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The Art of Imitation
Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and watch carefully those who are living this way,
just as you have us as an example.
For many live, about whom I have often told you,
and now, with tears,
I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction, their god is the belly,
they exult in their shame,
and they think about earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven
- and we also await a savior from there,
the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform these humble bodies of ours
into the likeness of his glorious body
by means of that power by which he is
able to subject all things to himself.
(Philippians 3:17-21 NET)
How do we know the real from the fake? In this day of “deep fake” video and constant manipulation of the truth, just discovering what is happening around the world can be a dizzying prospect. Jesus and Paul give us a more foolproof way to learn the truth and find the way.
Jesus said it this way,
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
You will recognize them by their fruits.
Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20 ESV)
We all follow someone, whether we are self-aware enough to know that or not. It is important for us therefore to seriously consider who we are following. And the way we do that is to consider the fruit of their lives.
According to Paul, those we do not want to emulate are those who follow their base desires and chase after the things of this world. We should instead follow after those who live in expectant hope as citizens of the coming age. The choice is always the same: we either live for fleeting and temporary selfish pleasure or for the love of others and eternal joy with Jesus.
What is “Good Fruit”
“The truth is true no matter its source.” Sayings like this are common, and on many topics they are valid. However, in the Matthew passage above Jesus is saying that when it comes to spiritual instruction, the character of the messenger is vitally important. Why? Consider this: the nature of spiritual truth and wisdom is such that motive and context can be the whole difference between right and wrong in many situations. For example, what was Ananias and Sapphira’s sin? Was it failing to give away all they had? No, it was pretending to give away all they had. Their motive was the problem, not their action.
In Paul’s case above he warns his readers about people who are motivated by their lowest desires and who are focused on the pleasures of this world and not the kingdom that is to come. So both Paul and Jesus are making a similar point in the end. As Jesus famously said, “Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” The character of those you follow is crucially important. Their motives, their presuppositions, and their selfish desires will corrupt their path and the path of those who follow them.
So who is worthy of following?
Paul does not seem to have perfection in mind here, but rather a quality of heart. We are to follow those who honestly follow Christ. This does not imply perfection of performance, but it does require sincere and enduring faithfulness to Christ and dogged pursuit of the way of Christ. We judge their fruit before we commit to following them. We follow the good ones not simply the good-looking and clever ones.
Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and watch carefully those who are living this way,
just as you have us as an example.
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
There are still people like this on the earth and many more who have left us their advice, encouragement, and example over the course of the last 2000 years. These are the people we are to emulate. These are the people we are to follow as we navigate the Way this week.
Have a great week!
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Tom PossinBe imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and watch carefully those who are living this way,
just as you have us as an example.
For many live, about whom I have often told you,
and now, with tears,
I tell you that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction, their god is the belly,
they exult in their shame,
and they think about earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven
- and we also await a savior from there,
the Lord Jesus Christ,
who will transform these humble bodies of ours
into the likeness of his glorious body
by means of that power by which he is
able to subject all things to himself.
(Philippians 3:17-21 NET)
How do we know the real from the fake? In this day of “deep fake” video and constant manipulation of the truth, just discovering what is happening around the world can be a dizzying prospect. Jesus and Paul give us a more foolproof way to learn the truth and find the way.
Jesus said it this way,
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
You will recognize them by their fruits.
Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?
So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.
Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matthew 7:15-20 ESV)
We all follow someone, whether we are self-aware enough to know that or not. It is important for us therefore to seriously consider who we are following. And the way we do that is to consider the fruit of their lives.
According to Paul, those we do not want to emulate are those who follow their base desires and chase after the things of this world. We should instead follow after those who live in expectant hope as citizens of the coming age. The choice is always the same: we either live for fleeting and temporary selfish pleasure or for the love of others and eternal joy with Jesus.
What is “Good Fruit”
“The truth is true no matter its source.” Sayings like this are common, and on many topics they are valid. However, in the Matthew passage above Jesus is saying that when it comes to spiritual instruction, the character of the messenger is vitally important. Why? Consider this: the nature of spiritual truth and wisdom is such that motive and context can be the whole difference between right and wrong in many situations. For example, what was Ananias and Sapphira’s sin? Was it failing to give away all they had? No, it was pretending to give away all they had. Their motive was the problem, not their action.
In Paul’s case above he warns his readers about people who are motivated by their lowest desires and who are focused on the pleasures of this world and not the kingdom that is to come. So both Paul and Jesus are making a similar point in the end. As Jesus famously said, “Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.” The character of those you follow is crucially important. Their motives, their presuppositions, and their selfish desires will corrupt their path and the path of those who follow them.
So who is worthy of following?
Paul does not seem to have perfection in mind here, but rather a quality of heart. We are to follow those who honestly follow Christ. This does not imply perfection of performance, but it does require sincere and enduring faithfulness to Christ and dogged pursuit of the way of Christ. We judge their fruit before we commit to following them. We follow the good ones not simply the good-looking and clever ones.
Be imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and watch carefully those who are living this way,
just as you have us as an example.
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe
There are still people like this on the earth and many more who have left us their advice, encouragement, and example over the course of the last 2000 years. These are the people we are to emulate. These are the people we are to follow as we navigate the Way this week.
Have a great week!
Get full access to On walking the Way at tompossin.substack.com/subscribe