Question 1

What is meant by Christlikeness?

Accepted Answer

Luke 6:36“You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.”A compassionate lifestyle is a sign of Christlikeness.John 13:14-15“And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”A life of humble service is a necessary part of Christlikeness.Luke 9:23He said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”1 Peter 2:21-23God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.Christlikeness is following in Christ’s footsteps. It means giving up your own way in order to follow God’s plan for your life. It doesn’t mean you give up everything you want so God can give you everything you don’t want; instead, it means giving up what you think you want in order to let God show you his best. This means “taking up your cross daily,” shouldering what God has for you, and following. This is the only way to Christlikeness and true fulfillment in life.Galatians 5:22-23The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!2 Peter 1:5-7Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.When Christ lives in you and through you, the result is growth in every aspect of moral virtue.

Question 2

How do I become like Christ?

Accepted Answer

2 Corinthians 3:18So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.Ephesians 4:15Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.Philippians 1:6I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.God is always at work through the Holy Spirit within you to make you more like Christ. You join in this process when you carefully study Scripture to learn how Christ lived and loved, and endeavor to follow him. You won’t become Christlike overnight; instead, that work continues throughout your lifetime, until Christ returns.1 Corinthians 1:2He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.1 Corinthians 6:11You were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.You are made more like Christ simply by believing in him. You become his beloved child, filled with his Spirit, and are set on a path to Christlikeness.John 17:17“Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth.”You grow in Christlikeness by constantly learning the truths of the Bible and living by them.2 Corinthians 7:1Let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God.You become more Christlike by working hard to keep sin out of your life.Romans 12:1-2And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.On your own, you can’t cultivate a Christlike spirit because of your sinfulness. You become more like Christ when you give yourself fully to Christ, like a living sacrifice. Then you have the strength to turn away from the world and toward Christ, letting him show you his good, pleasing, and perfect will for you.

Question 3

Can I ever expect to actually be like Jesus?

Accepted Answer

Galatians 2:20My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.Philippians 1:6I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.John 14:12-14“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!”Because Christ lives in you through his Holy Spirit, your old self is dead and your new self is growing to be more like Jesus. Will you ever actually be perfect? Not this side of heaven. But you will become more and more like him as you walk through life with him. Pray to continue becoming as much like the Lord as possible. Jesus promised that you will be empowered to do great things for him.Romans 8:9You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)1 Corinthians 1:30God has united you with Christ Jesus. For our benefit God made him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; he made us pure and holy, and he freed us from sin.By yourself you cannot hope to live like Christ, for in your humanity you are not capable of it. But controlled by the Spirit of Christ in you, you can do what pleases God.1 John 3:2-3Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. And all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.You are made like Christ when you accept him as your Lord and Savior. In a sense, you are already perfect and not yet perfect at the same time. You will not be completely like Christ until you leave this temporal world. The promise of becoming like Jesus should motivate you to live a pure life in body and mind.

Question 4

How can I show Christlikeness to my enemies?

Accepted Answer

Matthew 5:44“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”Luke 6:32-33“If you love only those who love you, why should you get credit for that? Even sinners love those who love them! And if you do good only to those who do good to you, why should you get credit? Even sinners do that much!”Romans 12:14, 17-18Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. . . . Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.You can show Christlikeness to your enemies by treating them with Christ’s love. This will show in what you choose to say—or not say!—and do. It’s easy to love our friends and treat them well; it takes the power of Christ in us to help us love and pray for our enemies.

Question 5

How can Christlike character affect my home?

Accepted Answer

1 Corinthians 7:14For the believing wife brings holiness to her marriage, and the believing husband brings holiness to his marriage. Otherwise, your children would not be holy, but now they are holy.Ephesians 5:21-26Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word.1 Peter 3:1-2In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands. Then, even if some refuse to obey the Good News, your godly lives will speak to them without any words. They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives.Sometimes these verses are dismissed by the world as old-fashioned and outdated. Many people focus on the part about the wife submitting to leadership of the husband, but they miss the other verses that clearly describe submitting to one another and that husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church (remember that Christ loved the church so much he died for it). When spouses create a home filled with Christlikeness, working together to follow God’s plan, they create a solid home in which to become their best selves and to raise their children. God created a plan for families to guide them to operate in the best way for the parents and the children. How you model your faith in Christ will have an incredible influence upon your children, as well as on future generations.