Every Christian needs to follow a person that is passionately—and imperfectly—following Christ. Paul was that person for the Philippians. Paul wrote, “Brethren, join in following my example, and observe those who walk according to the pattern you have in us” (Phil 3:17, NASB).[1]
Paul describes several good models to follow for Christian behavior in his letter to the Philippians.[2] He provides the example of Christ (Phil 2:5–11), Timothy who was concerned for them and worked hard to share the Gospel (Phil 2:19–24), and Epaphroditus who was a fellow worker with Paul in the Gospel even though it caused health problems (Phil 2:25–30). In addition to those, we need to also remember that Paul spent time in Philippi. In Acts 16 he established the church there, spent some time in prison, and then continued to minister to the church after he was released from prison.
With this in mind, in Philippians 3:17 Paul tells his readers to follow him. He writes, “join in following my example.”[3]The idea of “mimic me as I mimic Christ” was something Paul often said (Phil 4:9; 1 Cor 4:6; 11:1; Tit 2:7-8). He told others to emulate him because he was following Christ, not because he was perfect.[4] Specifically, what would Paul say to imitate about himself? Perhaps his self-denying and self-giving acts (1 Cor 10:33-11:1), his willingness to suffer for others (1 Thess 1:6; 2:14; 2 Thess 3:7-9), or his ability to lose everything for Christ while also imitating Christ (Phil 3:5-9).
Paul not only wants the Philippians to follow him, but also to follow Paul’s companions. He writes, “observe those who walk.” This is not Paul, but Paul’s companions: Timothy and Epaphroditus (see Phil 2:19, 25). They were contemporaries of Paul and other godly examples for the Philippians to imitate.
Paul tells the Philippians to copy both Paul and his companions. He writes, “walk according to the pattern you have in us” That word for “pattern” is a different Greek word than for “example” above. The word for “pattern” in Greek is tupon. This word describes an impression left by a stroke, like “the print of the nails” (John 20:25). It often was used of a stamp on a coin or the impression of an engraving or work of art.[5] The idea Paul conveys here is that the Philippians are to follow the tangible examples of Paul and his coworkers.
Philippians 3:17 teaches us that we need to designate a spiritual mentor for ourselves. Ideally, it’s best if this is a local person that we can talk to and be in proximity to physically. It’s best to have a flesh and blood person whom we can be with to disciple us. Often this is someone that we worship God with each week.
All of us need a fellow fallen and frail person that is passionately (and imperfectly) following Christ that we can follow. So who do we follow if no one is perfect? We find a less imperfect person than we are and follow him or her. We do not look for someone who’s perfect but someone who relentlessly pursues Christ-likeness.
In other words, we need imperfect mentors for imperfect disciples. For example, if you struggle with an alcohol addiction that you want to overcome, do you want someone that’s never touched alcohol or someone that had a severe addiction and overcame it with God’s grace? If you struggle in your marriage with arguments and are not sure how you can stay married, do you want a mentor that has never had a fight with his spouse or someone that’s been through many troubles but stayed married and is passionately loving his spouse?
As we look for spiritual mentors we must remember that different Christians have different needs. Whatever our situation might be, we need to find someone who is following God that we can imitate and follow. Paul was that person for the Philippians, and I pray that we each find someone to be that “Paul” for us just as the Philippians experienced.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion:
- Who has been a spiritual mentor in your life, and what did that relationship mean to you?
- Is there someone in your life you’d like to offer to be a spiritual mentor to? Discuss your plan to offer to mentor that person.
- Is there someone in your life you’d like to have a as a spiritual mentor to you? Discuss your plan to ask him or her to mentor you.
- What would the format look like for you to mentor or be mentored by someone else?
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Christopher L. Scott is a pastor and author of the book, Walking Straight When Life Goes Sideways: Essential Christian Truths for Enduring Life’s Trials (Wipf and Stock). He provides hundreds of free articles, videos, and Bible study resources at his website ChristopherLynnScott.com.
[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[2] As we read Philippians 3:17 we need to make sure we understand the context of it within the book of Philippians. Philippians is one of the four letters of Paul that we call “prison letters.” Paul wrote Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon during his first imprisonment in Rome (see Acts 26—28). Second Timothy was another letter that Paul wrote from prison in Rome. However, 2 Timothy was written during a second and later imprisonment in Rome. Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were written while Paul was under “house arrest” while Paul wrote 2 Timothy from the “Mamertine” prison in a later imprisonment after the first. Many prisoners awaited execution in the famous Rome Mamertine Prison. It was an abandoned cistern that was only accessible through a whole in the ceiling. See Charles Swindoll, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, vol. 11 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2014), 161.
[3] The word for “example” here is summimetai which is found nowhere else in Greek literature. But it comes from the Grk word, mimetes meaning “imitator.” William Arndt, Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and F. Wilbur Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000). 652.
[4] How do I know Paul was not perfect? He wrote earlier in this chapter, “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:12–14).
[5]A. T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press, 1933), Philippians 3:17.