# Imitating Christ



## carlgobelman (Sep 14, 2009)

I'm struggling with something and I'm hoping some you all can help. One of the buzz phrases I hear in evangelical circles is that we need to be "incarnational" or "be Jesus" to the world. Now I know that theologians often distinguish between the active obedience of Christ (his fulfillment of the covenant of works) and his passive obedience (his bearing the punishment of our sins).

Clearly we cannot imitate his passive obedience; we can't be "incarnational" in the sense that we atone for the sins of others. I also have problems with the idea of imitating his active obedience, since that active obedience was imputed to me by my faith.

Yet, the Bible has this to say in 1 John 2:3-6:


> 3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.



The apostle exhorts us to walk as "Jesus did."

My questions are these:


Is all this talk about "being Jesus" simply another pietistic movement, or is there some validity to it?

If there is some validity to it, how precisely are we to imitate Jesus?


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## OPC'n (Sep 14, 2009)

We are to imitate how Christ walked on this earth by exhibiting the fruits of the Holy Spirit which He works within bc of Christ's active obedience which is imputed to us. As you know, this is our sanctification process. We are to strive for that mark set before us which is perfection until the day we die at which time we will enter into perfection.


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## carlgobelman (Sep 14, 2009)

OPC'n said:


> We are to imitate how Christ walked on this earth by exhibiting the fruits of the Holy Spirit which He works within bc of Christ's active obedience which is imputed to us. As you know, this is our sanctification process. We are to strive for that mark set before us which is perfection until the day we die at which time we will enter into perfection.



I understand the sanctification process. Perhaps my question is not clear (as I said I'm struggling with it). I understand that we are to follow Christ and obey Christ. I also understand that our inability to do this perfectly neither hinders our ultimate salvation nor is an excuse to quit striving.

I am specifically referring to the idea that we are "to be" Christ, not simply "obey Christ" or "follow Christ." Maybe these buzz phrases are simply another way of saying the same thing. But if words mean things, there is a difference between "being Christ" to someone and "being Christ-like" to someone. The former seems (to me) to imply that we can actually be Christ, and that being Christ is a clarion call for social and cultural change. The latter speaks to me of the process of sanctification.

I came across this while doing a search in "Incarnational Living:"



> “Incarnational Living” roughly corresponds to a catch all phrase in emerging circles for “active Christ likeness”. It describes an aggressive attempt to live a life that exemplifies Jesus in the community. In short, incarnational “livers” take the question “What Would Jesus Do?” seriously.
> 
> The incarnational liver sees parallels between Jesus life and their own. Jesus, who is not of this world, took a humble form as to actively show love and pursue justice (culminating in his death). So the incarnational liver sees themselves as not of this world but rather as a humble vessel of Christ in this world; on a mission to show love and make justice. In other words, the incarnational liver is a “little modern day Jesus”.
> 
> ...



Some of that resonates with me, but I am wondering if it is because it appeals to my flesh. It kind of turns the gospel into my story instead of God's story.

I don't know, maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill.


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## Archlute (Sep 14, 2009)

Carl, 

The way this phrase is most commonly used today is not in a pietistic, but rather in a transformationalist manner. That is to say that is it less inward looking, and more externally focused. It seeks to make imitation into a change agent for a cultural agenda, which although admirable in some regards is not what imitating Christ is about, biblically defined. 

Imitating Christ is indeed a good thing. As you noted, the apostle John requires it of his readers. Paul exhorts Christians to imitate him in as much as he imitates Christ in his first Corinthian epistle. He also, in the third chapter of his epistle to the church in Philippi, even while acknowledging that our only righteousness before God is the imputed righteousness of Christ, still sees it necessary to take up the sufferings of Christ as part of the Christian life.

Imitation is required, it just matters what you mean by it, and how you plan to implement it. I don't think that transformationalism is any more helpful than pietism in this regard. Surely we are to be salt and light to this world, but that is not what we do when we imitate Christ, transformation comes from the seasoning work of the Gospel, which is an outward proclamation of what God-in-Christ has accomplished on our behalf. Transformation comes from the Gospel message, not a manner.

What the imitation of Christ means from the Scriptures is that we imitate his suffering in hope of the resurrection and eternal life, of gaining something greater than the sum of our sufferings (Rom. 8:18). It means that we imitate his responses when faced with persecution, with the attacks of Satan, with the questions of the world. We don't respond in our flesh, but in the power of the Spirit, even as Christ was anointed with the Spirit. We don't seek to strive against Satan apart from the truth of Scripture, even as Christ refuted Satan with the scriptures. We answer both the sincere questions and the scoffing of the world by pointing them toward eternal realities (think of Christ's interaction with the Samaritan woman, among others), to repentance and faith, to Whom it is they are to worship. We seek not our own, but the good of others.

The most "Truly Reformed" believer cannot dispense with being an imitator of Christ in as much as that is laid out by the Gospels and Epistles. It is part of being a full fledged and committed disciple. It just has little to nothing to do with the superficial agendas of many evangelicals and transformationalists.


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## carlgobelman (Sep 15, 2009)

Archlute said:


> Carl,
> 
> The way this phrase is most commonly used today is not in a pietistic, but rather in a transformationalist manner. That is to say that is it less inward looking, and more externally focused. It seeks to make imitation into a change agent for a cultural agenda, which although admirable in some regards is not what imitating Christ is about, biblically defined.
> 
> ...



Adam,

I think you put words to what was in my heart. This is exactly what I meant when I said I was struggling with this concept. I hear the phrase a lot, but it tends to be in the setting of cultural transformation (as you point out). So instead of the Gospel changing the culture, we go out into the culture "being Christ" and change the world. The former gives the glory to God alone, while the latter seems to share the stage.

Thank you!


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## Contra_Mundum (Sep 15, 2009)

Another way to look at the matter is to understand Who is the Agent of change in ME and (consequently) in the WORLD.

If I make so much of myself, then the Spirit is not enough of my concern. It is a subtle form of narcissism that many of these promoters of a "new spirituality" are peddling. "God needs (?!) you to be his Hands and Feet in the world."

Really? Perhaps He plans to use me in some way, but the WORK I do will have nothing directly to do with the world-to-come, which is already breaking in. In the most direct way, it will be as Adam said, in the dying I am doing that I show forth the power of God unto eternal life.

And it is in nothing more laborious than the WORD I speak by which GOD will DO His amazing work. God seems to indicate that the LESS conspicuous I am by the flurry of my activity, the MORE glory He gets.

So, we will do work for the kingdom, but we will do more of it when we aren't interested in making sure God (or anyone else) notices it.


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## Theogenes (Sep 15, 2009)

If you're not dead then you already are "incarnational" (enfleshed)!


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## carlgobelman (Sep 15, 2009)

Contra_Mundum said:


> So, we will do work for the kingdom, but we will do more of it when we aren't interested in making sure God (or anyone else) notices it.



It's funny though, the incarnational folk see this as so weak and ineffectual (not that I agree). This has been a huge relearning process for me. I've been so indoctrinated with American Evangelicalism that I would have bought into something like that a little over a year ago.

When we are weak, then HE is STRONG. Preaching Christ crucified, administering the sacraments, living quiet, peaceful lives, loving our families, one another and our neighbor...these seem so pedestrian, but as you say, it allows God to work.

Thank you!


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