What Is Respect? Part 7: Imitation
This is the final post in a seven-part series; see parts 1-6 first.
Wrapping Up the Study
We have come to the end of my blog series on respect. For
those who have been following along, I have tried to build a case for differing
categories of respect, defining each from Scripture. As I have said before,
respect is important and even commanded by God; yet, as is the case with all
issues, we must define terms biblically else we run the risk of “teaching as
doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9; Isa. 29:13). My personal
observation has been that the biblical definition of respect has become blurred
by cultural perspectives and generational values. We must restore the term and
the concepts behind it to their biblical foundation if we are to live “live
self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Tit. 2:12).
In this last post, I consider the final category of respect: imitation.
I represent the three categories of respect as tiers of what I have named the “Respect Pyramid,” which I have designed to show the narrowing applicability of each level, with more situations of courtesy (every human being) that of submission (only authorities) and fewer still of imitation (only Christlike individuals). My main proposals for working through each level of the respect pyramid have been:
- All respect is ultimately for God
- Respect has three different forms or levels
- The different levels have different theological bases
- The different levels have different requirements
A Brief Theology of Imitation
In working through the writings of the Apostle Paul, one
frequently encounters admonitions to imitate him (1 Cor. 4:16; 11:1; Phil.
3:17; 4:9; 2 Thess. 3:7). One will note instances where he sets himself up as
an example (2 Thess. 3:9), and others where he notes how others have followed his
example (1 Thess. 1:6). Paul also urges his protégés, Timothy and Titus, to be
such examples to those they lead (1 Tim. 4:12; Tit. 2:7), as the Apostle Peter commands
of all pastors (1 Pet. 5:3). What are we to make of such statements? Some have
concluded from them that all leadership has the right to be imitated, while those
on the other extreme have balked at Paul’s boldness to set himself up as an
example, thinking such behavior smacks of arrogance. The key to answering this
question lies in the goal of imitation.
In one of Paul’s clearest calls to imitation, his statement
reads “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). Similarly,
when he urges the Philippians “What you have learned and received and heard
and seen in me — practice these things” (Phil 4:9), the standards are set
in the preceding verse as those that line up with the character of Christ: true,
just, honorable, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, praiseworthy.[1] And when urging the Thessalonians to imitate him, the Apostle paired this plea with
a recounting of how they had received the Apostolic teaching and the indwelling
Holy Spirit, with the result that they too became examples to others (1 Thess.
1:6-7). In short, I contend that Paul never urges others to imitate him without
qualification, but only insofar as he himself is accurately imitating Christ.
What is this picture of Christ that Paul seeks to impart to
others? Not his own successes or achievements – “Indeed, I count everything
as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”
(Phil 3:8) – but “that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and
may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death” (Phil 3:10). It
is Christ’s willingness to suffer out of love for others that Paul seeks to emulate:
“I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up
what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the
church” (Col. 1:24; cf. Eph. 3:13; 2 Tim. 2:10). In fact, this
theology of human weakness magnifying Divine strength is a key theme of 2
Corinthians, in which epistle Paul states, “I will boast all the more gladly
of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. … For when I am
weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9-10). It is this Christlike lifestyle
of willingness to suffer for God’s glory and others’ benefit that Paul calls Timothy
to join him in imitating (2 Tim. 1:8; 2:3; 4:5). His clearest statement of this
call to imitate him comes as the conclusion of a discourse on giving up individual
rights out of love for others (1 Cor. 11:1). Paul recalls how the Thessalonians’
imitation looked: “you received the word in much affliction” (1 Thess.
1:6) and “you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as [the
Judean churches] did from the Jews” (1 Thess. 2:14). And so, my second
contention is that, not only does Paul’s call to imitate him ultimately point
to Christ, but this imitation is specifically of Christ in his humility and
willingness to suffer for others in obedience to and for the glory of God. As
Jesus himself summarized his ministry, “If anyone would come after me, let
him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Mt. 16:24) and “For
this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it
up again. … This charge I have received from my Father” (John 10:17-18).
That is what we seek out in others to imitate.
Imitation: Respect for Individuals
With the theology established, allow me to demonstrate what
this third tier of respect looks like in practice. I believe there are several
implications to be drawn from the theology above as well as from other passages
on this theme. To briefly recap the principles, imitation is ultimately respect
for God because it seeks conformity to the image of God’s character in Christ. Likewise,
the theological basis for imitation is sanctification toward the image of God
in Christ, with Christlike people functioning as a divinely-given means to that
end. Now for the requirements for this level of respect.
All imitation should point to Christ. This case has
been made sufficiently from the theology of Paul, but there are other places in
the New Testament where believers are commanded to imitate Christ. Peter echoes
Paul by enjoining those suffering for righteousness “Christ also suffered
for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps” (1
Pet. 2:21) and John tells us “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in
the same way in which he walked” (1 Jn. 2:6). This is why, in addition to calling
believers to imitate himself, Paul also tells them “keep your eyes on those
who walk according to the example you have in us” (Phil. 3:17). It is not
merely Apostles who can live worthy of imitation, but more on that later. Much
could be said regarding the bases upon which Paul calls us to imitate Christ, though
that is beyond the purview of this post; yet I include here a brief list: we
are citizens of heaven (Phil. 1:27; 2:20), we are united with Christ (Col.
