"Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” ~ 1 Co 11:1.
Remarkably, Paul asked people to imitate him! This speaks volumes about his own walk with Christ, and his desire to see others grow. However, he also knew that he wasn’t perfect, and so, his command to imitate him came with a caveat. Paul ultimately wanted the Corinthians to imitate Christ, and so Paul became their example, insofar as he walked in righteousness and in the pattern laid down by his Savior.
So just what exactly caused Paul to command their imitation? What was the specific thing that Paul wanted them to imitate?
The Way of the Cross
To this point in 1 Corinthians, Paul had been considering all that the cross meant for life. It meant a life of being seen as foolish by Gentiles, and a stumbling block to Jews. It meant not being wise, mighty or noble. It meant being called to serve, even when reviled. It meant calling the church to unity, even as they hated him. It meant correcting and rebuking the church when they were in sin.
But interestingly, the immediate point that Paul is making is found just at the end of chapter 10. There, Paul explains that he pleases everyone in all things and rejects his own profit for the profit of others so that they might be saved.
Paul’s walk with Christ meant that he would happily submit to others for the sake of their salvation. In the context, Paul is talking about carefully protecting the consciences of his brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul could happily eat anything sold in the marketplace, but would not participate in idolatry.
However, when someone else struggled with this, Paul willingly gave up that freedom for the sake of the one who was struggling. For Paul, his weekly menu was far less important than the souls that were around him.
Following Paul, and Following Christ
We live in an age of strong opinions about many things. But Paul would call us to get in line behind him, and ultimately behind Jesus, in submitting ourselves to others for the sake of the Gospel.
This doesn’t mean that everyone else will do the same. But this is our calling as we walk the way of the cross behind Christ!
