Imitating God in Christ, recapturing a biblical pattern
Should we imitate Jesus? Some Christians answer with a cheerful "Yes," seeing it as the sum of the Christian life. Others believe we should rely on the work of Christ alone, throwing off any hint of the moralism or "works righteousness" they associate with imitating Jesus. Jason Hood takes us on a tour of what the Bible has to say about imitating Jesus. He draws our attention to what Paul told the Corinthians he taught "everywhere in every church." And after following the theme throughout the New Testament, he looks at it from a historical and contemporary perspective. The result is the recovery of a biblical pattern for life—one that challenges the assumptions of those who excessively fear moralism as much as it challenges the assumptions of those who embrace it. Here is a reliable theological foundation for imitating Jesus today, a crucial first step toward the renewal of biblical discipleship.
Publisher: IVP
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9780830827107
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Jason B. Hood (PhD, Highland Theological College and University of Aberdeen) is currently an adjunct faculty member at Reformed Theological Seminary in Washington, DC. He teaches biblical theology of mission in correlation with the Memphis Fellows Initiative. Hood is also the Scholar-in-Residence at Christ United Methodist Church, and director of Christ College Residency Program, an intensive discipleship training program for college students. He and his wife and three children reside in Memphis.
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"Radical grace cannot be reductive grace. Jason Hood reminds us that any account of the new creation in Christ must attend to the call to imitate God in Christ. Jesus was the faithful one--the true human who trusted his Father to the bitter end, who ministered in the power of the Spirit and who gave himself sacrificially for the life and flourishing of others, even his enemies--and we are called to follow him in all these ways. Jesus is not only our substitute, but he is also the shape of the human in the new creation. Imitating God in Christ addresses these issues with clarity, insight and faithfulness." Michael Allen, Kennedy Associate Professor of Systematic Theology, Knox Theological Seminary, Fort Lauderdale, Florida