The Imitation of Christ | 1 John 2:1-6; 2:24-3:3
Brian Hedges | October 30, 2016
All of our children, at certain ages when they were growing up, really enjoyed dressing up. They’re getting to the age where they don’t enjoy it as much, at least the older ones. I thought I’d show you a few pictures of Stephen when he was about four years old. I didn’t tell Stephen I was going to do this.
This is Stephen the pirate. This was about ten years ago. And then here’s the next one. I don’t know what to call this: a knight with a flashlight in a safari hat? I’ve got to say that Stephen had some of the most creative getups. Here’s one more. This one is Stephen the cowboy doctor.
Well, dressing up is fun, and it ties into an important theme in Scripture that relates to our current study on discipleship. Because the Scriptures tell us to “dress up” like Jesus; to dress up like Christ. Or literally, to put on Christ.
For example, in Gal. 3:27, Paul says, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” So essentially he’s saying that when you came to Christ, when you profess faith in Christ, you put on Christ, you clothed yourself in Christ. That’s something that you have done as a Christian, but it’s also something we go on doing. In Romans 13:14, Paul says, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.”
This all has to do, of course, with the theme in scripture that we sometimes think of as the imitation of Christ. We dress up like Christ, that is, we imitate Christ; we copy him; we mimic him; we pattern our lives after him.
That phrase, “the imitation of Christ,” goes back to at least Thomas A. Kempis who wrote a great devotional classic in the 14th century called, “The Imitation of Christ.” It’s not a perfect book—I just read it for the first time this month as we’re working through this series—but it’s a very good book in many ways. There’s a few theological problems with it; a medieval, catholic, monastic book, pre-reformation. But at the heart of the book, this focus on the imitation of Christ is exactly right and is biblical.
Well, this morning I want us to think more specifically about that. What does it mean to imitate Christ? I want to go to a passage of Scripture that talks about imitating Christ in several different ways, and root our thoughts there.
1 John 2:1-6; 2:24-3:3: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked . . . Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life. I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him. And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure."
So this morning I want us to see three things from this passage. We’re not going to look at every detail from this passage, but three things. We’re going to use this as a launching point to look at other passages in Scriptures. I want us to look at:
I. The principle: why we should imitate Christ
II. The pattern: conformity to Christ’s character
III. The method: a three-fold approach
I. The principle: why we should imitate Christ
I just want to establish that the imitation of Christ is indeed biblical, and why it’s important. Three things I want you to see:
(1) The commands and expectations of Scripture – 1 John 2:6, 29; 3:3; 1 Cor. 11:1; Philip. 2:5
Three times in our passage here in 1 John, John tells us that we are to imitate Christ, that we’re to be like Christ. He either states that as a command or as an expectation.
1 John 2:5b-6: By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
That’s a very general way of saying that we’re to be like Christ. We’re to walk as he walked. We’re to be like he was in the world.
1 John 2:29: If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
So our living a righteous life is evidence that we have been born of him who is himself characterized by righteousness.
1 John 3:2-3: Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him” (so this is looking to the future; we are going to be like him perfectly and completely) “because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
So again, Christ is our standard, our model, our pattern. The Scriptures very clearly command us and expect us to imitate Christ; to be like Christ. Many other passages in Scripture teach the same; for example, 1 Cor. 11:1, where Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” And there are many other passages. We’ll look some of them this morning.
That’s the first reason why this is important. Scripture clearly commands it and expects it of us. Here’s the second reason:
(2) The goal of our salvation, sanctification, and discipleship – Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18
The goal of it all is to be like Christ. We’ve been talking about discipleship in terms of apprenticeship. And an apprentice follows the master to learn a certain skill from the master. And as apprentices to Jesus, we’re learning the skill of true, human, flourishing godliness, living to the glory of God, living lives of love. It’s all about being like Jesus. This is what we are predestined to be, Paul says, in Romans 8:29. “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son.”
This is the goal of our sanctification, our transformation, our ongoing being changed into the likeness of Christ.
2 Corinthians 3:18: And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
This is God’s great purpose in salvation, in redemption, in sanctification, transformation, discipleship—choose your word, but this is the goal. This is what God is about.
C. S. Lewis, in a wonderful place in Mere Christianity says, “The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs—” (That’s what Christian means—a little Christ; an imitator of Christ.) “If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose.”
