Jesus came to earth and exemplified the normal Christian life. Various scriptures exhort us to become like Him. I don’t believe God would exhort us, even command us, to become something we could not become….to do something that is impossible for us to do. 1 John 2 tells us this is the way we know we are in him:
whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. v. 6
So, this opens up a realm of possibilities for the normal Christian:
It’s possible to sin not. Yes, I believe it’s possible for a Christian to stop sinning. For one thing, several verses tell me the same thing. John, in the same letter, tells us his purpose for writing is that they not sin. Why write if that isn’t even a possibility? Also, Jesus told the woman caught in adultery to go and sin no more. Would Jesus command something that was impossible? No. There are other verses that give the same instruction or admonition. But, the main reason I believe one can stop sinning is because Jesus lived on earth without sinning.
This is not the same as saying I believe we were without sin. We were born sinful…of Adam…our hearts were deceitfully wicked. BUT! At the cross that man died….a new man lives. The life that I now live is Christ living in me. He is capable of living in victory….so therefore…I am capable as well. The heart that was wicked is no longer there. I have a new heart….a perfect heart given to me by my Father…..and it too is capable of living in victory. If I believe that I cannot have victory over the power of sin until I die, then death is my savior, not Jesus.
It is possible for miracles, signs and wonders to follow a believer. In fact, Mark tells us in the 16th chapter that these things will accompany those who believe in His name. Throughout the Bible, signs and wonders were as natural for those who claimed the name of Christ as breathing is to those who claim to be alive. But, more than that, the reason we can claim this is because Jesus did it.
It’s possible to live and walk in intimacy with the Father so that we hear and obey everything He tells us….so that we do nothing except as He directs. John 10 tells us that His sheep know His voice and follow it. They hear it and know it. Jesus did it. So can we.
It is possible to know the Father’s will and declare it through our prayers. This is not making God out to be a genie. He Himself has promised that if you ask anything in His name, He will do it. If we ask according to His will, He will do it. If we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we can ask what we will and it shall be done. The key in all these verses is that we must know the Father…really know Him, not just know about Him. When we know Him….we know His heart….we know His will and our prayers are a reflection of that. So, we can come boldly to Him, ask what we will in full confidence that it will be granted….because He’s already told us that’s what He wants!!
It is possible to discern the thoughts of men. It is possible to remain silent in the midst of accusations. It is possible to die for our enemies. The list could go on and on. Everything in the Gospels that Jesus does, we can do. Everything that He claims(except being God), we can claim. All authority that is His is ours as well.
It is when I look at the realm of possibility and what is being manifested in my life that I see clearly my lack. When I see the gap between my life and the life of Christ, I can only call on Him for more. More of Him. More of His love. More of His power. More of Him. It causes me to cry out for Him to show me His glory…show me His face….show me Himself. It causes me to long to know Him more….because in knowing Him more I will become more like Him. Jesus is the human example of what God is like. Knowing this is possible strips me of my excuses. When I believe I can become just like Jesus, I am chagrined when I am not…..I am driven back to my knees.
Of course, as one becomes more like Christ, you can expect certain things that are not so pleasant as well. Expect sinners to flock to you and religious people to distance themselves from you. Expect to be counted among sinners and discounted among believers. Jesus was. Sinners felt accepted and loved by Jesus. They should feel accepted and loved by those who seek to be like Him.
Expect opposition……by the church, not necessarily the world. This is what shocks and wounds so many who begin a journey of following Jesus with abandon. They erroneously expect their most vehement opposition to come from the world, when in reality, it usually comes from the church. Jesus was NOT persecuted by the world…..he was persecuted by those who knew the scriptures inside and out. The world and its political system did not crucify Jesus. They sought to exonerate Him because they found no fault in Him. It was the religious people that sought zealously to crucify Him. It was those to whom the people looked for religious guidance. It was those who knew every jot and tittle of the Torah…and this group found a lot of fault in Him!
Expect to be labeled what you are not. He was labeled a false prophet….of Beelzebub.
Expect controversy. Jesus was the most controversial figure of His day. If you are looking to steer clear of controversy, steer clear of Him. If you steer clear of controversial people, consider the very real possibility that had you lived in Bible times, you would have steered clear of Jesus.
This is not to say that if we embrace controversy, we are embracing Christ. It’s just saying that when we embrace Christ, we must be willing to embrace controversy. I am not saying to seek controversy or revel in the midst of controversy. Nor am I trying to justify those who do. I am saying that there will be times in our walk to become like Christ that we will face controversy. There will be times when you cannot avoid it. The presence-or absence-of controversy in your life does not mean you are Christlike.This is not saying that anyone who is being vilified by today’s church must be Christlike. It’s just that being vilified doesn’t mean someone is NOT Christlike. Just as popularity in the religious circles of Jesus’ day did not determine His authenticity, popularity in Christian circles today does not determine the authenticity of a believer.
Quite a realm of possibilities opens up to us the moment we decide we want to become like Christ. Some pleasant…..some not so pleasant. Some we embrace….some we recoil from. Becoming like Jesus is not just about power and victory. It’s also about reproach, misunderstanding, and rejection. Jesus had both and so shall we if we seek to become like Him.