Hero or model?

Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1

I had a friend whose father was a very well known church minister. She had two heroes, her father and the apostle Paul!

Paul a hero? Yes, surely - a man courageous, single-minded, passionate, motivated by love for God and humanity. A man who changed the course of history, launching a movement that has shaped human values and behaviour for 2000 years.

But are our biblical heroes intended to be models for all Christians at all times? What about Jacob, Samson, Jephthah, Ruth or Daniel? All were used by God in significant ways. We can learn positive lessons from some, but mainly negative ones from others. These were real fallible people, behaving in certain ways in particular circumstances. God used them, certainly, but that doesn't mean that we, whose personalities and situations may be different, should seek to emulate them in everything.

So what did Paul mean when he wrote 'Follow my example', or when he resolved to make himself 'a model for you to follow' (2 Thes.3:9)? Never is he so arrogant as to set himself up as perfect: in each case he is illustrating a particular principle that he embodies in his own behaviour. So we do not have to imitate Paul's personal attitude to women and marriage, for example, any more than we have to imitate Gideon's experiments with a fleece (Judges 6:36ff).

Even in the case of Jesus, we don't know WWJD (what would Jesus do?) - all we know is what Jesus did. And perhaps what we need to know is what Jesus would have me do. Jesus washed his disciples' feet, and told his disciples to do the same (John 13:14-15). Some Christians, in spite of shoes and changing culture, obey this literally (though more as a ceremony than an everyday act of hospitality). But each of us, according to our personalities and circumstances, must seek to live out Jesus' example of humble servanthood.

In a society that is desperately short of positive, wholesome role models, all of us - in our gloriously different ways - should be seeking to embody the principles of the gospel, which were so perfectly exemplified by Jesus and earnestly pursued by his less-than-perfect apostle, Paul.

Helen Parry (LICC)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3170908278495640769