Christ, Our Example

Paul instructed the Philippians to, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). Christ set the pattern and He is the greatest example from which we are to model our thinking.

We must be very cautious on this point, however. There is a theological heresy (which is a favorite of apostates) which teaches that Jesus Christ came to earth to be an example for us, and that we experience salvation by patterning our lives after Him. That is a satanic lie. No one will ever be saved by trying to live like Christ. The penalty for sin is death; living a good life cannot pay the sin debt. Jesus came to earth and died to pay the penalty for sin. We are saved by believing He loved and died for us to pay that penalty.

When we were born into the human race, we manifested the traits of humanity and the characteristics of our parents. When we trust in the Savior, we are born into God’s family and transformed into a new creature in Christ. As God’s child, we are to reflect the character of our heavenly Father. God says His character will be manifested in our lives as we live in obedience to Him.

Since our actions are a direct result of our thoughts, it is crucial to think like Christ. How we think about ourselves and others will determine how we relate to each other.

John provided a record of the events that transpired at the Last Supper, the night before Christ’s crucifixion. The disciples each thought of themselves as being better than one another. Consequently, no one would humble himself to do the work of a servant and wash the feet of the others, so Jesus got up and performed the task. Then He told them, “I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master; neither is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:15, 16). Jesus told them that they were not greater than He, and as their master, He had been willing to serve them; therefore, they should also be willing to serve. He told them to follow His example.

Jesus is to be our example in all things and that begins with what we think about. As we model our thinking after Him, our lives will reflect His character and bring glory to His name.