Jesus. Think about it! And yet it gives our Heavenly Father no pleasure if we take the attitude, “Since I will be like him one day I will just wait until then – and not worry about it”. It is an unhappy person who talks like this. Some would say that such a person has not been truly converted. That is to be one’s judge – I don’t want to go there. But it is certainly not honoring to God when we have little or no aspiration to be like his Son.
I want to be like Jesus. I want my life to cause others to want to be like Jesus. I know this: if you want more of God, a greater anointing and a life filled with the Spirit it will mean a Christ-like life is on God’s agenda for you – and this desire will be a conscious aspiration in your heart and life. I pray this little blog might stir you to pursue Christ-likeness as you never have before.
RT
You can read much more about this in my book: Imitating Christ available at a discount for this month.
