WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO IMITATE PAUL AS HE IMITATES CHRIST?
By Ezekiel Kimosop
INTRODUCTION
This question is significant for every member of a Christian community. It is important to observe that Paul was not referring to what he was about to teach in 1 Corinthians 11. Instead, he was concluding his long exhortation that commenced in 1 Corinthians 8-10.
In 1 Corinthians 8, Paul outlined moral principles for Christian conduct regarding dealing with idolatry.
1 Corinthians 9 reveals Paul's sacrificial approach to ministry. He forfeited several apostolic privileges enjoyed by his contemporaries in order to serve God with a clear conscience. Some of the Jerusalem apostles were married, Paul wasn't. Others received regular financial support from their churches. Paul voluntarily forfeited this privilege, not wishing to burden the growing churches in his Gentile see. ary
Instead, Paul chose to engage his tentmaking skills to raise his financial support (Acts 18:1-4). His principal focus in life was to faithfully and sacrificially serve God as a Christian missionary. He longed for the crown of righteousness that is reserved for the faithful in heaven (2 Timothy 4:7-8). Paul was careful to watch his moral standing even as he served God in the apostolic office.
This article will now focus on the illustrations conveyed in 1 Corinthians 10.
The Old Testament illustrations that Paul outlined in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 are warnings to the Christian community on the dangers of spiritual rebellion, a situation where God's covenant people walk away from His paths and into open disobedience. A disobedient people are oblivious of God's divine standards for them.
We live in a world today where modernism and secularism have invaded our church pews and pulpits alike. Relativism, rather than the authority of Scripture, is the lens by which many Christians view the passing evil world. This has resulted in endless debates on what constitutes authentic Christian response to the emerging lifestyle issues.
Despite walking with God for decades through the wilderness and witnessing His power and glory in their midst, the children of Israel rebelled against God. They learnt little from their experiences under God's leading.
At one point in their wilderness journey, the people thirsted for water. They confronted Moses at the wilderness of Meriba seeking water (Exodus 17:1-7). At that point, some murmured, wishing that they could return to Egypt, the place of bondage from which God rescued them!
They were guilty of unbelief, a grevous transgression in the eyes of God. God was sorely displeased with their murmuring and vowed to wipe them out from the face of the earth! Were it not for the faithfulness of Moses and his plea to God, things would perhaps have been disastrous.
Paul outlines a number of evils identified with this rebellious covenant community in the passage of 1 Corinthians 10. Scripture considers them as examples of our spiritual red lines, a set of warning signs for Christians.
We shall briefly examine these transgressions below:
1) EVIL LUST. Some among the children of Israel rebelled against God and murmured against Him. They did not honor God and God destroyed them. Why? They lusted after evil things that polluted their covenant with God (1 Corinthians 10:1-6).
2) IDOLATRY - When Moses took long in the mountain, the children of Israel demanded from Aaron that he makes for them a golden calf and they settled down to worship it. The incident is recorded in Exodus 32. This was in violation of God's express command in Exodus 20:3-6 which says "You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."
3) SEXUAL IMMORALITY. Some among them committed sexual immorality. This transgression is listed in 1 Corinthians 10:8. Twenty three thousand of them were struck dead in a single day under God's holy wrath!
Our contemporary society treats sexual immorality as a lifestyle issue. It is not a big deal to them. In some countries, the age of consent has been lowered to as low as 16 years. However, a Christian community must uphold the authority of Scripture in shaping their worldview on sexual morality.
4) TEMPTING GOD. The Bible reveals that some among the people tempted God. By this they put the LORD God to the test by taking His name in vain in violation of God's commandment. Exodus 20:7 says "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."
During His temptation in the wilderness, Jesus reminded Satan that it was a sinful thing to tempt or test God (Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12). Satan had asked Jesus to throw himself down from the highest point to prove that God would rescue Him!
5) MURMURING. The children of Israel murmured against God. This violation is conveyed in 1 Corinthians 10:10. Again the consequences were dire; God destroyed the people who were party to these violations.
The concluding statement in 1 Corinthians 10:11 is instructive. Scripture proclaims "Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come." Whatever happened to God's covenant people in the Old Testament should serve to warn us to apply utmost diligence in walk with God.
In 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, Paul warns the Corinthians to flee from idolatry. In 1st century Europe, idolatry was so rampant that some the Christian communities had considerable difficulty breaking from this pagan culture. Paul draws practical examples touching on idolatry. One of the controversial grey areas in Corinth was knowingly eating food offered to idols. This was understood to border on open participation in the pagan rituals for which the meat was intended.
Paul warns believers to stay away from anything that could defile their Christian conscience and hinder their witness. He appeals for spiritual wisdom in navigating circumstances that border on idolatry so that the believer does not offend others who are weak in faith or bring disrepute to the body of Christ.
In our contemporary society, idolatry comes with subtlety. It may have nothing to do with shrines and idols as some would imagine. It has everything to do with any activities or preoccupations that manifestly hinder our devotion to God. The love of money and the graving for material things is one such snare for which Scripture serves a strong warning. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 says "6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows" (NKJV).
CONCLUSION
When we no longer have time and commitment to the things of God, idolatry inescapably creeps in. Satan gleefully finds a cleavage through which he drives our attention away from God and His word. We soon lose our spiritual compass and fall into moral ruin. We need to learn from the warnings in Scripture and keep away from entanglements from Satan.
This is what befell the Church of Pergamos in Revelation 2:12-17. They looked the other way as idolatry creeped into their congregation! It took the stern rebuke of the Master Himself to cause them to come back to their senses and change their ways!
Paul's concluding statement in 1 Corinthians 10:31-33 serves as his closing exhortation.
He states "Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved."
This exhortation is amplified in 1 Corinthians 11:1 where the apostles concludes "Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ." We can only set and leave a godly example to others of we are motivated by two primary concerns - seeking to please God and to be our brother's keeper. We please God when we are passionate about proclaiming His glory among men and practically living out the principles of God's word in our Christian communities of context.
In following the example of Christ, we are careful to place the things of God above our own and to learn from Christ's humility, patience, and forbearance even in the face of persecution and suffering.
Yes, we should only emulate or imitate others if they consistently manifest the very principles that Scripture outlines for practical Christian living. On the converse, we should keep away from people who purport to speak the mind of God while openly misrepresenting the moral principles outlined in Scripture. These are the proverbial wolves in sheepskin.
Jesus warned His disciples saying "15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them." (Matthew 7:15-20, NKJV).
Whose example are you following? Do they truly follow the example of Christ? Do not be deceived by self appointed "apostles" or "prophets" in our contemporary religious space who masquerade as God's divine agents but manipulate, brainwash, and devour their unsuspecting followers!
Beware of ravenous wolves in sheepskin!
Keep it Christ.
Shalom
© Ezekiel Kimosop 2021
Spiritually edified Rev, thanks for the sermon
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