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 Trying to be More Christ-Like

by Elliot Coatney

I often hear in Christian circles that our goal as believers to is to be more like Christ, to become more Christlike, or some other version of that idea. For most Christians today, this is probably a familiar concept–one that is often addressed in public prayer, devotions, sermons, newsletters and the like. If becoming more Christlike is a biblical concept, what does it mean, and how do we do it?

It seems that what most Christians mean when they talk about being more like Christ is having more of the qualities Jesus had (and less of the qualities he didn’t). Christ loved others more than himself, he was obedient to God, humble, honest, righteous and faithful. How do we get more of these qualities? Typically, the answer is that we get more of these qualities through prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, God’s help, feeding the new nature, starving the old nature, or maybe self-denial or self-discipline–but none of these are the answer.

The surprising truth is that we are NOT meant to be more like Christ. God’s plan is for Christ to live His life through us. This is a fundamentally different thing than becoming like Him. And how does this happen? How do we as believers have Christ live out His life through us and as us? This happens not by doing anything but by receiving—receiving the person of Christ by faith and trusting Him to live out His life through us.

It is in fact dangerous to think that we can be more like Jesus apart from expressing His life and His spirit. Think of the original sin of Lucifer (Adam’s and Eve’s sin came later). Lucifer was an angel and God’s “light bearer,” but Lucifer wasn’t satisfied to bear the light of another. He wanted to be a light unto himself, independent of God (Isaiah 14:14). It was this same false and impossible idea of independence with which Satan infected Adam (Gen 3:5), and through Adam, all mankind (Rom 5:12).

To think that we can or should be more like Christ by working harder to have attributes like him is to believe the false idea of independence authored by Satan. For the believer, this deception doesn’t jeopardize salvation, but it does keep the believer from being all that God intends him to be. As believers, we unwittingly give Satan a foothold in our lives unless we put our faith in the truth that all attributes of Christ exist in His person alone and that our purpose and design is simply to say yes to expressing them (really expressing Him) as a free and willing vessel. Jesus himself said: “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do NOTHING” (emphasis added, John 15:5). The last thing Satan wants is for a believer to know who he is as a vessel and to understand how God created him to operate by faith in that fact.

If you believe that you have an independent human nature and that your purpose is to develop more of the attributes that Christ had, you can admittedly find some support for this view in scripture–more so in versions like the New Living and NIV which seem to have been translated with this as a premise and less so in versions like King James or NAS which do not. If you are willing to consider that scripture is saying something altogether different–that we have no independent nature of our own but instead express through our human selves the divine Spirit of Christ or the false spirit of error Satan—then scripture has new meaning.

The handful of verses that refer to “walking as Christ walked” or “imitating Christ” are not meant to be understood as repeating behaviors or attitudes. These verses simply mean that we are to live by faith as Jesus did, and His faith was this: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Christ acted boldly always pointing to the Father. He wasn’t saying: “Act as I act, and behave as I behave.” He was saying: “See how I and the Father are one. The same is true for you, and now act on that fact by faith, as I do.”

1 John 4:16-17 says that “God is love.” The passage continues on to say that “as He is, so also are we in this world.” (Note how this passage in the New Living Translation ends up with much more of a behave-like-Jesus sense: “We live like Jesus here in this world.”) Love is the very person of God. God determined that He would eternally say no to being self-for-self, that He would eternally be self-for-others, and that He would give Himself totally for his creation. All the so-called attributes of Jesus, even the Fruits of the Spirit of Gal 5:22, are manifestations of God himself, not feelings or even actions. We can’t be more like God or more like Jesus. We can only contain and express Him. We can’t be loving toward another–only God can be love through us. I can’t have more love or get more love because God is love in me and is joined to me in one Spirit. Jesus Himself said, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (Luke 18:19). He is living His life by me as long as I have no known sin I am holding onto.

So how can we be more like Christ? We can’t! We can’t be more like Him, we can only be Him—Christ himself expressed through our vessels. For those believers who know, despite their best efforts, they don’t measure up and their righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), the news that Christ is there to live out His life and to be everything we know we can’t be seems almost too good to be true. But it is true, and all we have to “do” is believe it, and He lives it out.

 2017/1/25 16:13
TMK
Member



Joined: 2012/2/8
Posts: 6650
NC, USA

 Re: Trying to be More Christ-Like

Ephesians 5:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.

1 John 3:3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.

This is a two part process. The HS does his part but we must do our part.


_________________
Todd

 2017/1/25 17:32Profile









 Our part is to simply beliving the truthand standing firm in it.

True Christianity is simply believing the truth and standing firm in it.

Religion tries to make you do something or to avoid something to fix a problem that does not even really exist.

 2017/1/25 18:12
Sree
Member



Joined: 2011/8/20
Posts: 1953


 Re: Trying to be More Christ-Like

Quote:

Typically, the answer is that we get more of these qualities through prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, God’s help, feeding the new nature, starving the old nature, or maybe self-denial or self-discipline–but none of these are the answer.