What’s the purpose? To make us like Jesus. For us to be conformed to the image of Christ. That’s the second reason—this is God’s goal. And then here’s the third reason why the imitation of Christ is so important:
(3) The joy of spiritual flourishing – John 13:12-17
There’s a wonderful passage in John chapter 13—I won’t read it all now—but it’s a passage where Jesus takes the role of the servant and washes the feet of his disciples. Do you remember this? He washes his disciples’ feet, and then he tells them a servant is not greater than his master, and if he, their Lord and Master has done this things, they should do the same. And then in verse 17 he says, “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.” That’s what that word “blessed” means, “happy.” I think the old King James says, “happy are you if you do them.” So Jesus here is saying I’m a servant, I took the role of a servant. You are to be servants of one another. You are to imitate me in this humble servanthood. And if you do this, you're going to be happy! You’re going to be happy!
Friends, we’ve got to get this. That optimal joy in life is found in being like Jesus. He knows how to live a full, flourishing, human life. If you want the greatest possible joy as a human being, you’re going to find it in being like Jesus and following him.
One of my great heroes is that Scottish pastor, Robert Murray M’Cheyne. Andrew Bonar edited his memoirs, his remains, his letters, his sermons, and it makes up about a six-hundred-page volume. I’ve just been slowly whittling away at this for the last several years, reading a sermon a here, a letter there. There’s one part in the M’Cheyne’s diaries that I go back to over and over again. It’s what he called his personal reformation.
And there’s a place in that where he talks about his desire to be more like Christ, and he’s reflecting on this. And this is what he said: “To gain entire likeness to Christ, I ought to get a high esteem of the happiness of it. I am persuaded that God’s happiness is inseparably linked with His holiness. Holiness and happiness are like light and heat… Every sin is something away from my present enjoyment.”
He was essentially preaching to himself, reminding himself that his greatest joy was going to be found in being like Jesus. I go back and read that section probably every three or four months, because it helps me to remind myself that my greatest joy is also found in being made like Christ.
So this is the basic principle: we are to imitate Christ because scripture commands it, because this is God’s great goal in redemption, and because it’s what’s going to make us happy. There’s some healthy self-interest here. If you want to live a life of deep joy and satisfaction that glories God, you’re going to find it my imitating Christ.
Now, let’s think secondly about the pattern. What does this mean?
II. The pattern: conformity to his character
Any of you remember W.W.J.D.? Remember the bracelets “What Would Jesus Do?” These were really popular in the 90’s. Maybe they still are with some people. Christian young people were wearing these all over the place. What Would Jesus Do? The idea was that in any kind of dilemma, any kind of moral, ethical dilemma—you’re going about your day and faced with a decision—you stop and you ask this question: What Would Jesus Do? And then you try to do what Jesus would do.
This was rooted in an old book that was written in the late 1800s by Charles Sheldon called In His Steps. That was basically the theme of the book. It was a group of people who decided that they would try to imitate Jesus by asking the very simple question, “What would Jesus do?” and then follow him. Now, there are some wonderful things about W.W.J.D. and In His Steps. We should certainly think in this kind of way - “what would Jesus do?
There were some problems with it as well. What many people don’t know is that Charles Sheldon was one of the fathers of the social gospel and modern theological liberalism. He puts so much emphasis on the ethics of Christianity that he really downplayed the supernatural dimensions of the gospel itself. He kind of led his church into theological liberalism. So there was this great divide that happened in the church between those who held to the central doctrines of the faith and those who were trying to take the words of Jesus, the ethics and practice of Jesus, really seriously.
We want to bring those two things together. We want to take the gospel seriously and at the same time ask this kind of question, “What would Jesus do?” How do you know what Jesus who do? Not just by asking the question and pulling the answer out of the air. And not even by just looking at certain aspects of the life of Jesus. I mean, Jesus wore a robe and sandals. Should we do the same? Jesus didn’t have a place to live—remember this? “The Son of man has no place to lay his head.” Should we be wandering nomads? Jesus was the Son of God and he accepted worship when people came and fell down before him and said, “My Lord and my God!” Should we do the same?
How do we know what Jesus would do and what the application of that is to our lives? The answer is, we’ve got to know our Bibles. We’ve got to know what the scriptures have to say about the imitation of Christ.
This is where the word of God is so crucial. This was our whole focus last week: abiding in his word. That’s what it means to be a disciple. So what does Scripture show us about the character of Christ?
There’s a lot of approaches we could take on this. I’m going to suggest some for you to do on your own. You could study:
• The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7)
• The Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)
• 1 Corinthians 13’s description of love—you can look at this as the description of Jesus and that you and I should cultivate.
