“And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18.
God motivates with a vision, set fixed before our eyes. As we respond to this vision we are transformed into His image. So often we make being a follower of Jesus overly complicated.
At the most basic level, a Christian is a follower of Jesus (Acts 11:26). When we talk about being a follower of Jesus, we tend to ask, "What does a follower of Jesus do -- what do they look like?" From there we start focusing on do's and don'ts of being a follower of Jesus. A follower of Jesus prays, reads the Bible, goes to church, helps the poor. A follower of Jesus is not greedy, does not gossip, and avoids immorality. This model solidifices a list of behaviors into a standard to which we hold people. The next assumed task is to try to get people to act like followers of Jesus, which often is interpreted as applying the do's and don'ts to one's life. This is problemmatic, because most of us are inconsistent in our following of Jesus, so that brings us under judgement and exposes us to the accusation of hypocracy.
This kind of thinking also leads to a tiered idea of being a Christian. On the first level, we have those who merely acknowledge the title, and then those who have various degrees of religious behavior, and then those who talk about being a "follower or disciple" and then there are those who seem to genuinely start to resemple Jesus in the context of their life. This last category we often call "saints" -- those who we suppose have some special calling or relationship with God, ignoring the fact that the term "saint" in the Bible is typically applied to all Christians. This tiered model was never what Jesus had in mind.
Being a follower of Jesus is a statement of identity first, and a statement of action, second. What we do flows out of who we are.
Christians are followers of Jesus (Acts 11:26, 1 John 2:3-6). There are no tiers or categories implied here. We either follow Jesus and His teachings, or we are not being a Christian. Unless we receive Christ at our dying breath, we are expected to be followers of Jesus. Being a follower implies we have taken the intentional steps in agreement with the one we are following. This brings us to the idea of being imitators of Jesus.
Followers imitate the one they are following (Ephesians 5:1-2, 1 John 2:4-6, Luke 9:23). They walk in his steps, and submit to his leadership. It implies observation, which brings me to the next point.
We imitate Jesus by observing Him, by learning about him and his teaching, by interacting with him, and responding to him. This fixing our gaze on Jesus works upon us to transform us. (John 14:12; 2 Corinthians 3:18). This is where motivation comes in. We see Jesus, and imitate him, following him in his teachings and ways. Sure, we do things, but first comes the vision to the one we love; the one we are following. The vision motivates us toward transformation.
We can do nothing apart from our abiding relationship with God in love. (John 15:5; Gallatians 2:20; 3:3; Ephesians 3:17; 1 John 3:16-17, 24, 4:7-8). Again, our motivation is found in a heart motivated by the vision, which in turn produces a desire to collaborate with God.
Again, this transformation does not take place according to our religious programs and curriculum. God starts where the individual is at, and works on the necessary thing of the moment. As confounding as this might be to our religious leaders, it is the way God works. Keeping Christ central in our teachings and spiritual vision is the key in this process.
Jesus summed all the "law and prophets" (scriptural teachings) up with the love commandment (Matthew 22:37:40) -- Love God with all our being, and love others. John describes an abiding love (1 John 4:16-17). I am reminded of the Misty Edwards refrain: "God's in love with me, and I'm in love with God. That's who I am, and that's who I wll be. That settles it, completely."
Love is perfected in relation to others (1 John 4:11-12). Love is relational. Our Triune God embodies love. We abide in God and God in us as we abide in love. We love God as we love others. The Kingdom of God is a kingdom powered by self-sacrificing agape love. Jesus is the Servant of All (cf. Mark 9:35). If we are to be followers of Jesus, we need to follow him in this kind of love (Matthew 16:24-25; 1 Corinthians 13:4-17). Love is the motivating force behind in the vision.
The ultimate question each follower of Jesus will be asked is, "Did you learn to love?"
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