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Today's Pathway: I Corinthians 11:01 Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.

One thing that I want to point out before examining the text is that we need to remember when reading the Scriptures that originally there were no chapter and verse divisions. Paul did not begin his letter to the Corinthians by writing "Chapter 1". He did not put a "1" before the first sentence, and then a "2" before the second sentence. He wrote his letter just like you and I would write someone a letter. The chapter and verse divisions as we know them today were added around the 13th century for convenience in finding particular Biblical statements. For example, if you had a copy of Paul's letter to the Romans, and you wanted to show someone that it said "all things work together for good", but there were no chapter or verse divisions, it might take you a while to find that phrase in the body of the letter. The divisions certainly made it easier to locate things. However, we need to remember that they are not inspired, and therefore when we see a new chapter begin that does not necessarily mean that the human author has moved on from his previous topic.

Chapter 11 opens with Paul's call for the Corinthian believers to follow him. While this statement is applicable to the totality of Paul's ministry, he is probably writing this specifically in relation to his teaching on Christian liberty in chapter 10. He seems to be saying, "If you have any questions about your liberty, just do what I do". The word "follow" is a translation of the Greek word from which we get our English word "mimic". Understanding this really strengthens the idea that Paul is trying to get across. Some folks follow at a distance. Others follow in theory, but not in practice. Paul wants the Corinthians to live like he does, to think like he does, and to copy him. The Greek word is also the basis for our word "mime". A mime is able to convey his message simply through his movements because they so closely resemble the concept that he is trying to communicate. Paul says that they need to live their lives in such a way that it is obvious that they are following Paul's leadership. The verb tense used indicates that this was supposed to be an ongoing activity, and is also a command. Paul is telling his readers that they need to do what he does.

Paul adds in verse 1 that they should be following Him in the same manner that he is following Christ. This raises a couple thoughts. First, Paul is not telling the Corinthians that they should just do what he does no matter what he does. He is not teaching blind loyalty. He is telling them to mimic him as he mimics Christ. Paul is claiming to be an imitator of the Lord, but he is also saying that if he ceases to be a proper follower of Christ, then the Corinthians should stop following him. Sometimes believers will get attached to a certain preacher or Christian who has had a great influence on them. Since this person has been a blessing to them in the past, they mimic them. However, what happens when the "leader" goes astray? Unfortunately, some Christians just keep on following, even though the leader is now going the wrong direction. Paul says, "Follow me while I'm following Christ". However, if and when Paul stops copying Christ, then the believers need to stop copying him.

There is one other important thought here. If the Corinthians were to follow Paul as he followed Christ, how would they know if he was following Christ? The answer is, they would have to know what the Bible said. You have to know Christ in order to know if someone is following Christ. Don't follow someone simply because they are likable or intelligent or scholarly. Follow them because their life and teaching mimics what the Bible says about the Lord. And if they stop following the Lord, you need to stop following them.

Are you mimicking Christ? Where would other Christians be if they copied your example? And, do you know the Bible well enough to determine whether the "leaders" are truly following Christ?