Back in January, an acquaintance of mine posted on social media their New Year's resolution was to be more Christlike. I wondered what that person meant and sat back these past few months and watched to see if their goal matched the Bible.
You can easily find thousands of books, websites, YouTube videos, etc. on how to be Christlike. I've read/watched many of these and they can be summed up with "be more loving".
If you are going to be more like somebody, no matter who it is, you have to know them intimately or else you are just copying certain attributes which is simply taking that person's nature out of context.
To be more Christlike means to be hated. Are you prepared for that?
"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me." - John 15:18-21
Most people have a misconception of Jesus Christ. When they say that they want to be more Christlike, they tend to equate that with tolerating anything that anybody does. Was that the same Jesus Christ of the Bible?
Jesus Christ abhorred the activities of the people making profit off of those seeking atonement for their sins. Twice He physically attacked these people. The first time was in the beginning of His ministry:
"This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him. After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days. And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up." - John 2:11-17
The second time was after His triumphal entry into Jerusalem before His crucifixion:
"And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee. And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." - Matthew 21:9-13
Jesus Christ wasn't afraid of name-calling. Jesus Christ called false prophets ravening wolves in Matthew 7:15. He called the religious leaders of the day fools, blind, hypocrites, serpents, vipers, and killers in Matthew 23. He called the unsaved, children of the Devil in John 8.
Beyond these attributes of Jesus Christ, there is one that stands out far more. If a person truly wants to be Christlike, they must be a lover of souls. They must have a hunger for sharing the Gospel (1 Cor. 15:1-4) to get people saved.
Jesus Christ came to save the lost (Lk. 19:10) and gave Himself as a ransom (Matt. 20:28) that we didn't deserve or earn (Rom. 5:6 and 8).
Do you ever share the Gospel with people individually?
- Andrew told his brother, Simon Peter, about Christ (Jn. 1:40-42)
- Jesus spoke directly to Philip (Jn. 1:43)
- Philip told Nathanael about Christ (Jn. 1:45)
- Jesus spoke directly to Nicodemus (Jn. 3)
- Jesus spoke directly to the Samaritan woman (Jn. 4)
- Jesus spent time with the blind man (Jn. 9)
- The last thing Jesus did before dying was saving a thief:
"And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost." - Luke 23:42-46
Do you love people enough to show them how to get to Heaven? There is only one way and that is through Jesus Christ. He was either a liar or He was telling the truth when He said:
"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." - John 14:6
Do you love people enough to tell them that by rejecting Jesus Christ, they are going to Hell? Again, Christ was either a liar or He was telling the truth when He said:
"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." - John 3:18
The only way to be CHRISTlike is to be a CHRISTian. Are you saved? If you were to die today, are you 100% certain you would go to Heaven?
The Apostle Paul made it clear in Ephesians 2:8-9 that it is by faith alone in His grace. Christ made it clear in John 3:16-18 that it is putting your faith solely in Him for salvation. The Apostle Peter stated that Christ died to take us to Heaven in 1 Peter 3:18.
When you get saved, you become new (2 Cor. 5:17) and your sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus Christ (Rom. 5:9). You have eternal life (Jn. 3:16) and are sealed by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30).
"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW (emphasis mine) that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." - 1 John 5:13