1. Believers
are indebted to imitate the life of Jesus Christ
The life of Jesus Christ is the hallmark for every believer, and therefore we have been admonished saying; “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps." Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth"; Who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness --- by whose stripes you were healed” (1Peter 2:21-25).
There
is definitely a test for anyone who says that they are believers, for it is
stated clearly; “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His
commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His
word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in
Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. Believer therefore, have to imitate
the life of Christ until the nature of Christ is formed in us (1John 2:3-6; Galatians 4:19).
The
main objective of life as a believer is to develop the nature of the new man by
imitating the life of Jesus Christ because, we all, with unveiled face,
beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the
same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
As
a human being Jesus Christ set us practical examples that we should follow. He
was obedient to the Father and kept His commandments and He admonished us by
saying, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have
kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love” (John 15:10).
It
was His custom to go into the synagogue and teach on the Sabbaths and said
quite explicitly; “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets.
I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For assuredly, I say to you, till
heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from
the law till all is fulfilled. Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of
these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of
heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the
kingdom of heaven” (Luke
4:16;31; Matthew 5:17-19).
Another
important characteristic of the life of Jesus Christ that necessitates our
imitation is that of Godly fear, because we are told that; “in the days of His
flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries
and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of
His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things
which He suffered.” And His admonition to us is; “To him who overcomes I will
grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My
Father on His throne. “He, who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to
the churches” (Hebrews
5:7-8; Revelation 3:21-22).
My
sincere and honest desire to all believers is that, we all come to the unity of
the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the
measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be
children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by
the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. So let us
be cognizant of the fact that, God will render to each one according to his
deeds eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for
glory, honor, and immortality.
With brotherly love
Lucius Joseph
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