• Or all the put off/put on passages in the Epistles (Col. 3, Eph. 4, Rom. 13, 1 Pet. 2)
You can follow this message by doing those kinds of Bible studies on your own, but this morning I want to briefly point out six areas of character where Scripture draws explicit connections between Jesus’ life and ours. There’s at least six areas (and many of these are found in multiple places) of character, we might think of these as the virtues of Christ, that we are called to imitate. Maybe more than six, but at least these six. I’m going to give them to you fairly quickly this morning.
The virtues of Christ:
(1) Humility (servanthood)
The virtue is humility, and the outer expression of this is servanthood. You see it in Philippians chapter 2. Paul says, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,” (and then he goes on to describe what this mind is, by describing Christ in his humility in his incarnation.) “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
That’s one of the great Christological passages in Scripture. Paul goes on to talk about the exaltation of Christ. He’s been given this name above every name, and every knee is going to bow, and every tongue is going to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But the whole point of this passage in Phil. 2 is, Paul is writing to a church that is divided because of the pride and the self-interest at work among the members. He’s telling them, “Don’t be like that! Be like Jesus, who was so humble that he humbled himself to the point of death, even death on the cross. Here’s your model. Here’s your example.” The whole point is the imitation of Christ. He’s using the theology to inform the morality, or the ethics, or the practical teaching.
Here’s another example in John 13, (I’ve already referenced it once this morning.) when Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. “When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
Does Jesus mean that we should literally wash one another’s feet? I don’t really think that’s the point. Washing people’s feet was the regular household task of the servant. The servant would wash people’s feet before a meal. They’d come off the dusty streets (this was before paved roads) wearing these open-toed sandals. It was a hygiene issue. The point here is servanthood, it’s being willing to humble oneself and take the role of a servant for others. Jesus says that if he’s done this as our master, our Lord and our teacher, we should do the same for one another.
Here’s another passage: Luke 22:24-27. Remember that the disciples are arguing with one another about which one is going to be the greatest. They all want to be the greatest and the best. They want to be Jesus’ right hand man. They want to be the leader of the band. Jesus says to them beginning in verse 25: “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves.” Jesus the servant-king; and HE’s our model. We’re to serve one another.
One other passage: Matt. 11:28-30, that great imitation of Jesus to weary sinners. Remember what he says? “Come to me . . . for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” This is what Jesus is like. He’s humble. And you and I are called to be humble as well. That’s the inner virtue, and the outer expression of that is a life of servanthood.
Here’s the second virtue:
(2) Compassion (kindness, forgiveness)
Compassion, kindness, forgiveness—those three all kind of belong to the same group of ideas. Here’s one of the “dress up” passages:
Col. 3:12-13: "Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."
Here’s the basic idea—Jesus was full of compassion, he was infinitely kind, and he showed that through forgiveness. He forgave others. You might say here that the inner virtue is the virtue of compassion and the outer expression is a life of forgiveness.
Let me tell you a little story. About three or four weeks ago, I was sitting at a traffic light, at Douglas and Ironwood, and I felt a jolt at the back of my car. I looked in the rearview mirror and didn’t see anything. I didn’t really know what had happened. And then that I saw that someone had pulled up next to me and had crossed lanes to get into the turning lane and had grazed my car as they were pulling into the lane. Then this person proceeded to start backing up and looked like she was going to back right into my car, and I honked, and she avoided me. Then she rolled all the way back into somebody else’s car.
Well, I was a little upset, not real angry, but a little upset. I put my car in park and got out of the car. As soon as I saw the person who had hit me and saw her get out of her car, I realized that this person was distressed and was probably mentally or emotionally unstable. Also some physical problems were pretty obvious—she had back problems and could barely even look me in the eye. I called the police so we could get a police report, and I immediately felt something for her. I felt compassion. I really did. I felt genuine compassion, because here was someone who, I found out, was on her way to the hospital and was in pain. She was very kind in how she handled it, so we waited for the police to come, and they came and filled out the report, and I went on my way. And that was that.