This article is a complete lie. It is lie of the Devil. We see the moderators take serious action against people who come with some dangerous ideology and keep posting in SI. Why is the same step not taken here?

If a person ignores Bible reading, does not feed the new man then he cannot become like Jesus, period. No matter what faith they have. Just belief will not save someone.

If this article is true then at least someone should be christlike in the past 2000 years, but none including the Apostles were completely Christlike. Which means Christianity is a failure.

This kind of do nothing Christianity is a biggest lie of Satan.

1 John 3:3 is good enough to prove this article wrong. Even John the Baptist said he should decrease and Christ should increase. The life of Jesus growing in us is incremental. It starts with having an attitude of Jesus. That is why Paul says we should have the attitude of Jesus to Philippians.


_________________
Sreeram

 2017/1/25 18:15Profile
proudpapa
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Joined: 2012/5/13
Posts: 2936


 Re: Trying to be More Christ-Like

RE : /// Typically, the answer is that we get more of these qualities through prayer, Bible reading, fellowship, God’s help, feeding the new nature, starving the old nature, or maybe self-denial or self-discipline–but none of these are the answer.///

Will Worship and voluntary humility are the sanctification formula's of many religions.

Case in point :

The sanctification formula above is most often described by the old Cherokee Legend - Two Wolves or black dog vs white dog.





 2017/1/25 18:52Profile
BranchinVINE
Member



Joined: 2016/6/15
Posts: 1268
Australia

 Re:



Hi Todd,

The Holy Spirit does His part SO we can do our part.



_________________
Jade

 2017/1/25 20:21Profile
TMK
Member



Joined: 2012/2/8
Posts: 6650
NC, USA

 Re:

Agreed, but we still have to do it. He won't force us.


_________________
Todd

 2017/1/25 21:24Profile
BranchinVINE
Member



Joined: 2016/6/15
Posts: 1268
Australia

 Re: Todd



When the Holy Spirt works in us, He also fills us with the desire and the joy to "do it" so that it never ever is the burden of "we have to do it".


_________________
Jade

 2017/1/25 22:10Profile
sermonindex
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Joined: 2002/12/11
Posts: 39795
Canada

Online!
 Re:

Quote:
The surprising truth is that we are NOT meant to be more like Christ. God’s plan is for Christ to live His life through us. This is a fundamentally different thing than becoming like Him. And how does this happen? How do we as believers have Christ live out His life through us and as us? This happens not by doing anything but by receiving—receiving the person of Christ by faith and trusting Him to live out His life through us.



Saints,

There is a subtle deception in the article that TUC shared. In that it sounds very spiritual and wonderful if we just believe and somehow Christianity just happens. But as others have pointed out the Scriptures are full of commands to self-denial, discipleship, godliness, saying no to sin, etc. The Spirit of God leads us in these things but we must also make choices and follow the Lord.

The message of hyper-grace is very popular now amongst modern evangelicals as it suits the desire people have not to fast, not to say now to the world's tv, pleasures and other amusements. Hyper grace takes the pressure off for believers to need to fight against sin and mortify the deeds of the body that they may live (Colossians 3:4-7).

I remember sharing Scriptures in a men's bible study and I gave a comment that we need to be diligent to be in the Word of God and be very disciplined in our flesh to read the Scriptures. A few people revolted in anger and told me how dare I would suggest that they "needed" to read the Scriptures everyday. One man even made the statement: "I will only read the Scriptures if the Spirit leads me." I was shocked at their reaction and realized that these men have bought into the lie of the false grace message that God will never go against our wonderful life and desires and he will just bless and work with us so we can have our best life now on the earth.

Religious disciplines also are frowned upon and the very use of the world religion is considered too strict, legalistic and devoid of the Spirit. Yet the Scriptures themselves use the word, that there is one true religion from above (James 1:27).


Quote:
When the Holy Spirt works in us, He also fills us with the desire and the joy to "do it" so that it never ever is the burden of "we have to do it".



Brother,

How would this statement work with the New Testament Scriptures where many times we are told to deny self, deny our desires and ask to have the desires of Christ. Taking up our cross daily is not always something we want to do, but we know we should. Joy follows obedience and does not always precede it.



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SI Moderator - Greg Gordon

 2017/1/25 22:32Profile
BranchinVINE
Member



Joined: 2016/6/15
Posts: 1268
Australia

 Re:




Dear brother Greg,

Greg, I am a sister, not a brother.

To me, to “deny self, deny our desires and ask to have the desires of Christ…… taking up our cross” is simply to totally look away from self and to see the Lord Jesus alone, to be nothing that Christ may be everything in me.

That the Holy Spirit fills us with the desire and the joy to “do it” is my own personal experience. I am all for righteousness and holiness and I have learnt that apart from Christ I can do nothing.

Christianity is not a burden to me.

“I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart” (Psalm 40:8).






_________________
Jade

 2017/1/25 23:15Profile





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