I Corinthians 4:16 “Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.”
Every now and then I will hear a professing Christian say that believers should not follow men. Although we certainly ought to be cautious about how others influence us, the idea is not Biblical.
It certainly is true that we should be following Christ, but we also must keep in mind Who it is that gave us the Bible – and inspired every word. God gave it and it is without error.
As humans, we may tend to think we could never be fully like Jesus as He walked on Earth. It is true, but it could become an excuse for us not to try as hard as we should. Some do not even try. Still, we are commanded to “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). It is the will of God.
While I do not think that anyone of us can be perfect this side of Heaven, yet we are wrong to use it as an excuse not to seek to please God in all we do and think. I also believe that most people today never really know what the Holy Spirit is capable of in a human life.
To cover this excuse, God gave us a human example – Paul. Although he was not perfect – and he admits it – yet the Holy Spirit has told us that he is an example for us. In fact, the phrase “Be ye followers of me,” is repeated twice – also occurring in I Corinthians 11:1: “Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.”
When studying Paul’s life more carefully, you will find that his life would be a challenge to anyone of us to follow Christ more closely. Not many people today even come close. God gave us through him a view into what God wants us to be – along with Christ’s perfect example.
Instead of merely talking about Christ and gladly telling others how long we have been saved, may God help each believer to put into practice more and more of what we see in Paul’s life, and in Christ’s glorious life. If you say you follow no one – is your life really like that of our Savior? Remember also that a disciple is a follower.