Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Flattery - Oscar Wilde
| "Who are you imitating?" |
14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. 17 For this reason I have sent to you Timothy, my son whom I love, who is faithful in the Lord. He will remind you of my way of life in Christ Jesus, which agrees with what I teach everywhere in every church.
Oscar Wilde said, "Imitation is the greatest form of flattery." Paul continues his serious tone as he urges the Corinthians to have good roles models to follow. The biggest problem in the church was that they were idolizing Paul and other apostles, but not living out the Christian faith themselves.
Importantly, Paul says he has sent Timothy to them to remind them of his way of life, which agreed with his teaching. I don't believe Paul was being prideful when he says, "imitate me". He realized they needed a role model and since he can't be there, he sends Timothy as his substitute. We can assume that Timothy's way of life was like Paul's. Paul didn't merely teach the people and tell them them how to live, he modeled it himself.
One of the greatest needs in church today is leaders whose teaching and life match up. None of us is perfect, I can attest to that. And leaders also need to model humility. Nonetheless leaders must be careful that they lead with integrity.
A good question we might ask ourselves is, "Is my life worthy of imitation." Again this doesn't mean you are perfect, but it might be a good indication of where your spiritual life is at. Our model is Jesus and we can learn from Timothy and Paul as well. We can learn from others whose life and teaching are in sync. Although we never look to be flattered, as pride only puffs us up, we might ask the question does what we teach or profess about the Christian faith match up with our way of life.
Importantly, Paul says he has sent Timothy to them to remind them of his way of life, which agreed with his teaching. I don't believe Paul was being prideful when he says, "imitate me". He realized they needed a role model and since he can't be there, he sends Timothy as his substitute. We can assume that Timothy's way of life was like Paul's. Paul didn't merely teach the people and tell them them how to live, he modeled it himself.
One of the greatest needs in church today is leaders whose teaching and life match up. None of us is perfect, I can attest to that. And leaders also need to model humility. Nonetheless leaders must be careful that they lead with integrity.
A good question we might ask ourselves is, "Is my life worthy of imitation." Again this doesn't mean you are perfect, but it might be a good indication of where your spiritual life is at. Our model is Jesus and we can learn from Timothy and Paul as well. We can learn from others whose life and teaching are in sync. Although we never look to be flattered, as pride only puffs us up, we might ask the question does what we teach or profess about the Christian faith match up with our way of life.
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