Brian Hamilton-Vise

Imitatio Christi

The daily imitation of Christ is at the very heart of Christian life, yes, but it is still possible to understand that imitation wrongly. Imitation is not merely a matter of doing now what that man Jesus did once upon a time, as if God did what was his to do and now it’s up to us. The idea that the Christian life is marked by the imitation of Christ is inadequate apart from the idea that the Christian is actually a member of Christ’s own body. The Christian can imitate Christ only because she is already a member of Christ in the church. As the body’s head is minded, so must its members also be. Imitation depends on incorporation.

From the idea that only one who is in Christ can imitate Christ, two consequences follow. Both are theologically commonplace, but they only make sense once imitation of and membership in Christ are properly united. First, we do not follow Christ by our own power. Has the hand any power to move apart from the whole body or the head that directs it? The members do what the head does only because the head does it; otherwise, the members could do nothing. Second, discipleship is always only accomplished in communion, in a body. This is true not just because we need accountability or encouragement, though indeed we do need those things. It is true because the one we aim to imitate is the one in whom all things hold together.

23 October 2008 | Comments (1)
Tags: Christology, Ethics