Are we ever asked to be who God is not, or to do what he does not? In other words, is everything we are to be and do, as told to us in scripture, an imitation of Jesus?
No one is suggesting that we are not told or expected to be all that God is, nor to do all that God does, but that is very different than the question I am asking. Though in the gospels Jesus may do some things I cannot, I believe that imitating him is at the core of everything having to do with the way we are to walk.
If we start to look at everything as an imitation of Jesus, someone might object that confessing our faults cannot be imitating Christ. Certainly Jesus has no sins to confess. Does this mean that here is something we are told to do that is not about imitating Jesus?
But think about the nature of confession. It basically involves being humble and honest. In confession we are to be truthful about ourselves, which for us, though not for Jesus, includes admission of wrongs. But is not Jesus both humble and honest about himself? If he is, even though he has no sins to confess, our confession even of sin is a way in which we imitate him.
Another possible exception could be that we are repeatedly called to repent, but Jesus does not need to repent. How can our life of repentance somehow involve being like Christ?
Once again, as we did with confession, think about the nature of repentance. The word in Greek literally means “to change one’s mind.” By repenting we go from one way of thinking to another. It is about changing direction, turning from one way to another. Since Jesus does not need to turn from bad ways of thinking or living, can we imagine our repentance and turning to be, in some manner, patterned after him?
The connection can be found in what motivates repentance. Is it not an unending love for truth, for doing what is good and right? If repentance comes about because of the “hungering and thirsting for righteousness” that Jesus speaks about in the Beatitudes, our repentance can be understood as the imitation of Jesus’ own constant pursuit of the good.
Jesus always sought to do the will of his Father. If we are imitating him in seeking the Father’s will, we will repent. We follow Jesus in the desire for what is just, true, and godly. For us, repentance means turning toward God, imitating the fidelity of Jesus to his Father. Where he remained turned toward the Father always, we often turn away, but follow him in turning back.
Though these are only two examples, I believe we can continue in this fashion to discover ways in which all we are instructed to do is indeed rooted in the imitation of Christ. The essence of each command directs us to follow Jesus, even if our faults make some of the specifics different. The deeper orientation is patterned after Christ.
So why do I raise this point?
I believe there is a twofold benefit which I will explore in coming weeks. Recognizing that everything about how we are to live is an imitation of Jesus will help us recognize phony spiritual teaching and practices, and also mistaken and wrong ways of thinking about God.