Why Should We Imitate Jesus?
A guest post by Chad Ramsey.
In Peter’s first letter, he encouraged his readers to follow the steps of Jesus (1 Peter 2:21). Explaining why the example of Christ ought to be followed, Peter described the Savior and wrote:
“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” (1 Peter 2:22-24).
In this description of Jesus, we find two attributes that should motivate us to imitate Him.
Because of Jesus’ Perfection.
First, we should be motivated to imitate Christ because of His perfection.
Jesus not only taught man to guard his speech (see Matthew 12:35-37) but also guarded His own; Jesus not only taught man to turn the other cheek (see Matthew 5:39) but also did so.
His actions demonstrate how we should live.
Because of What Jesus Has Done for Us.
Second, we should be motivated to imitate Christ because of what He has done for us.
Although He was in heaven “in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6), Jesus willingly left that glorious existence to become flesh and blood for the benefit of humanity. He did this in order to bear our sins “in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).
According to Paul, this was for our benefit. He wrote:
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
So why should we imitate Jesus? First, we should imitate Him because He is the standard. We make mistakes, fall short, and sin—but not Jesus.
Second, we should imitate Him because we appreciate what He has done for us. He went to the cross for our sakes. He was innocent, yet He died for those who are not. If this does nothing more, it reminds us of His love (see 1 John 3:16).
Chad Ramsey preaches for the Gloster Street Church of Christ in Tupelo, Mississippi. You can access their Bible classes and Chad’s sermons on Gloster Street’s YouTube page.
Chad was - and still is - “my preacher” from when I spent my high school and early college years at Gloster Street. I’m thankful to be able to share some of his writings with you.
