A snippet from my Ethics class this morning:
The idea that Christ is our example to follow appears in the New Testament. But it appears less often than we think. There are actually more references in the New Testament to follow the example of other Christians. Why is this?
Partly because there are many aspects of Jesus’ life that we’re not meant to follow. We’re not to live and walk around modern day Palestine, celebrate Jewish festivals, wear a robe made of one piece of fabric or die on a cross for humanity. This isn’t to say that other parts of his life are not exemplary.
But probably the biggest reason we’re encouraged to look at other Christians is because we can’t see Jesus physically. We don’t see him in real life. As with the Christians of the letters in the New Testament our more concrete examples of Christianity at work will be in those who walk before us: sinful beings who have put their trust in Jesus and are living transformed lives in response.
As Paul says, ‘Follow me as I follow Christ.’
Update:
And another bit from the lecture:
Christ’s suffering and struggles point to our own (cf Hebrews 4:15; Heb 12:1; Matt 5:10, John 15:18-24 & 16:33; 1 Cor 4:9-13; Romans 5:3-5). Christ’s death is a model and a motivation for godly behaviour. (Phil 2:3-8; Ephesians 5:2; Eph 4:32; Col 3:13; 2 Corinthians 8-9)
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