For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15
The life of Jesus is the highwater mark for all who wish to be faithful to God. In 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul gave the charge to “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” The significance of this exhortation becomes crystal clear when we take it in conjunction with the rest of the picture of who Christ is and what He did in coming to earth. A brief survey of some of these passages should bolster our ability to walk in the light as He is in the light.
After describing the tremendous blessings God lavished upon His people in Ephesians 1-3, Paul turned to the practical application of our faith in Him throughout the remainder of the book. In Ephesians 5:1, he told the Ephesians to “…be imitators of God as dear children.” So, there it is in the simplest of terms. Our response to God’s amazing grace is to imitate Him.
There is just one problem with the fulfillment of the commandment; we are not able to look upon God to know how to imitate Him. How then are we to imitate the invisible God? John spoke to this question in John 1:18 when he said, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.” An interesting point emerges from this text when we consider the original term translated “declared”. From this Greek term, we derive our English word “exegete.” It literally means “to lead out the meaning.” Therefore, when Jesus came in the form of a man, He led out the meaning of God.
In John 14:9, Jesus told Thomas “…He who has seen Me has seen the Father…” Paul offered some explanation to this when he said Jesus is “…the image of God…” (2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15). The word for image in these passages is “eikon”, which is the root of our English word “icon” meaning “a widely-known symbol” (Webster). Hebrews 1:3 says He is the “…express image of His person…” The Greek term here translated “image” is “kharakter” which is the root of our English word “character.” Thus, when we view the life of Christ as recorded in the gospels, we see how the Father would live if He were one of us, which enables us to imitate Him.
In this discussion, we want to key in on one specific aspect of Christ’s life on earth, the driving force behind all He said and did while in human form. One of the most difficult things for us to overcome is the desire to blaze our own trail and do what we desire. The crux of Christianity is doing just that in yielding our will to His. Jesus exemplified this perfectly in His every move. In John 5:30, He said “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” Again, in John 6:38, He said “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life…”
The key to being a true imitator of God is to completely sacrifice our own will and to submit to His will. Jesus did not demand something of us He was unwilling to do Himself. When confronted with His own death, He prayed to God for a way to save mankind without having to go to the cross (Matthew 26:36-46). The key phrase in this prayer is, “…nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” He then went and laid down His life to fulfill the will of God. May we all strive to embrace His unswerving devotion to do the will of the Father despite our own personal will.