What Are We Really Imitating?: A Grace-Oriented Look at Paul’s Call to Imitation in 1 Thessalonians
Imitation isn’t about memorizing steps—it’s about moving in rhythm with the life of Christ within.
Paul uses the word imitate multiple times in his letters, including in 1 Thessalonians 1:6 and 2:14. But the concept often stirs confusion. What does it mean to imitate Paul? Is this a call to replicate his behavior? His boldness? His suffering? Or is there something deeper—a life source he’s pointing us to?
Let’s explore this through the lens of 1 Thessalonians.
Paul writes, “You became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you welcomed the message in the midst of severe suffering with the joy given by the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6). Then in 2:14 he adds, “You, brothers and sisters, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus.”
Now, at first glance, this may sound like a call to mimic actions. But Paul’s message is not moralistic imitation. It’s relational participation. The Thessalonians didn’t just copy behavior—they shared in the same Spirit. They responded to suffering with Spirit-born joy, just as Paul and the Lord Jesus did. The imitation was not about willpower—it was about source.
Elsewhere, in 1 Corinthians 11:1, Paul writes, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” Again, he’s not saying, “Copy my personality” or “Adopt my ministry strategy.” He’s saying, Live from the same indwelling life. Just as Christ lived in full submission to the Father, so Paul lived by the life of the Son—and now he’s inviting others to do the same.
This is why the Thessalonians could imitate both Paul and Jesus. They weren’t practicing performative Christianity. They were drawing from the same well of resurrection life. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead was now their sustaining presence—and that’s what Paul wanted them to see.
Imitation, then, is not external conformity. It’s internal participation. When Paul speaks of imitation, he’s echoing the very heartbeat of the exchanged life: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
Real-Life Analogy
You’ve probably watched someone learn to dance—not by reading instructions, but by joining a partner. At first, they step awkwardly, watching their partner’s feet. But over time, their movements become fluid, not because they memorized the steps, but because they began to move in sync. Their rhythm came not from imitation alone, but from connection. That’s what imitation in the Christian life is like—it’s not about mechanically copying movements. It’s about moving in union with the One whose life is now within you.
So What Are We Imitating?
We are imitating a life surrendered to the Father.
We are imitating a dependency on the Spirit.
We are imitating the joy that endures in suffering—not manufactured, but given.
We are imitating a Person—not by looking at Him from afar, but by participating in His life within us.
Paul didn’t want people to become little versions of himself. He wanted them to know the secret of his life: Christ in me, the hope of glory. That is what he lived. That is what he passed on. That is what the Thessalonians embraced in the midst of their trials.
Prayer of Confident Trust
Father, thank You for not calling me to mimic behavior but to share in the very life of Your Son. I trust You to live that life through me today, not in strained effort, but in surrendered delight. As Paul lived by Your Son, and the Thessalonians welcomed Your Spirit’s joy in their affliction, so I receive the same Life within me. Let others see not imitation, but incarnation—Your Son dwelling in me. I rejoice in the freedom of no longer needing to perform, but simply to rest in the One who lives His life in me.
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