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God Our Role Model
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Matthew 5:48. |
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In Genesis (1:2–2:3), God is presented as the human role-model. We are made in His image to act on His behalf, therefore God rested on the seventh day, as our role-model (Ex.20:8-11).
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Accordingly, the Bible is not written to tell us about history. It is written to tell us about God, so as to make it as easy as possible to have an appropriate faith in Him so as to act accordingly. |
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The ultimate practical revelation of God as our role-model was demonstrated in the behaviour of the Lord Jesus Christ who is the foundation of the Eternal/New Covenant with God in which Christians participate today. |
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| A | study of the behaviour of the Lord Jesus Christ therefore helps us to understand the standard of behaviour which we are to demonstrate today in our revelation of God as His image. For this reason the Holy Spirit was given to God's people, so that because of Christ they might be enabled to 'walk in Christ's shoes'. |
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| Consider | some of the emotions which the Lord Jesus displayed: |
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| • | “And He looked around [in the synagogue] at them with anger, grieved at their hardness of heart, and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.” (Mark 3:5). | |||
| • | Jesus said: “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” (John 11:14-15). | |||
| • | “And He said, 'Where have you laid him? [Lazarus]' They said to him, 'Lord, come and see'. Jesus wept.” (John 11:34-35). | |||
| • | “And when He drew near [on the donkey] and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes’.” (Luke 19:41-42). | |||
| • | “And behold, a leper [an untouchable] came to Him and knelt before Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You will, You can make me clean’. And Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I will; be clean.’ And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, ‘See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the [thanksgiving] gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them [that God heals]’.” (Matt.8:2-4). | |||
| • | “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. He said to them, ‘It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer, but you make it a den of robbers’. And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.” | |||
| These | emotions, which Jesus demonstrated in His behaviour, arose from a core inner attitude (a central focussed alignment of His will) as Jesus Himself publicly emphasised.
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| Jesus said: | "...I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in Heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."
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Matthew 5:44. | ||
Then, to His disciples He went even further –
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John, who was there, later explains this new commandment as –
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1 John 3:16. | |||
| So, | God our Role-Model is truly our example in this –
(Note: this same word ‘κόσμος'/'kosmos’ is used later in this same Gospel to refer to those opposed to God, so this 3:16 quote of the price paid cannot ever be limited to God’s Elect as some Calvinistic/Reformed Christians very foolishly do). |
John 3:16 | ||
| ⇒ | Therefore – let us love vigorously, beyond the boundaries, without fear, as God loves; as our Lord Jesus demonstrated in different situations for us; which the Holy Spirit recorded for our instruction, and who is Himself with us now so to do! |
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| John 17:22-23 | ||||
| Remember | Jesus prayed for us: | |||
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