If you are a regenerate Christian…think about this amazing truth: everything you are to do is to be imitated by all the people in the world….All of this should make us who are, by grace, in Christ, humble, grateful, prayerful, and desirous of being models of the love and mercy of Jesus and His gospel of freedom and salvation.

After writing a daily devotion, I became intrigued by this subject of Christian imitation. The text I had referenced, Philippians 3:17, says this, “Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us,” (ESV). This is not, of course, the only place where the Apostle Paul said something like this; as I would also reference for you Phil. 4:9, and 1 Cor. 4:16.

There are a few points I would like to make about Christian imitation; and then, I would like to point out why and how Christian imitation is the only truly valuable form of imitation in the entire fallen world.

First of all, consider the uniqueness of Christian imitation. Every other religion, worldview, or philosophy of life is unworthy of being imitated, especially universally. The adherents of these religions, etc., are certainly free to follow and propagate their practices—but these traditions, policies, and ways could never be legitimately and realistically proposed to or insisted on for the whole world of humans (as a mandatory or normative) pattern for life. They are all provincial, “small,” and limited to their own devotees.

This liability is not true of the authentic/regenerated Christian church life and doctrine. The reason for this, is because this faith—the true Christian faith—devotes itself to deriving all of its life and practice from the Sacred Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. We do not depend upon human tradition, or the “canons” of prelates. We are not claiming to be “perfect” in our interpretations of all the Scripture’s doctrines; but we *are* noting that the Scriptures themselves are our only rule for faith and practice.

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