Christlikeness

The process by which believers are conformed to the likeness of Jesus Christ, especially in relation to obedience to and trust in God. Through the Holy Spirit, God refashions believers in the image of his Son, who is set before them as a model of the form of the redeemed life.

Believers are to become Christlike

1 Corinthians 11:1; Philippians 2:5 Paul is arguing that believers must allow God to make them Christlike, which is the natural goal of their process of growing in faith. Christlikeness is not achieved by people merely trying to imitate Jesus Christ, but by God making believers more like his Son in sanctification, through the Spirit. See also John 13:15; Romans 8:29; Ephesians 4:11–13; Philippians 3:8–11, Philippians 3:20–21; 1 John 2:6

You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:

The Holy Spirit makes believers Christlike

2 Corinthians 3:18 See also Romans 8:5–9; Galatians 5:22–23; 1 Thessalonians 1:6

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Christlikeness is the aim of discipleship

Matthew 10:25 See also Luke 6:40; 1 John 2:6

It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!

Christlikeness is based on total commitment to Jesus Christ

Luke 9:57–62 See also Matthew 9:9 parallels Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27; Matthew 19:21 parallel Luke 18:22; John 1:43, John 10:27, John 12:26, John 15:10; 2 John 1:9

As they were walking along the road, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Still another said, “I will follow You, Lord; but first let me bid farewell to my family.” Then Jesus declared, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and then looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

The demonstration of Christlikeness

In costly sacrifice

Mark 8:34–35 parallels Matthew 16:24, Luke 9:23–241 Peter 2:21–23 See also Matthew 10:38; Luke 14:26–27; John 12:26, John 21:19; Philippians 3:10; 1 Peter 4:1

Then Jesus called the crowd to Him along with His disciples, and He told them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the gospel will save it.

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps: “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.

In humility and service

Matthew 20:26–28 parallel Mark 10:43–45 See also Matthew 11:29; Mark 9:35; Luke 22:24–26; John 13:14–15; Philippians 2:4–5

It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

In love for other believers

John 15:12; 1 John 3:16 See also John 13:34, John 15:17; Ephesians 5:2, Ephesians 5:25

This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.

By this we know what love is: Jesus laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.

In a readiness to forgive others

Colossians 3:13 See also Matthew 6:12 parallel Luke 11:4

Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

In sharing Jesus Christ's mission to the world

Matthew 4:19 parallel Mark 1:17 See also John 20:21

“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”

By following godly examples that imitate Jesus Christ

1 Corinthians 11:1 See also Ephesians 5:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:5–6, 1 Thessalonians 2:14; Hebrews 6:12, Hebrews 13:7–8; 3 John 1:11

You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.

Christlikeness is part of God's re-creation

Genesis 1:26–27; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

The process of becoming Christlike

It is the purpose for which believers are saved

Romans 8:28–29 See also Ephesians 2:10; 2 Peter 1:4

And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

It continues in the experience of believers

2 Corinthians 3:18