Problem 25 - That We are to follow Jesus according to His earthly Ministry

PROBLEM NO. 25 - THAT WE ARE TO FOLLOW JESUS ACCORDING TO HIS EARTHLY MINISTRY

The verse that is usually given for this teaching is the last part of 1 Peter 2:21, "...that you should follow His steps." Since Peter was the leader of the Twelve Apostles, what he wrote in his first letter is supposed to be authoritative for all Christians. The phrase 'the life of Jesus' used in 2 Cor. 4:10-11 refers to His earthly life. Covenant Theology also agrees with this.

THE TRUTH

The greatest and most important life ever lived on this earth was never meant to be copied or followed by others. As a matter of fact, His life would be impossible to copy because it was a perfect life, a life lived apart from sin (1 Peter 2:22). It is a noble thought, that of following the Son of God in His life on earth. But it is NOT a Scriptural truth. The evidence is against it. The following are the reasons why:

1. The Apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians that we are not to know our Lord according to the flesh, referring to His life on earth for 33 years: "Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer" (2 Cor. 5:16).

Verse 16 is a very dogmatic verse. There are two negatives (no one, no longer), and the time word 'now' used twice for emphasis, referring to this present Age of grace. There was a time when people did know Christ after the flesh, but with the advent of new revelation from the RISEN CHRIST to the Apostle Paul, the emphasis is NOW on the living Lord Jesus at the throne of Grace, and His life in us who know Him as our Saviour and Lord.

The phrase 'the life of Jesus' that is found in 2 Cor. 4:10-11 is really echoing the truth of Gal. 2:20, 'Christ living in me.' The risen Lord Jesus is living in our hearts because of salvation (Rcm. 10:9-10; Eph. 3:17). He is God and possesses the attribute of omnipresence, making it possible for Him to live in every believer's heart.

2. Our Lord's earthly life was lived UNDER or according to the Law of Moses. Galatians 4:4 states that He was 'born under the Law.' The Law of Moses was God's standard of righteousness for the Nation of Israel. The Lord Jesus IS THE ONLY ONE who kept the Law 100% of the time. He lived in perfect obedience to the Law. He 'did not come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it' by keeping all of it during His lifetime (Matt. 5:17). He lived a holy life on earth.

in connection with this, we must understand that the Lord taught and preached in accordance with the Law of Moses. He did not introduce a new religion or preach Christianity to the Nation of Israel. Paul lived at the same time as the Lord, and he called the religion of the Jews 'Judaism' in Galatians 1:13-14 (NKJV). This is what Jesus was associated with.

It is not wrong to learn about all the details of the Lord's earthly life and what He taught. We should know Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as well as we are able. In fact, we should know what ALL the Bible teaches, so that we might be able to rightly divide it. Right division of the Word brings accurate knowledge of His Word, and this helps us to see and understand the differences between the Lord's earthly ministry to Israel and His heavenly ministry to the Gentiles today.

Believers during this Dispensation of grace are not under the Law but under Grace instead (Rom. 6:14-15). Christianity was revealed to the Apostle Paul, and his 13 letters TO the Body of Christ are full of GRACE TEACHING for God's Church today. This is stated clearly in Titus 2:11-12, "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, [121 teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age."

3. The implication of 2 Cor. 5:16 is that we are to know our Lord in relation to His heavenly ministry through His spokesman - the Apostle Paul. He stated in Phil. 3:10 "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection ..." This goes beyond 2 Cor. 5:16. We should have the same desire to know Him as Paul had. We are to know Him in a spiritual sense rather than trying to follow Him during His earthly life on earth.

4. The passage in 1 Peter 2:20-24 has to do with the sufferings of Jesus as He died on the cross as a sacrifice for sin. Peter wrote this to encourage the Hebrew believers of the Jewish Messianic Assembly in their afflictions and trials they were going through during the first century. The writings of the Kingdom Apostles will be relevant again during the future Tribulation Period.

By Robert C. Brock