A life that resembles Christ

 

A life that resembles Christ

 

After preaching, most church pastors say, “Let’s live a life that resembles Christ.” In these words, only the cross of Christ is mentioned, and the resurrection of Christ is not in their thoughts. Therefore, "believers should also be humble like Jesus, serve with a merciful heart that is different from the people of the world, live a differentiated life by forgiving others, and since Jesus died on the cross, they should demonstrate a spirit of sacrifice of love that is close to the death of the cross." , What they say is “with the purpose of making non-believers believe in God.”

Don't the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of believers occur at the same time? In Romans 6:5, “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:”

Union is becoming one. If the saints were united with Jesus on the cross, and since Jesus was resurrected, the saints were also resurrected. This means that Jesus Christ and the saints are united regardless of time through the cross and resurrection.

Most pastors think of the resurrection of believers as something in the distant future. The reason is because the body dies and the thought that the dead body comes back to life is felt. Of course, they may say this because they have been taught it doctrinally, but resurrection means rising from the spiritual dead, meaning that the physical body received from one's parents dies and one receives life from heaven.

In John 6:63, “It is the spirit that quickeneth; As it is said, “the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” the body dies. Resurrection means that the old disappears and a new creation emerges.

I would like you to think about what specifically is meant by “a life that resembles Jesus,” which many pastors talk about.

There are some similarities between Christianity and other religions, such as Buddhism, and there are some differences. Other religions, especially Buddhism, resemble Christianity and say, "Do good deeds and mercy to others." It means practicing a life that is empty of oneself, and thus reaching the nature of God. Most pastors say that Christianity is about practicing love, forgiving others, working hard to become holy, and living a life that serves as an example to others. In this respect, Christianity and Buddhism are no different. Perhaps that is why those who advocate religious integration speak against this background.

However, the meaning of love and holiness in Christianity is clearly different from that in other religions, and if a believer does not know this, it is like sitting in a church but listening to a Buddhist sermon. This reason partly stems from a failure to properly interpret the Bible, and partly from a failure to accurately translate the Greek Bible.

First, we need to look at love.

Many people cite Ephesians 5:1-2 as an example that believers should also practice this kind of love. 『Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.』 Regarding this part, Jesus loved the believers until he bled to death on the cross. Pastors say that believers should also practice love like this. So they use various passages of the Bible to cry out that we must practice love.

If we translate Ephesians 5:1-2 into Greek,

 Γίνεσθε οὖν μιμηταὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς τέκνα ἀγαπητὰ (1절)

『 Be ye therefore followers(μιμηταὶ Mimetai) of God, as dear children;

Mimetai means copy in English. How do believers become followers of God? Church people have never seen God or know God, but they think of being a follower as if they are imitating the actions of a great person. To follow God means to become one with God. How can humans become one with God? That is what happens because of Jesus Christ. A believer realizes that he or she is to die to God, and to die in union with Jesus Christ is to follow God.

καὶ περιπατεῖτε ἐν ἀγάπῃ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς καὶ παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσφορὰν καὶ θυσίαν τῷ θεῷ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας.(2절)

『And walk(περιπατεῖτε Peripateite) in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.』

Peripateite (περιπατεῖτε) means to walk. Christianity is not a faith in which I do something, but a faith that walks with God. 『Walk in love (peripateite), too.』 This part is connected to the words to become a follower of God in chapter 5, verse 1. In other words, you must become a follower of God and walk in love (en agape ἐν ἀγάπῃ). All of this is faith achieved in Christ.

When believers realize that they must die with Jesus Christ, and when believers also acknowledge and desire that they are physically dead, God takes pity on them and allows them to walk in Christ's love (the cross). However, church pastors keep asking for something to be done. That is why believers believe that love is achieved through action. I believe that everyone should practice love, whether they are Christians or people of other religions. However, without the unity of dying with Jesus on the cross, that love becomes meaningless. This is because fundamental love saves the dead spirit. Would it be possible to force love on believers without physically dying with Jesus?

