Walking in the Way of Christ

 Christ suffered for you,

leaving you an example,

that you should follow in his footsteps

(1 Peter 1:21)

How can Jesus Christ be our example?

Some find this controversial. After all, the Lord Jesus is the Savior, God in flesh, the Redeemer, the One who is without sin. In this, He is unique. Through his life and death by crucifixion, he accomplished what no one else could ever do.

This post introduces five interconnected biblical practices. I will focus on one: the example of walking in the way of Christ. Together, these practices can help you move toward wholeness. These are not quick fixes, but real steps toward wholeness through the transforming power of God’s love.

I encourage you to take a moment to read 1 Peter 2:18-25 before we explore its meaning and how we can apply it in our lives.

 

Called to follow

Peter gives us two metaphors or images in 2:20b-21:

… if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. ²¹ To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

The Greek word for “example” is hupogrammon, which is also used of children carefully writing the alphabet under the letters printed by the teacher. Karen H. Jobes writes:

[Jesus] is the paradigm by which Christians write large the letters of his gospel in their lives.

The phrase “follow in his steps” means to walk along the same path. Again, Jobes comments:

This is a strong image associating the Christian’s life with the life of Christ. For one cannot step into the footsteps of Jesus and head off in any other direction than the direction he took, and his footsteps lead to the cross, through the grave, and onward to glory.[1]

This calls us to the close and intentional imitation of Jesus Christ in his suffering.

 

Features to follow

We continue with (2:22-23):

²² “He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.” ²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

The Lord Jesus was blameless.

We need to conduct a wholesome personal examination of our attitudes, words, and actions. Are there matters to which we must attend to be blameless? (See #2 below.)

Jesus was not reactive.

It is natural for us to react in kind. If we are insulted, we tend to respond with insult; if we are treated wrongfully, we either threaten or retaliate.

It is Christ-like to be proactive—he did not react to his antagonists.

Reaction makes the wrongdoer the initiator or reference point for your behavior. Instead, let the counterintuitive example of Christ be active through you.

At this point, let me expand my previous tentative definition of agapē:

God’s sacrificial self-giving love, steadfastly directed to and for others without regard to their merit, seeking their complete good that enables flourishing — and, by extension, the pattern for human love expressed in concrete, sacrificial action.

We are to love like God our Father. This is not passive endurance; it is active goodness rooted in God’s love—agapē as empowered by the Spirit. (See #4 below).

Jesus entrusted himself.

“[Jesus Christ] entrusted himself to him who judges justly,” that is, he handed himself and his cause over to his God and Father.

What does it mean to “entrust” to him, why do that, and how do we do that?

“Entrust” translates the Greek paradidōmi, which is also rendered “hand over,” or “give over,” “commend,” “commit,” or “deposit for safekeeping.”

Why should we entrust?

Here are four observations:

• God loves you (see “God’s Love Is Active for You”). 
• God sees the entire picture, including motives, circumstances, and eternal consequences (e.g., Job 37:16; 1 Chronicles 28:9; Hebrews 4:13)—we do not.
• God is just and judges justly (e.g., Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 89:14; Isaiah 30:18)—often, we do not.
• God will ultimately accomplish his will. Although his justice may not be immediate, it is certain. He will right all wrongs and vindicate you in his way and time.

How do we entrust?

Here are a few insights to consider:

• Pause and pray: “Lord, how can I reflect your character in this situation?” or words to that effect.
• Again, be conscious that God loves you and is for you.
• Submit to the promptings and leadings of the indwelling Holy Spirit, who always acts in harmony with God’s character of love and the revelation of the Bible.
• The word “entrust” is in the imperfect tense, meaning Jesus Christ continually entrusted himself to God, his Father. In the same way, we need to keep entrusting ourselves and our suffering “to him who judges justly.”
• Incorporate the other practices mentioned as #2-5 below.

 

“You are healed.”

 We hear wonderful things from 2:24-25:

²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Peter refers to Isaiah 53 several times in this context. Implicitly, he declares that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of Isaiah’s suffering servant.

Here are three matters of note:

a. In some way, we share in Jesus’ suffering.

Remember the exchange with Saul of Tarsus heard on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:5; see also 2 Corinthians 1:5; Philippians 3:10; Colossians 1:24; etc.):

            “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

            “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Saul was persecuting Jesus’ followers. To persecute them is to persecute Jesus.

b. “By his wounds you have been healed.”

Here is how one commentator puts it:

The fatal, physical wounds of the Suffering Servant that heal fatal, spiritual wounds become the transition back to the present perspective of Peter’s readers.[2]

I would like to add that this healing encompasses the wounds inflicted by betrayal, humiliation, and the pain of broken relationships.

c. “You have been returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

The picture depicts a lost sheep reunited with its Shepherd. The Lord Jesus alone should shape your identity, not the antagonist or your suffering (see the series “Being ‘in Christ’: a question of identity”). 

 

Four more vital practices

I mention these biblical practices only in passing, each with a link to a post that provides further insights.

2. Wholesome personal examination.

Begin by examining yourself to determine if you have caused offence or contributed to damaging a relationship.

For me, I pray Psalm 139:23-24—the portion that begins with

Search me, O God, and know my heart.

Wait for God to answer, then respond humbly and intentionally to what he points out. Here is a link to “Resolution of Delight,” which introduces you to this wholesome practice.

3. Praying psalms of lament.

Lament psalms belong to our seasons of disorientation, in which we experience and express pain, sorrow, and confusion. Here is the link for “The Blessings of Lament,” which will introduce you to the concept of laments.

4. Loving your enemy.

Jesus teaches his disciples this counterintuitive practice in Luke 6:27-36.

For some practical insights, here is the link for “How to Love Your Antagonist.”

5. Valuing community.

There is a multitude of biblical texts that emphasize the benefits of community for sharing, prayer, correction, and growth, including John 13:1-17; Romans 15:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; James 5:13-20.

Here is the link for “A Community Living Toward Wholeness.” 

 

We have only skimmed the surface of what God provides for our wholeness and flourishing.

If you have anything to add or have questions, please get in touch with me using this link. 

FORWARD TO the next post in this series

BACK TO God’s Love is Active for You

Notes:

[1] Both quotes from Karen H. Jobes, 1 Peter (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005), 244.

[2] Jobes, 246.

Image credit: John B. MacDonald © 2025, Follow in His Steps (digital image created November 4, 2025).