Well, ever since then I’ve been working with insurance companies trying to get a payment for the damages done to the car. She had insurance, so I’ve been working with her insurance company. Finally this week I heard back from them, and they said they’re waiting on a statement from their client. I said, “Can you call her?” They said, “We have called. She’s not returning the calls, so we’re sending letters.” So I decided I would call her and just ask her if she’d please give a statement to the insurance company. I got on the phone with her and she said, “No, I’m not going to do that, because it wasn’t my fault.” And all of a sudden, I didn’t feel so kind anymore! You know, when the accident happened, the other person who was involved actually commented, “You’re so kind to her!” And you know, I thought, “Yeah, I’m a Christian. I’m being like Jesus!” Well, Friday I didn’t feel quite like that. She said, “I’m not responsible.” And I said, “No, you are responsible. You hit me. I was sitting at a traffic light, and you hit me. You are responsible.” She didn’t say anything; she hung up. I called back, she didn’t answer, I left a message that I don’t think was too unkind. And then I started reflecting afterwards—maybe I’ve got a ways to go on this Christlikeness thing! I’m just going to leave it to the insurance company now, and try to keep a good heart about it.
Here’s the model though: compassion that is expressed in both kindness and in forgiveness when people do us wrong. As the Lord has forgiven us, so we are to forgive one another.
(3) Generosity
Look at just one passage: 2 Cor. 8:7-9: "But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also. I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich."
Are you noticing a pattern here? In every one of these virtues, there’s something like an inward quality that we’re to cultivate. Humility, compassion, a generous heart. There’s an inward quality to cultivate, there’s an outer expression to it. The outer expression of humility is servanthood; of kindness and compassion is forgiveness; of generosity, a generous spirit, is actually giving. But then here’s the other thing. In each one of these cases, the way Paul motivates us to imitate Christ is by reminding us of the great gospel realities of what Christ has already done for us. Serve one another in humility because the Lord in his humility became incarnate and went to the cross and died for you. Forgive one another out of kind and compassionate hearts because Christ has forgiven you. Be generous with your money, and give to those in need because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, “that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
That’s the pattern. That’s the pattern that is encouraging us to put on these virtues, for there’s an inner quality expressed in an outward form.
Here’s the fourth one:
(4) Purity (holiness, righteousness)
1 John 2:29: If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
1 John 3:2-3: Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
He is our standard for holiness, for righteousness, for purity. And as Christ is pure so we are to strive for purity. Again, I’m reminded of M’Cheyne who used to pray a prayer something like this, “Lord, make me as holy as a redeemed sinner can be.” Do you want to know how holy a redeemed sinner can be? The standard is Jesus. That’s how holy we can be. We can become as holy as Jesus, eventually. We don’t achieve sinless perfection now, but do you know what John is saying? He’s saying you’re already God’s children, and you’re going to be like him. You’re going to be as holy as he is holy, you’re going to as pure as he is pure, and if you have that hope, then be about the work of purifying your life. Pursue that holiness. Pursue that purity with Jesus as your standard. We should all be praying that prayer, “Lord, make me as holy as your Son, as Christ. Make me as holy as a saved sinner can be.”
(5) Endurance (longsuffering, response to persecution)
This has to do with our response to suffering and of persecution (the whole theme of 1 Peter).
1 Pet 2:21: "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps."
That, by the way, “in his steps,” is where Charles Sheldon got the title of his book.
And then, 1 Pet 3:17-18: “For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God . . .”
So, the same idea here . . . Peter is using Christ’s suffering as the model, the pattern that we’re to follow so that we suffer in the way that Christ suffered. We suffer with endurance, with patience, with longsuffering. We are patient toward those who persecute us.
And then there’s one more I’ll give you:
(6) Love (self-sacrificial love)
In some ways, love encompasses all the others. Eph 5:1-2: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
And a couple of others passages are 1 John 3:16-18, and 1 John 4:16-17.
I want to make one comment now, before moving on to the last point. We’ve seen these different virtues of Christ, and we could probably add others to the list, but here’s six virtues of Christ. In each one of them there’s something like an inner quality with an outward expression. When you put them all together do you know what you see? You see a beautifully balanced person.
Many of us are naturally meek or humble, but maybe you’re not very holy or pure. There’s some people who have a pretty firm grip on moral rigor, but they’re not very kind or compassionate. But what you have in Jesus is all of these qualities blended together in perfect proportion. That is our model. If we’re in Christ, if we’re followers of Christ, disciples of Christ, that’s what God is about—to make us like Christ.
Listen to this word from Jonathan Edwards from his classic book, The Religious Affections: “In the truly holy affections of the saints is found that proportion which is the natural consequence of the universality of their sanctification. They have the whole image of Christ upon them: they have “put off the old man, and have put on the new man” entire in all his parts and members. “It has pleased the Father that in Christ all fullness should dwell”: there is in him every grace; he is full of grace and truth: and they that are Christ’s, do of his fullness receive, and grace for grace (John 1:14, 16); i.e. there is every grace in them, which is in Christ: “grace for grace”; that is, grace answerable to grace: there is no grace in Christ, but there is its image in believers to answer it: the image is a true image; and there is something of the same beautiful proportion in the image, which is in the original; there is feature for feature, and member for member. There is symmetry and beauty in God’s workmanship.”