3:1-4), such living is part of our calling (1 Pet. 2:21), and above all, we
were created in God’s image to glorify him (Gen. 1:26-27) and Christ is the fullest
image of God whom we must reflect (2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3). To imitate
Christ is our created purpose and our salvation calling, and the imitation of
Christlike people is a means to that end.
Each must discern who is worthy of imitation. It is
possible to get the wrong idea from Paul’s writings that authorities simply
have the right to declare themselves worthy of imitation, but such is not the
argument he makes. Rather, Paul bases his call for others to imitate him on
their verification of his Christlike character. To the Thessalonians, he notes
that they chose to imitate him because of his “holy conduct” (1 Thess.
1:10), and when he calls on them to imitate him, it is likewise on the basis of
their past observation of his Christlike character (2 Thess. 3:6-9). To the
Philippians, he states they should imitate in him those things that match the
character of Christ (Phil. 4:8-9). And regarding the Corinthians, to whom he
had to defend his apostolic authority, Paul sent them Timothy to remind them of
his past lifestyle (1 Cor. 4:14-17). It is the imitator who has the job of
determining who is worthy of imitation, which is why there are so many warnings
in Scripture to avoid wrong examples (Rom. 16:17-18; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14; Tit.
3:10; 2 John 10), and why Scripture gives us the means to determine true and
false examples.
Worthiness of imitation is determined by Spiritual fruit.
Identifying false teaching has been the task of followers of God since the very
beginning. In the Garden of Eden, Eve was deceived by the Serpent, who called
into question the teaching of God (Gen. 3:1-6). Before Moses’ death, he
instructed the people on how to identify false prophets (Deut. 13:1-18; 18:20-22).
Jesus himself warned of false prophets using the parable “every healthy tree
bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit”; he concludes, “You
will recognize them by their fruits” (Mt. 7:15-20). What is this fruit? In
a parallel passage, Jesus’ next words are about obeying his commands (Luke
6:43-49). In the parable of the sower, fruit is the result of enduring and
therefore authentic faith (Luke 8:11-16). It is likely this teaching that Paul
draws upon when he speaks of the “fruit of the Spirit” (Gal. 5:22-23).
How do we tell if a person is worthy of imitation? We must ask if they have Christlike
character, for “whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way
in which he walked” (1 Jn. 2:6). So, not only must we determine who is
worthy of imitation, but we must use the standard of Christ himself, which we
can only know by being inundated with Scripture.
Poor examples are not an excuse for sinful behavior. Christlike
examples around us are a God-given aid in the ultimate imitation of Christ, but
we must not get the impression. We are not excused from imitating him if no
Christlike examples are available, nor are we excused for imitating sinful
behavior practiced by those we thought to be godly. The onus is on the
individual to compare those around them against the standard of Christ in
Scripture, and so Paul says, “keep your eyes on those who walk according to
the example you have in us” (Phil. 3:17). Just as Israel was not exempted
from the penalties of idolatry when tempted by “your brother, the son of
your mother, or your son or your daughter or the wife you embrace or your
friend” (Deut. 13:6), so too we are not exempt today because our earthly
examples are fallen, though they will be held accountable for their poor
example (2 Cor. 11:14-15; Phil. 3:19; 2 Pet. 2:1). Yet even when people fail
us, we have not only the example of Christ himself (1 Pet. 2:21), but also that
of other faithful characters in Scripture (Jas. 5:10). When traditions are
perpetuated for tradition’s sake without considering the godliness of its
creators’ motivations, we run the risk of being condemned along with them for
lack of spiritual discernment. In such a dearth of godly examples, we must be
ready to fill that gap ourselves.
Each believer should live worthy of imitation. Do not
think that this third tier applies only to those in authority; rather, it
should be the aspiration of all believers to live in such a way, as controlled
by the Spirit, that others can imitate their example. Though it is Timothy and
Titus whom Paul calls upon directly to be examples (1 Tim. 4:12; Tit. 2:7), the
entire tenor of Titus 2 urges older believers of both genders to exemplify what
it means to be “self-controlled” for the benefit of the younger, and Paul’s
admonitions regarding the care of widows require such examples of godliness (1
Tim. 5:3-16). To return to the central New Testament theme of exemplifying Christ’s
selfless humility in suffering, it is this very trait which is to lead unbelievers
to ask “for a reason for the hope that is in you” (Pet. 3:15). We must
all live as examples of Christlike character as well as seek out such examples
to follow, not only for the glory of God, but also for the benefit of those
around us.
Wrapping up the Study: Answering questions
In the introduction to my first post, I asked some questions
to prod you toward thinking about this matter of respect. Hopefully you have
found the answers to those questions through the study, but I want to take a
moment to give explicit answers before ending the series.
Is everyone worthy of respect?
