Imitation Is Not Inauthentic

In my opinion, Christians often emphasize several things that all tend to lead to a basic problem. They stress the importance of “authenticity.” Or they focus on a need for “a change of heart.” Or they say that one’s Christian commitment must “come from within.” I am sure they use many other phrases of a similar import.

The problem that they lead to is negligence or sloth. If God tells you to change your behavior and you wait for your inner attitude to change then you are refusing to heed God’s will.

And perhaps the way to get a better attitude is to adopt different behavior? I’m not saying it is always one or the other. But I am saying that any belief that marginalizes one’s obligation to change one’s behavior is something that can deter Christians from obeying God. It can actually make them think that they are being pious to not change their behavior.

How does behavior improve? Do you pray for direct guidance from the Holy Spirit? Do your desires and behaviors miraculously change by “internal” divine intervention? What the epistles recommend again and again is that you look at people who are admirable and you copy what they do.

• Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us (Philippians 3:17).
• For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you… to give you in ourselves an example to imitate (2 Thessalonians 3:7, 9b).
• Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith (Hebrews 13:7).
• Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God (3 John 1:11).

Indeed, for Paul, this is how the churches go viral:

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia.

1 Thessalonians 1:6-7 ESV

So how does the Evangelical value of (and maybe obsession with) “authenticity” affect our proclivity to heed these passages? Do we even view moral paragons as examples, or do we assume their experience in the Holy Spirit is somehow better than ours?

We do what we think comes naturally and assume the other person is doing what comes naturally. If that fatalism was generally warranted, the exhortations to imitate others would be pointless, as would the corresponding commands to be an example to others.