Imitate Christ

Mat 5:2  And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying…

 

Mat 5:20  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Mat 5:21  Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

Mat 5:22  But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

 

 

We are being taught by our Savior.

 

The lesson-

 

Our righteousness must NOT be for show.

Our love for our fellow man must NOT be for show.

 

We can try to  manufacture our own brand of righteousness, we can do our best and none of that will be good enough. We - in and of ourselves - have no real saving righteousness.  We must learn of our Savior HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, we must learn of our Savior HIS LOVE FOR US.

 

His LOVE goes far beyond our strict interpretation of the moral law.

 

The Scribes and Pharisees worked it so they could get around the moral laws by adding their own interpretations of them.

 

When the law says 'Thou shalt not kill' , the scribes and pharisees hold that to be true but have NO law against feeling hatred towards others, NO law against wanting to kill others, NO law against bad mouthing others, NO law against demeaning others.   They might not have killed anyone in reality but they tortured them unjustly in other ways.

 

How many people out there are brutal towards others all the while patting themselves on the back for not being like those sicko psycho murderers that come along?  They are honestly believing they much better than a murderer because they don't take that life. Their brutality with their words and actions that can kill another in other ways, means nothing to them.

 

Our Savior clarified, He magnified the law. He put the law under that microscope and called on us to look at it closer, to see the TRUTH in it that goes far beyond merely staying our hands from ending a life.

 

LOVE is the truth.

 

TRUE love as HE LOVES.

 

We can't imagine our SAVIOR treating us brutally, can we?  Take a moment and think about it. Can you imagine Jesus Christ our Lord being viciously nasty, cruel, snide, hateful, unkind, unloving in any way towards us?

 

We can't imagine it because HE lived the law in it's fullest, in all it's LOVE.

 

He LOVED, He is LOVE, we can ONLY imitate that love and cling to HIM allowing HIM to love in the reality what we can only strive towards.

 

Eph 5:1  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children

 

The word for followers is this--

 

- Transliteration: Mimetes

- Phonetic: mim-ay-tace'

- Definition:

1. an imitator

 

IMITATOR!

 

The Literal Translation of the Holy Bible - interprets Eph. 5:1 this way--

 

Eph 5:1  Then become imitators of God, as beloved children

 

Imitators of God.

 

What does it mean to be an imitator?

 

Webster-

Imitate

IMI'TATE, v.t. [L. imitor; allied perhaps to Gr. similar, equal.]

 

1. To follow in manners; to copy in form, color or quality. We imitate another in dress or manners; we imitate a statue, a painting, a sound, an action, when we make or do that which resembles it. We should seek the best models to imitate, and in morals and piety, it is our duty to imitate the example of our Savior. But as we cannot always make an exact similitude of the original,hence,

 

2. To attempt or endeavor to copy or resemble; as, to imitate the colors of the rainbow, or any of the beauties of nature. Cicero appears to have imitated the Greek orators.

 

3. To counterfeit.

 

This hand appear'd a shining sword to wield,

 

And that sustain'd an imitated shield.

 

4. To pursue the course of a composition, so as to use like images and examples.

 

*******

 

Eph 5:1  Then become imitators of God, as beloved children

 

As beloved children.

 

A beloved child  will imitate it's parents- you see it all the time. Right now I have a young 11month old niece a few weeks shy of being a year old and she imitates so much it amazes me!  We know that she is learning as she imitates, taking everything in, absorbing it all like a sponge as her intellect grows as she matures.   I have a step great niece three years old whom I've seen pictures of as she imitates her mother's hair stylist job.  Children imitate and as they do they truly are learning.

 

We are to imitate GOD, to imitate CHRIST! He is teaching us to do this! He wants us to do this! We can only truly strive to do this and in doing so we will learn to LOVE as HE would have us LOVE, as HE LOVES.

 

Our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the supposed religious leaders, those who claim to be closest to God, and the only way this can be is if we seek CHRIST and in seeking Him we seek to IMITATE HIM- we- His beloved children.

 

All by HIS LOVE!

All by HIS GRACE!

All by HIS MERCY!