Imitation Christians
Introduction
What
do you think of when you hear the word “imitation?” Most of us associate the word “imitation”
with something negative—a knock off of the original or a cheap substitute.
When
we cook, we use imitation vanilla or we eat imitation crab meat. The original is expensive or difficult to
find in our region of the world. So, we
have developed a cheaper substitute—something that is almost as good as the
genuine article.
I
have never been to New York City. But, I
have heard that there are street venders in New York selling Rolex watches and
Coach purses for prices too good to believe.
Perhaps these street venders got a really good deal by purchasing
watches and purses in bulk. Or, perhaps
these watches and purses are not exactly genuine…they might be imitations.
Of
course, there is a second way we can use the word “imitation” that is much more
positive. Think of the way babies learn
how to talk and walk. Children learn
through a process of imitation. They
imitate their parents and the other children they see at church, childcare and
school.
However,
imitation does not end with childhood.
To varying degrees, we are all imitators. Hairstyles and clothing styles change. So, we change the ways we look to imitate the
styles of the day. Television
commercials feature movie stars and professional athletes pushing cars, shampoo,
deodorant and potato chips to encourage us to imitate celebrity buying patterns.
In
biblical times, imitation was the primary method of education. The ancients did not have schools like we do
today. Instead, a young person would
find a mentor—someone who was outstanding in their occupation—and become his
disciple.
In
every use of the word “disciple” outside the New Testament, the disciple was a
man or woman who was closely associated with one teacher. The disciple did everything in his or her
power to learn from their teacher by imitating the teacher’s methods. Some disciples learned philosophy and
therefore imitated the teachings and arguments of their master. Some disciples learned music by imitating the
musical style of their master. Other
disciples learned a craft—such as carpentry—and practiced building things that
looked like the things their master had built.
Disciple
is a good word for Jesus’ followers as long as we don’t think Jesus was trying
to teach us a religious system or a new way of thinking about the world (or
even a philosophy). NO! Jesus called disciples and invited them to
imitate the way he lived his life. In
the same way, modern day Christians grow and develop through imitation.
In
fact, this idea of imitation is one of the important themes of the Book of
Philippians. Paul used a familiar
worship hymn to invite the Philippians to imitate Jesus. Then, Paul wrote about Timothy and
Epaphroditus as two real-life Christian examples to imitate.
In
today’s Scripture, Paul gives us one more real-life Christian example. It just might surprise us who Paul thinks we
should imitate.
Philippians
3: 17 – 4: 1… 17 Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the
pattern we gave you. 18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again
even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of
Christ. 19 Their
destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory
is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in
heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who,
by the power that enables him to bring everything under his
control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will
be like his glorious body. 1 Therefore,
my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown,
that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends!
Is Paul Being Arrogant?
We
might read this as a rather ironic passage of Scripture. Thus far in Philippians, Paul has emphasized
humility as a Christian virtue.
Jesus
was an example of humility. At his very
essence, Jesus is divine. Yet, Jesus did
not think this status was something to be held onto. Instead, Jesus humbled himself by coming to
earth as a man and even took on the nature of a slave to serve others and
eventually died a shameful death on the cross.
Timothy
and Epaphroditus were examples of humility.
They sacrificed their own lives to spread the Gospel and to serve the
church. As members of the church, we
ought to follow their examples of humility by putting more emphasis on church
unity than on demanding our individual rights.
Now,
after listing three examples of humility, Paul lists himself as an example of
Christian faithfulness. Some people
might accuse Paul of needing a dose of humility himself. After all, it seems kind of arrogant (and not
exactly humble) to set yourself up as an example of Christian faithfulness.
Keep
in mind what true humility is. Humility
is not thinking less of yourself.
Humility is thinking of yourself less.
There is a subtle but important difference.
We
get a sense of this from the context of Paul’s statement. In Philippians 3: 12 – 14 (which we read last
Sunday), Paul told us that he does not consider himself to be perfect and knows
that he has not yet received God’s ultimate reward. Therefore, Paul continues to press on toward
the goal to win the ultimate prize.
Paul
is not being arrogant when he sets himself up as an example. In fact, this is a very humble
statement. Paul is a man who realizes
that he is not perfect and has not yet received God’s ultimate reward. But, Paul is going to press on by continuing
to live a faithful and obedient life.
Since Paul is not willing to give up on his pursuit of faithfulness and
obedience, we ought to follow his example.
Also
notice what a difficult standard Paul has just set up for himself. Paul’s standard for himself sounds nothing
like the standards we are used to hearing from modern day leaders. We are used to hearing people say things like
this: “Do as I say and not as I do.”
There
is a difference between knowing what is right and doing what is right. Some people think it is more important to
know what is right. Paul is
demonstrating that he places an equal emphasis on believing and doing. It is not enough to believe the right
things. It is not enough to do the right
things. Instead, there needs to be a
consistency between what you believe and how you behave.
Paul
is not content with teaching other Christians what to believe. He also models the proper Christian
behavior. Ultimately, Paul holds himself
to the same standard of believing and behaving.
And, Paul is willing to live out his faith publicly as a Christian role
model.
Don’t Imitate the Wrong Example
One
of the reasons we should not be so critical of Paul is the fact that we are
surrounded by other people who set themselves up as role models. Paul sets himself up as an example of
Christian faith and warns us to be careful as we look for a role model.
Philippians
3: 19 describes the bad role models we are faced with every day…
Philippians 3: 19… Their destiny is destruction, their
god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
Destiny
is destruction… Paul knows that his own
ultimate destiny is the Resurrection life and eternal life in the new Heaven
and new earth. This destiny is only
possible through faith in Jesus as Lord.