- Courtesy – Yes; since everyone is created in the image of God, everyone should be treated with dignity as inherently valuable. Since Christians are further commanded to love everyone, they are held to a greater standard in this regard. Sinning against another person in thought, word, or deed is universally condemned because of the imprint of the imago Dei.
- Submission – No; God has created a world in which there are authorities, and the people he has placed under authorities must submit to those authorities. No one who is not a God-established authority can demand submission apart from a contractual agreement.
- Imitation – No; since imitation is reserved for those who demonstrate Christlike character, those who fail to do so are automatically excluded, and even those who demonstrate such character do not have the right to demand that others imitate them. The responsibility for identifying those worthy of imitation lies in the imitator.
- Courtesy – Deserved; since the status of existing as an image of God is inherent to all human beings, all human beings therefore inherently deserve to be treated as valuable and with dignity. There is no action a person can commit that takes away these rights, for it was never their actions that gave them value in the first place; God did.
- Submission – Deserved; since it is God who establishes authorities, those authorities are deserving of submission. However, the exact nature of the submission must be defined based upon the specific hierarchy. There is no action an authority can commit that removes the obligation for their subordinates to submit (though there may be righteous cause to disobey), for it was never their actions that granted the position in the first place; God did.
- Imitation – Earned; of the three tiers of respect, this third tier alone must be earned by the one seeking to be imitated, for they must live a life marked by Christlike character through the power of the Holy Spirit. Again, unlike the other two tiers, this kind of respect cannot be commanded, and one can lose their eligibility for imitation by consistently failing to live in a Christlike way. While it is God who empowers the basis for imitation, the responsibility remains on the individual to maintain it.
- Courtesy – Both; valuing and loving people clearly includes some specific external actions, but courtesy is incomplete without an inner attitude of the heart empowered by the Holy Spirit. It is possible to fake the external signs of love and value without having the inward attitude, and in such cases a person have failed to meet the biblical standard for this kind of respect.
- Submission – Both; submission to authority clearly does involve external action, but the inner foundation for submission is a heart that recognizes and submits to God’s authority; failure to have this inner attitude is a failure of true submission. In fact, one may be inwardly submitting to God by outwardly disobeying an authority that commands sin. However, I would argue that such righteous disobedience is not a failure of submission since it submits to God, who is at the top of every hierarchy. Both the external and internal are necessary for this kind of respect, and without the internal one has failed to meet the biblical standard.
- Imitation – Both; imitation clearly does involve external action, but the inner basis for imitation is a focus on becoming more like Christ rather than like a fallen person. Therefore, someone who imitates another person without discerning that person’s Christlikeness from Scripture fails in this kind of respect. In each tier of the “Respect Pyramid,” mere outward conformity fails to meet the biblical requirements.
- Courtesy – No; obedience has no part in this level of respect, expect that we treat other people with value and dignity in obedience to the command and created order of God. Courtesy does not demand that we obey others, though we will often find ourselves giving up our rights out of love for them and deferring to them in order to keep peace. We must also remember that those in higher positions in the submission hierarchy are commanded to show courtesy to those beneath them.
- Submission – Sometimes; no authority can demand absolute obedience, since God is the head of every hierarchy and we must all submit to him over any human authority. Every person at every level of every hierarchy is obligated to obey God. However, submission is not the same as obedience: husbands cannot demand obedience from their wives, nor can pastors of their congregants, since obedience is not commanded in those hierarchies; it is commanded for children to their parents, citizens to their governments, and slaves or employees to their masters or employers.
- Imitation – No; obedience has no part in this level of respect, expect that God commands us to seek out Christlike people who are worthy of imitation as an aid in our sanctification process.
Conclusion
Respect is clearly taught in Scripture, but we have to
define it accurately. I hope that the three levels I have described in this
study have been helpful to you in your own process of working through the issue.
The concept of respect is not one that we often talk about as one lump sum;
usually, sermons or books deal with it in the context of a single passage that deals
with one area. Exegetical study is the foundation for Christian living, but we
need to put it all together into biblical theology if we are to understand the
full counsel of God on a given issue.
The truths I have expounded in this series should affect
your life, but my goal has not been that you leave thinking, ‘I never think
about respect now because you told me what to think.’ That's not the point, and
that would in fact be an incorrect application of imitation as described in
this post. What I want you to do is think about it. I want you to check my work
against scripture, and if you prove me wrong, I want you to come and tell me.
Don't take my word for it.
As a final note to this series, I should mention that, as I worked though the five posts on submission, I came to realize I was only dealing with half of the issue regarding authority. Since submission concerns only the subordinate in a hierarchy situation, I did not get into a scriptural study of authority in general other than to point out that it comes from God and that the specific hierarchies have specific commands regarding their use of authority. I would love to do a future blog series on the other side of each of these hierarchies, but that will have to wait. My next series I plan to write is a compilation of my workshops and Sunday school series on biblical friendship. I hope you come along for the ride!
[1] Walter
G. Hansen, The Pillar New Testament Commentary: The Letter to the
Philippians, p.299.
All Scripture verses come from the ESV.
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