So as far as who we should admire and imitate, the obvious answer is Jesus Himself. Why should we imitate anyone else? Our goal according to God's Word is to follow Jesus step for step. “Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” (1 John 2:6). There is no one more important to imitate than Jesus Christ. But then no less a preacher than Paul the Apostle himself told his flock: "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1). Why not simply say imitate Christ? In the same letter he said:
For though you
have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your
father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of
me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord,
to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.
(1 Cor. 4:15-17)
This
is so important to Paul that he sent Timothy to them just for that reason, so
that they would be reminded of Paul's ways
in Christ and imitate them - not simply to remember and imitate Christ. Paul
isn't alone. The author of Hebrews says the same about other leaders of
the church. "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word
of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their
faith." (Heb. 13:7).
The
Scriptures actually urge us to observe faithful Christian leaders and imitate
the pattern of their behavior and faith. We are supposed to find heroes to
admire. John Piper, a man who certainly goes to great pains to focus on
exalting God and drawing our attention to Jesus, still suggests that if
more of us picked heroes to follow, we may be more bold and serious about our
faith: "I think one reason we settle for such ordinary 'soap opera' lives
is because we have no heroes. Nobody’s picture is pinned on our wall to spur us
on to greatness. The Bible teaches us to have heroes." (Every Hero Gets Hiccups).
Piper has invested in this by researching and
preaching biographical messages of 27 great Christians you can watch or
listen to here for free. This is one way I discovered some of my
heroes of the faith.
We
often don't see Jesus clearly, even when we set our hearts to follow Him. We
have difficulty relating to His perfection across the canyon of our
imperfections. Finding someone who has seen Jesus more clearly than
you do is a way to connect to Jesus. We do this all the time with pastors,
following where they have gone ahead in the Scriptures or their faith. The same
encouragement comes from seeing how other imperfect people gained confidence in
God and discovered intimate communion with Him. Experiencing how they grew into
the stature of Christ in spite of fears, doubts, mistakes, sins, and confusion
gives us courage and hope. It helps show us the way ahead.
I
have been massively supported and strengthened in my faith by how C.S. Lewis
wrestled with the perplexities and pain of life and made sense of them in
Christ. I have seen more glorious and beautiful truths about the sheer logic
and common sense of Christianity because of the brilliance and wit of G.K.
Chesterton than I could have ever understood on my own. Our eyes should always
be fixed ahead, looking intently for Jesus Himself, but our own Hebrews 11 hall
of heroes spurs us on and guards us against getting lost.
Therefore, since we
are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every
weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race
that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our
faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who
endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
(Hebrews 12:1-3)
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