A L M A C I A S

CHRIST IS OUR EXAMPLE

We live in a world in which there is much unrest, turmoil, and injustices. Sooner or later, we are all going to suffer an injustice at the hands of someone, for no reason at all. How are we to react according to God's Word? Well, we have many passages to which to refer, in which we are told that we are not to take vengeance, because vengeance belongs to the Lord (Rom. 12:19), or that tell us not to return evil for evil, such as I Peter 3:9. However, in I Peter 2:21-23, we read: "For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." What the apostle Peter was trying to teach the brethren of the first century is also applicable to us today. Peter was teaching all of us that we had been called to suffer, sometimes unfairly, at the hands of others. When the Lord was here on earth, we all know that he suffered for the sins of the world; but we all need to understand that that was not the only reason that he suffered.

From what Peter wrote in I Peter 2:21-23, we learn that the Lord Jesus also suffered unfairly at the hands of others, to leave us an example to follow. The Lord knew that there would always be people who, for one reason or another, would bring hurt upon the righteous. This is why we read in various passages in the New Testament of Christians who suffered for just being Christians. One of those passages is found in Acts 14:22, where Paul and Barnabas were teaching the disciples that through much tribulation one would enter the kingdom of God. Paul also wrote in I Timothy 3:12 that it would be the case that all who would live godly in Christ would suffer persecution. Knowing that suffering will come our way sooner or later, what do we need to understand as to what is expected from us as Christians? We are expected to react the same way that the Lord reacted when he suffered at the hands of others. The Lord never returned evil for evil. The Lord never took vengeance on anyone, but rather committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. Many times we do not know all that is behind the way people react to us, so the best thing is to let God deal with the matter. This is why the apostle Peter wrote by inspiration that we had been called not just to be saved from our sins; we had been called to follow Jesus, to try to imitate His life and His character. Can you imagine what Christianity would be like if all of us were to be making the greatest effort to be just like Jesus? What would this world be like if all of us who call ourselves Christians really took it upon ourselves to be just like Christ, including imitating Him when suffering unfairly at the hands of others? How do we react when someone has wronged us, or at least we think they have wronged us? (I say this because many times we really have not been wronged, we just think that we have.) But whatever the case may be, how would it be if we really tried to follow Jesus' example? I believe that we would be able to solve so many problems that are now plaguing the church. How would it be if any time we felt someone had wronged us that we followed God¹s instructions to make things right? I know one thing, and that is that if we did just as God has instructed us to do, things would be a lot better than what they are when we try to do things our way. How are we following the Lord's example in situations such as this?