Is that true of your life, brother and sister? This should be true of our lives. We should be at least progressing toward this. This is our pattern, the character of Christ, in all of its beauty, in all of its perfect proportion, its example of flourishing, God-glorifying humanity. This is what we’re called to be like. This is what it means to imitate Christ. Imitate him in his humility, in his compassion, in his generosity, in his purity, in his love, in his endurance.
Now, how do we do it? Let me give you a method.
III. The method: a three-fold approach
This three-fold approach is adapted a little bit from Tim Keller. Some of my wording is drawn from him.
(1) An inside-out approach – 1 John 2:1-2, 24, 29
Look at the text again. The passage we read this morning began (1 John 2:1-2), “My little children.” All of this exhortation is to “my little children,” John said. That’s so important. He addresses us as the children of God! The passage ends in the same way. In 1 John 3 he says, “we are God’s children.” Now this is the character that we already have in Christ, the identity we already have in Christ. We are the children of God.
He begins there and then he goes on to say, “I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father.” He’s reminding us of the gospel right there; that we have forgiveness through Christ our Advocate, through the complete sufficiency of his atoning work.
Then, in verse 24, he uses this abiding language. He says, “Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.”
He goes on to talk about the anointing. I think he’s talking about the Holy Spirit abiding in us.
So the word abiding in us (what you heard from the beginning,) the anointing, the Spirit abiding in us and us abiding in the Son and in the Father. Of course, the Apostle John who was writing this had heard Jesus’ words, “Abide in me and I in you. I’m the vine, you are the branches. If the branch abide in me it will bear much fruit, if it does not abide in me it will not bear much fruit. Without me you can do nothing.”
Do you know what the whole idea is here? You can’t be like Jesus by yourself. You can only be like Jesus if you’re already a child of Jesus. You can only be like Jesus if you abide in Jesus. You can only be like Jesus if the word of Jesus abides in you, if the Spirit of Jesus abides in you. You can only be like Jesus if you’re connected to Jesus! You’ve got to have Jesus to be like Jesus. That’s why last week’s message is so important. If you want to be like Jesus, you’ve got to be with Jesus, hear from Jesus, be connected to Jesus. And the way you do that is through the Word of Jesus. If the Word of Jesus is in you . . . He says this, “If my words abide in you, then you will abide in me.” If you want to abide in Jesus, you’ve got to be in the Word.
The point is not amassing Bible knowledge. The point is hearing the voice of the Savior and being connected to the Savior and receiving grace from the Savior. It’s an inside-out thing. It starts with who you are on the inside, and with this connection, this inner connection to Jesus, and then the Word of Jesus working on you from the inside out to make you more like Jesus. It’s an inside-out thing.
You see it again verse 29: “If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.” What’s this? It’s the great Christian doctrine of regeneration, new birth, being born again from above, from the Spirit! What is new birth? It’s the beginning of our spiritual life. It’s the inception of a new life. It’s the beginning of eternal life.
In John’s theology, it’s the great salvific event, it’s what brings us into the kingdom of God. Unless you’re born of water and the Spirit, you cannot see the kingdom of God. You’ve got to be born again. You cannot become a Christian by trying to be like Christ. You can only be like Christ if you’re already a Christian, already born of God, already a child of God, already connected to him. Then there’s this ongoing process of abiding in him, his words abiding in us, so that we’re connected to Jesus.
(2) An outside-in approach – 1 John 2:3-4, 29
In this emphasis on keeping his commandments, there’s kind of this hard edge to Christian discipleship. There’s a hard edge to it where you’re expected to obey. You’re just expected to obey. Jesus says, “do this,” and you’re expected to do it!
We talked about this some last week. Sometimes you’re not going to feel like doing it. It feels like you’re just going through the motions, but you need to go ahead and do it, because the way character formation works is not only from the inside out, but from the outside in. As we behave in righteous ways, as we behave in loving ways, as we behave in kind ways, we become more righteous, or more kind, or more loving.