Second, if we look at holiness (1 Peter 1:6),

Peter speaks about holiness based on Leviticus 11:44, “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy.”

διότι γέγραπται · ἅγιοι ἔσεσθε, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἅγιος.

『 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:』

Can people be holy like God? Most pastors tell believers to live humble or set apart lives because they cannot achieve holiness. A spiritually set apart life is called holiness, but they emphasize a physically set apart life. They tell believers to change what they eat, what they do, and how they live their lives and move on to a new life. Therefore, believers believe that if they live this kind of life, they can advance toward holiness, even though it falls short of complete holiness. God wants perfect holiness, but most pastors distort it into imperfect holiness with the intention of making an effort because holiness is only a direction for humans and cannot actually become perfect holiness.

If God is holy, how can humans become holy? Believers may question this, but holiness is a life devoted to God. It is to burn oneself with Jesus Christ. A believer dies with Jesus on the cross. Then, God recognizes the believer as holy. So a holy person is dead to the world and is distinct from the world. Man does not become holy on his own, but is made holy by God.

If you look at the Greek Bible, the expression “holy” is used in the expression “God is holy.” This expresses the state of God, which means that God himself is holy. So, everyone who is in Christ is holy. It is a contradiction in itself for humans to describe God as a state of holiness. Pastors are trying to describe God's holiness as a certain state and use it as a guide for humans. However, holiness is an area that humans cannot measure. God is holiness itself. However, God desires complete holiness from His saints. Holiness is believing that he dies with Jesus and is resurrected with Jesus.

Third, about a life that serves as an example.

Based on the words of 1 Timothy 4:12-13, we are told to live a life that serves as an example. Looking through the Greek Bible,

Μηδείς σου τῆς νεότητος καταφρονείτω, ἀλλὰ τύπος γίνου τῶν πιστῶν ἐν λόγῳ, ἐν ἀναστροφῇ, ἐν ἀγάπῃ, ἐν πίστει, ἐν ἁγνείᾳ.ἕως ἔρχομαι πρόσεχε τῇ ἀναγνώσει, τῇ παρακλήσει, τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ.

『 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation (ἀναστροφῇ), in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading (ἀναγνώσει), to exhortation, to doctrine.』

The phrase 『in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity』 means 『in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity』 of Timothy. What Paul says to Timothy refers to the qualities he must possess as a pastor. It tells us that pastors must be 『in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity』. The reason is that believers look at the pastor's situation and judge whether he is a person of truth. Of course, believers also need to have these qualities.

Anastrophe (ἀναστροφῇ) means to turn from above. Anagnosei (ἀναγνώσει) is a compound word of Ana (from above) and Gnosei (to know: to become one). It is known through relationships from above (heaven). Believers come to know God through Jesus Christ. What a pastor must concentrate on is to dedicate himself to knowing God through Jesus Christ, recommending it to people, and teaching it. Another manuscript has something about the spirit in ( ).

In conclusion, the term “life that resembles Christ” is an unbiblical term. It should not be called a life that resembles Christ, but a life that is united with Christ.

A life united with Christ is a life that believes in dying on the cross with Christ and being resurrected. Of course, through the growth of faith, one can morally practice and speak of love, forgiveness (mercy), and good deeds, just like other religions such as Buddhism. The core of Christianity is not to live a life that resembles Christ, but to live a life united with Jesus Christ, who died on the cross and was resurrected. When pastors apply the same things from other religions to Jesus Christ and talk about living like Christ, is this any different from saying that all religions are one?

Saints must abandon their physical identity and live as saints who were resurrected with Jesus, enjoying the amazing joy of having Christ within them and the spiritual self within Christ. Therefore, the life of a believer must be to spread this great gospel. What is important is not to live a life that resembles Christ, but to live a life that is united with Christ.