Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions as I delivered them to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1-2
It is very interesting how the Apostle Paul opens 1 Corinthians 11. It is a classic counseling tool. In verse two, he praises the Corinthian brethren inasmuch as they have followed his teachings, or traditions, as it is translated in the NKJV. Then Paul proceeds to instruct them on how they need to correct their ways.
As I said, this is a classic counseling tool. I have often thought that modern counselors have gained insight into this technique from the Apostle Paul, here in 1 Corinthians. The influence that the Bible has had on societies over the years is immeasurable. It wouldn’t surprise me if modern counselors had learned this technique from the principles passed down over the years from the Bible — even 1 Corinthians 11.
But I would like to focus on verse one, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” The Apostle Paul understood that it was not enough for the Corinthians or even us to just follow his example. Paul’s instruction was to follow him, as he followed Christ.
The Apostle Paul’s instruction is valuable on a few levels …
- First, we have Paul’s example in Christ
- Then, we have the example of the other great men and women of God, as they followed Christ
- And we have the example of our brothers and sisters in Christ in this generation, as they follow Christ
In fact, the Apostle Paul, expresses all of this in Philippians 3:17:
Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern. First, let us consider Paul and his example in Christ.
In Philippians 3:7-8 the Apostle Paul stated, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ.“
If we could just master this attitude that Paul had, we would be closer to Christ than we have ever known.
Listen to what Paul has to say in verses 12-14 of this same chapter of Philippians:
Not that I have already attained, but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
The goal of Heaven, for Paul, was singular. He did not dwell on the past nor did he allow himself to be distracted by the temptations of the present. He set His gaze only on the future home of heaven. To this end, Paul tells us, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Hebrews 12:1
No discussion about Paul’s example in Christ would be complete without Galatians 2:20:
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
Reading about Paul’s life in the Bible, we see that these are not merely fine words, but a description of how Paul faced life. The Apostle Paul gave himself entirely to Christ. In a defense of his apostleship Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28:
From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness, besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches.
Even through all of these tribulations, the Apostle Paul remained steadfast in his faith. Few have suffered as much as Paul for Christ’s sake. It is likely that few have suffered as much as Paul, period.
Paul’s life has been recorded so we can be encouraged by his faith and steadfastness. Paul refers to Jesus the same way, because, of course, Jesus is the real article. Consider Hebrews 12:1-4 with this in mind:
Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.
So, we have Paul to imitate as he imitated Christ (and certainly, we have Jesus’ example.) But, we also have other great men and women of God to look to for examples.
Hebrews 11, which is often called the roll call of the faithful, offers us a glimpse into the lives of many of God’s great servants: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham and Sarah, Jacob, Moses, and many others. If We would read in the Old Testament about these whose faith caused them to do great things for God, we would be encouraged to serve Him more closely.
I often think of Daniel and something I once heard, “Dare to be a Daniel.” Daniel stood firm through all kinds of persecution. Once he was thrown into a den of lions for praying to God. For his faith, God saved him. (Daniel 6)
Noah, too, although it had never rained … ever … built an enormous ark because God said that He would cause the world to be destroyed by a flood.
For us, it would be like God saying that we had better collect and store as much water as possible because He would soon turn our entire landscape into a desert and there would be no more trees and very, very little water. This would be unimaginable to us today.
That is exactly the way it was for Noah, yet he obeyed God though he was persecuted by everyone he knew. But we don’t have to go back to the Old Testament to find faithful role models. Besides Paul, there are all of the other Apostles and some standout disciples.
Stephen comes to mind. Very early in his Christian life, he preached one of the greatest sermons recorded in the Bible and was stoned to death for it. But with his dying breath, he said on behalf of his killers, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.” He was faithful even to death. (Acts 7)
The Apostle Paul tells us about the Berean brethren, saying that they were more noble or fair-minded than those in Thessalonica because they “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether [the things he preached] were so.” Acts 17:11
We can read throughout the New Testament of believers in Jesus who lived faithfully and we can be encouraged by their examples. We can imitate them as they imitated Christ.
Finally, we can look to our fellow Christian brothers and sisters around us for examples and imitate them, as they imitate Christ.
We don’t want to follow the example of those who are not following Jesus, but those who are imitating Christ in their lives. Paul said, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” And he said, “Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.“
None of us live perfect lives, only Jesus has. But we may find, in our fellow brothers and sisters, examples of Christlikeness in particular parts of their walk.
We all have our strengths and weakness. Our goal should be to strive to imitate each other in our spiritual strengths — as each imitates Christ. There is a vast pool to draw from the brothers and sisters in Christ that we know.
In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul tells us that “the fruit of the spirit is: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
We are to grow in the fruit of the spirit and we can help one another do so. Although his list is a little different than Paul’s list of the fruit of the spirit, Peter refers to this growth in the spirit as a progression:
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:5-8
Presumably, we are all starting out in this growth with faith. Perhaps, if we are struggling, we can find someone who exceeds in his or her virtue and model ourselves after them in their virtue. That same person may have a struggle with knowledge (of the Scriptures, that is) and can look to another brother or sister for help.
We can do this quietly, through observation, or we can ask one another for help where we are struggling. There is no shame in asking for help. In fact, it will help us draw closer to one another as brothers and sisters.
Once again, Paul said, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” We would do well by reading all that the Scriptures tell us about Paul, following the pattern of His life. We can not walk in his footprints, but we can adopt his attitudes and strive for his passion and steadfastness. So, also we can study the lives of other great men and women of God from the Bible. And we can even grow by looking around ourselves, finding faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who can help us improve our walk.