This is such an important insight, which I owe in part to C. S. Lewis. This is near the end of Mere Christianity. I think the chapter’s called, “Let’s Pretend.” He talks about a good kind of pretense and a bad kind of pretense. He says: “What is the good of pretending to be what you are not?” (This is the good kind of pretense.) “Well, even on the human level, you know, there are two kinds of pretending. There is a bad kind, where the pretense is there instead of the real thing; as when a man pretends he is going to help you instead of really helping you. But there is also a good kind, where the pretense leads up to the real thing. When you are not feeling particularly friendly but know you ought to be, the best thing you can do, very often, is to put on a friendly manner and behave as if you were a nicer person than you actually are. And in a few minutes, as we have all noticed, you will be really feeling friendlier than you were. Very often the only way to get a quality in reality is to start behaving as if you had it already. That is why children's games are so important. They are always pretending to be grown-ups - playing soldiers, playing shop. But all the time, they are hardening their muscles and sharpening their wits, so that the pretense of being grown-up helps them to grow up in earnest.”
So we’re back to dressing up. There’s an outside-in approach that you’ve got to have along with the inside-out approach. You don’t be content with going through the motions, but listen—go through them; do the motions and the actual obedience; do what Jesus says. Keep his commandments. No matter how you feel, on the good days or the bad days, when your heart’s not all the way there, do it, praying that God would change your heart. Do it, relying as best you can on his grace. But do what He says to do. Behave in the ways He says to behave. And what you’ll find is that over time your character is being shaped. The virtues are being formed in you as you follow Christ.
Finally, (and I’m almost done) we need:
(3) A forward-backward approach – 1 John 3:1-3
“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” (The reality is there. We are already children of God.) “The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared;” (now he’s looking ahead; he’s looking forward) “but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
A forward-backwards approach. This is what this means: we’re always looking ahead to what we will be. We will be perfectly conformed to the image of Christ. Your destiny is to be a holy person, a loving person, a kind person, a generous person. That’s your destiny. That’s what God has predestined you for, Christian. That’s what he intends and what he’s doing. That’s what it’s about. And the good news of the gospel is that in the resurrection of Christ, the powers of the age to come have come into the presence. The kingdom of God has dawned. The Spirit is here. And so, the very destiny for which God has purposed and planned in us—he’s already working that out in our lives in the here and now.
So you look ahead, “this is what I will be, and I am going to live up to that now as best I can.” Again, you’re relying on his grace, but you’re taking hope from these future promises. That’s what John is doing here. He’s reminding them of these promises. You’re going to be like him because you’re going to see him as he is. But if you have this hope in you, then you purify yourself as Christ himself is pure.
A week ago, I heard R. C. Sproul, Jr. speak. He was here for the Pregnancy Care Center banquet, and he spoke to a group of pastors on Thursday morning. I went to this meeting, and he basically taught us from this passage, 1 John 3:1-3, and talked about our identity in Christ, and the realities of the gospel. It was really rich teaching.
In the sharing time, he went on to share some the trials he’s been through in the last number of years. Those of you who know anything about R. C. Sproul, Jr, know he’s the son of the more famous father, R. C. Sproul. He has really been through some hard stuff. He had cancer a number of years ago and recovered from it. His first wife had breast cancer and did not recover from it; she died. Then less than a year later, his 14-year-old daughter died.
And so, R.C., Jr went through a really dark valley. During the Q & A time, I asked him, “How did you hold on to this? You gave us this wonderful exposition of the gospel. How did you hold on to that? And pastorally, how do we help people hold on to that when they’re going through really difficult circumstances?”
He answered with two things: (1) preach the gospel to yourself (it’s what we’re trying to do this morning); and he said (2) weekly communion, because when you come to the table, you’re being reminded every time of who you are and of what Christ has done for you. It is a very powerful way; not just a verbal way but a visual way. We even might say it is a sensual way or sensible way, a way that uses our physical senses to preach and to press into our hearts the realities of the gospel: that Christ, the Bread of Life, feeds our souls; that Christ, the Bread of Life, has broken his body on our behalf, and poured out his blood for our sakes. He is now in union with us, drawing us into his very life.
So as we come to the table this morning, let it be a means of grace. Look to Christ himself, to whom you are united by the Spirit, and as you take the bread and take the juice, feed on Christ. Look to him.
Let me pray for us and then we’ll ask our ushers to come.
Father, as we come to the table this morning, would you use it as a means of real, sanctifying grace in our lives. May we feed on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ this morning. May we by faith draw strength, nourishment, and grace from him for the coming week and coming days. Would you use the table to stir our hearts and our memory of all that Christ has done for us? Would you use the table to form our character, to change us more into the image of Christ? And would you use the table to draw us into real communion with our Savior? We pray that even as we come to the bread and juice right now. We pray it in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Brian G. Hedges