Anyone who does not place faith in Jesus as Lord is destined for
destruction. This may not be very
popular, but it is an important part of Paul’s theology and a biblical
understanding of eternity. Hell is a
reality for those who die without Jesus.
As we search for good role models, this should be our first
priority. Do not model your life after
someone who is destined for the destruction of Hell.
God
is their stomach… Literally, this might
be a reference to the Jewish dietary laws.
The Jews of Paul’s day were obsessed with maintaining a Kosher diet in a
pluralistic Roman world. Their dietary
requirements were different from the rest of the world. As Jews became a minority in the ancient
world, it became increasingly more difficult to find Kosher food. Symbolically, this could be read as a reference
to indulgence in general. Non-Christian
people do not live with the Christian understanding of sin and obedience. Therefore, they live according to their
“gut”—doing whatever is pleasurable, placing selfish desires over obedience to
God’s standards. As we search for a good
role model, model your life after someone who is obedient to God, not their gut.
Glory
is their shame… Literally, this might be
a reference to the Jewish practice of circumcision. For Jewish people in Paul’s day, circumcision
was something to be proud of. For
Gentiles in Paul’s day, circumcision was shameful. Symbolically, this could be read as a
reference to shameful behavior—or what the Bible calls sin. We live in a world which likes to brag about
sin and criticize Christians as “unenlightened” or “old fashioned.” Our culture takes pride in their sinfulness,
they “glory in their shame.” As we
search for a good role model, model your life after someone who glories in
obedience, not shame.
Mind
is on earthly things… I believe Paul
uses this phrase to summarize everything he has just listed about the world and
to transition to the next verse. Destiny
is destruction, god is their stomach,
and glory is their shame all indicate that they are thinking only about
earthly concerns. BUT…Paul is different
from the world…
Philippians 3: 20… But our citizenship is in
heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord
Jesus Christ
A New Citizenship
I
think Paul intentionally spoke about citizenship, knowing that it would
resonate with his Philippian audience.
Historians tell us that Philippi was a Roman colony which operated like
a smaller version of the city of Rome.
Roman culture and customs were a part of everyday life in Philippi. There was also a large Roman military base in
Philippi. As a result, the Philippian
population had a large number of both active and retired military. This tells us there were a lot of Roman
citizens living in Philippi. Of course,
not everyone in Philippi was a Roman citizen…Not everyone in the Roman Empire
was a Roman citizen.
In
the ancient world, Roman citizenship was a very valuable thing to have. Citizenship brought several privileges that
noncitizens did not enjoy. Roman
citizens did not have to pay Roman taxes.
Roman citizens were promised due process when they got in trouble with
the law. The Book of Acts tells us that Paul was a Roman citizen, who appealed
to his citizenship several times to make sure that he received a fair
trial. (Acts 16 tells the story of Paul
and Silas in Philippi. They were
arrested and held in prison overnight.
The next morning, the Romans wanted to release Paul and Silas
quietly. But Paul appealed to his Roman
citizenship and insisted that they could not go away without due process.)
Even
though Paul was a Roman citizen, he didn’t go around bragging about his
status. He didn’t tell the Philippians
that they needed to do everything in their power to gain Roman citizenship like
his. No.
In passages like this, Paul is teaching us that there is another
citizenship which is infinitely more valuable than being a citizen of the most
powerful nation in the world.
We
might even make a case that Paul held dual citizenship. On one hand, he was a citizen of Rome. And Roman citizenship was valuable to
Paul. It helped him get out of some
sticky situations. On the other hand,
Paul was a citizen of the Kingdom of God.
And, this was the citizenship most valuable to Paul. An eternal citizenship which can never be
taken away is more valuable than any earthly citizenship.
This
is the key to understanding Paul’s instructions. To the Philippians, Paul says: “If you have
to choose between being a good Roman citizen and a good citizen of the Kingdom
of God, choose the Gospel over Rome.” To
American Christians like you and me, Paul says: “If you have to choose between
being a good American citizen and a good citizen of the Kingdom of God, choose
the Gospel over America.”
American
citizenship is a wonderful thing. I
wouldn’t want to be a citizen of any other nation. We value freedom and respect for all
people. And, there is nothing wrong with
being a citizen of both the United States of America and a citizen of the
Kingdom of God…as long as the two are not at odds. When American values conflict with Christian
values, we need to follow Paul’s instructions to place the Gospel above all
other values.
Our
ultimate citizenship is the Kingdom of God.
We belong in Heaven and are foreigners in this world. As we search for a good role model, model
your life after a citizen of the Kingdom of God, a citizen of Heaven.
Conclusion
I
am proud to be an American citizen. By
the Grace of God, I was born an American citizen. That means a couple of things. I can run for President of the United States
of America. It also means that I don’t
have to go through the process of naturalization to become a citizen.
According
to U.S. Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services becoming a U.S.
citizen is a process. A person has to
apply for residency, live in the U.S. for five years, file a bunch of
paperwork, take a test and take an oath of citizenship. I think the oath of citizenship could easily
be translated into an oath of Christianity…
"I hereby declare, on oath, that I absolutely and
entirely renounce and abjure all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince,
potentate, state, or sovereignty, of whom or which I have heretofore been a
subject or citizen; that I will support and defend the Constitution and laws of
the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I
will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I will bear arms on
behalf of the United States when required by the law; that I will perform
noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States when required by
the law; that I will perform work of national importance under civilian
direction when required by the law; and that I take this obligation freely,
without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; so help me God."[1]
Who
will you imitate as your role model? It
depends on what kind of citizen you want to become. If you want to be a citizen of this world,
then follow the example of worldly citizen.
If you want to be a citizen of Heaven, then follow the example of
someone who has renounced allegiance to and influence from this world…imitate
someone who lives as a foreigner in a foreign land and waits for the coming of
the Lord Jesus to transform our lives.
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