“I urge you, then, be imitators of me.” - The Apostle Paul
The Apostle Paul made a colossal dent in the Great Commission. His missional accomplishments are vast and the implications of his ministry are felt to this day. And we are instructed, on more than one occasion, to be imitators of him.[1]
It feels almost absurd to compare ourselves to Paul. But why?
We tend to be so impressed with the results of Paul’s ministry that we ignore the values and principles that can be gleaned from his life. Let’s take a fresh look at Paul. Not so much at his accomplishments this time, but at him. And more specifically, what he says about himself.
THE CHIEF OF SINNERS
Paul referred to himself as “the chief of sinners”. An unusual title to claim, if you ask me. But surely something to seek clarification on.
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life.[2]
A few verses prior to this declaration, Paul offered a concise history of his own disqualifications, citing his blasphemous opposition to the Son of God. And yet, Paul’s conclusion is that, although he was desperately undeserving of God’s mercy, he is nevertheless a joyous recipient and now a proponent of that mercy to the lost world around him.
Whether by his proclamation now, or God’s patience then, Paul understood, either way, that his identity was bound to the glorification of Jesus. And that is something we can model after.
THE LEAST OF THE APOSTLES
By any usual metric, I would say that it’s fair to describe Paul as one of the greatest apostles. And yet, he says of himself that he is the least of all the apostles.
Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.”[3]
I don’t think Paul was being self-deprecating when he said this. I think he said it to magnify the beauty of God’s ability to transform an unworthy, persecutor of the Church into its foremost advocate.
We don’t have any reason to suspect that he said this in pretense or with a false sense of humility. It seems to me that Paul had an accurate esteem for himself and his role.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.[4]
Paul was willing to acknowledge his own hard work for the gospel while at the same time admitting that the strength to do so was found in God and not in himself. The humility to not diminish or exaggerate his own participation in the growth of the Church is certainly a quality worth emulating.
WEAKNESS
The last thing Paul wanted was for anyone to think more highly of him than they should:
Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me.[5]
I think it’s time we knock Paul off the pedestal we put him on. It’s what he would’ve wanted. And don’t worry, he’s used to getting knocked down for the advance of the gospel, lol.[6]
So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.[7]
I love that the vulnerability of Paul’s journey made it into the Word. We have an insight into the quality of his character by the fact that he is open about his propensity toward conceitedness. And rather than bemoan the thorn given to him, he publishes the Lord’s response in a letter that would circulate the globe for ages to come.
Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”[8]
Even weakness and “harassment from Satan” can be repurposed by the Lord for the glorification of God. That is a phenomenal takeaway.
A FATHER IN THE GOSPEL
I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. For I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel. I urge you, then, be imitators of me. That is why I sent you Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, to remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.[9]
It’s not boastful for Paul to urge us to be imitators of him. It’s actually a very humbling and sobering statement to make. The beauty of that advice is that it depends wholly on the Lord to make Paul worth imitating. God transformed the chief of sinners, who considers himself unworthy of becoming an apostle, into a “vessel for honorable use” to such a degree that we should become like him.[10]
So how do we imitate Paul?
Perhaps by holding an accurate view of our own role in the growth of the church. By understanding that our very identity is tied to God’s glory. By being content with our inadequacies that magnify the power of Christ. By living a life that is completely given to the Lord to be used at His discretion.
If we begin to imitate those things, our accomplishments might start to look a little more like Paul’s day by day.
Jordan Scott lives in the Muslim world with his wife and children. He is the host of THE WAY podcast and author of A Call to Compel: The Simplicity, Urgency, and Joy of Making Disciples, available now from FAI Publishing. Jordan can be reached by email at jordan@faimission.org.
