1 John 2:6
By Annaika Dastine | Founder, Who Is This Jesus? Ministry
“Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.”
As I read this passage, it becomes clear that I must know Jesus to say I believe in Him and to imitate Him. Yes, has he risen from the dead? Why?
So that you and I can be raised from the death sentence that Satan sets for each human soul who rejects God’s word, God is inviting his sheep back into his fold through Jesus Christ to lead them back to the tree of life.
This is why Jesus said in John 8:31:
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.”
My friend, it is impossible to imitate someone you do not know.
To live as Jesus lived, we must first know His teachings, understand His character, and follow His example.
So let us take time to study the character of Jesus, the qualities we are called to imitate if we claim to be His disciples, Christians, or believers in Jesus Christ.
Over the next few weeks, we will examine how Jesus lived so that we may examine our own lives and ask:
Does my life reflect the character of Christ?
What It Means to Imitate Jesus
My friend, let us first understand what it means to imitate Jesus.
The word imitate means:
- to mirror
- to reflect
- to model oneself after
- to reproduce the behavior and heart of someone else
A disciple does not simply admire Jesus
A disciple imitates Jesus. That is why Apostle Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:20 (NIV)
“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.”
My friend, this verse reveals something powerful:
When we claim to follow Jesus, we are not just believers; we are ambassadors.
- God speaks through us
- We represent His Kingdom
- Our lives become the message
So, when we imitate Christ, we are literally making an appeal to the world through how we live.
This means:
- loving like Jesus
- forgiving like Jesus
- speaking like Jesus
- responding like Jesus
- serving like Jesus
- suffering like Jesus
- walking in purity like Jesus
Imitating Jesus is not behavior modification.
It is a spiritual transformation.
The world teaches imitation through performance.
Jesus teaches imitation through abiding and surrender.
When you look at yourself in the mirror that reflects your life…
Does it reveal a heart surrendered to God?
Or a life performing religion for the world?
Who Is This Jesus? Ministry, Inc. is a nonprofit organization based in North Carolina.