“I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. Therefore I urge you to imitate me. For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.” 1 Corinthians 4:14-17
If someone imitated the way that you live your life…what would be the result? Would you advise one to do so?
Paul says, “Imitate me” and “I am going to send you someone who will remind you of my way of life.”
What could be mistaken as pride, makes a clear shift to boldness when we look into the motive behind these words. The passion translation puts verse 17 this way, “That’s why I’ve sent my dear son Timothy, whom I love. He is faithful to the Lord and will remind you of how I conduct myself as one who lives in union with Jesus, the Anointed One, and of the teaching that I bring to every church everywhere.”
Paul is not encouraging the people of Corinth to imitate him because he believes that he is the best at doing this whole “life thing”, but rather, Paul is inviting people to live as he does because he is following the example of Christ. He is living in union with Jesus.
In 1 Corinthians 11:1 Paul says, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.”
It is only because Paul is striving to imitate Christ with his life that he can confidently encourage others to imitate his life. Paul is not the prototype, but he did understand his call to become more like Christ every single day; the same call that has been given to you and I.
God has been consistent in growing my understanding of what it means to be a representative of Christ over the past fews months and this scripture of “imitate me” has been presented to me quite frequently.
As I read through this scripture today, I realized that Paul’s statement is much more far-reaching than a distant invitation. In order for his life to be imitated, it too must be witnessed. The people of Corinth have been welcomed close enough to see the way that he lives on a day to day basis. He is inviting them to watch his every move and hear his every word.
It would be one thing for Paul to say, “Imitate the way that you perceive that I live just from the times that you have heard me preaching.” But Paul is saying, “Imitate me. Imitate the way that I act. Imitate the way that I speak with others. Imitate the way that I behave with my family. Imitate who I am in traffic jams and long lines for coffee. Imitate the way that I live as a I follow the example of Christ.”
When we invite people to see the nooks and crannies of our life, it holds us accountable to imitating Christ in every aspect of life, regardless of location, situation or circumstance. Slightly terrifying? Maybe. Important? Absolutely.
If someone made the choice to imitate your way of life today, would they be walking closer to God as a result?
What a beautiful challenge Paul is giving us as believers in Christ today. Be imitate-able.
Let us set our eyes on following Christ as closely as possible today, so that when the opportunity arises, we won’t hesitate to say, “Imitate me.”
