What do You Imitate?

3 John 1:11 ~ " Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God."

It has been said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. There is a sense in which, in the Christian life, this holds true. For there are those who, looking to others, will want to emulate their walk of faith. And though every Christian walks by their own faith as they follow Christ, it is important to note that the LORD has established godly examples for all who are striving to live for Jesus. 

This is not an unheard-of experience in the Scriptures. We are told by Peter that our LORD Jesus has left us an example, that we should follow Him (see 1 Peter 2:21). God has given leaders to the church to set the example of faith, as Hebrews 13:7 states, "Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith." The Apostle Paul recognized the importance of his own walk by faith as a means by which others could find their steps as well. He says in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ."

In our text for today, we are commanded not to imitate evil, but good. The word, "imitate," means to mimic or to emulate that which you consider to be a preferred method of life. And there are only two views to consider: good or evil. The Apostle John gives two direct examples to his friend Gaius: the evil example of Diotrephes (verse 9) and the good example of Demetrius (verse 12). Even today there are those in the church who will either be one or the other. 

When it comes to the two expressions of life, either good or evil, the standard of evaluating those two conditions is God Himself. We know that there is no one good but God alone (see Mark 10:18). We are told to be imitators of God in Ephesians 5:1, "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children." 

With this, the Apostle John tells us that "Whoever does good is from God." This does not mean that someone who simply does a good deed, as in some humanitarian cause or altruistic endeavor, is from God. There are many in this world who do good deeds. This "does good" statement means a continual condition of the heart that expresses outward goodness. Before God, the sinner unsaved cannot do good. Romans 3:12 says, "All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." We are reminded in Isaiah that, outside of God's redemption, our righteous deeds are but filthy rags (see Isaiah 64:6). 

But those who are from God will have a disposition of doing good. Why is this? Because faith and good works go hand-in-hand. James tells us that faith without such works is dead, "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead" (James 2:26). 

And then, those who do evil have, as our text indicates, "not seen God." Some might argue that no one today has seen God. In fact, the Almighty told Moses that no one could look upon Him and live (see Exodus 33:20). But to "see" God in this context is not to visibly behold His glorious presence, but to discern His ways or to perceive with the understanding who God is and how He would have us live. Even as Hebrews 12:2 says, "...looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Though we cannot fix our eyes directly upon Him, we can, with our comprehension, look to the Word of God and understand His ways.

Thus, those who do evil--that is, to have a disposition that desires evil--are those who have never come to understand or comprehend the ways of the LORD. Psalm 36:1 states, "Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes."

So... who do you imitate? And, perhaps a greater question--is your walk with Christ something that others can imitate to God's glory? If you are born-again, beloved, you probably already have those around you that are watching to see the goodness of the LORD in you. It is good if they do. Don't shy away from striving to be an example for other believers. In so doing, you may just grow in the goodness of God as well.

In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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