Characters One

     We all ask ourselves from time to time "Who am I.  What is my place in life?"
     We look to others as models, especially to the more famous.  But, as Christians, we cannot have better models than those  find in the Bible.
     In 1 Cor. 4:16 Paul exorts "be imitators of me."  In 1 Cor. 11:1 he adds "be imitators of me as I am of Christ."
     For a few weeks I would like for us to go to the Bible to consider various models we find there.  This doesn't mean we have to follow exactly the life of someone else.  In fact, the Bible tells us in Rom. 12 and 1 Cor. 12 that we are different members of one body, and it is not right to try to all be exactly the same.
     Let's start with two men we find in Genesis 5.

Methuselah-Gen. 5:25-27

walked: long - Gen. 5:27
        always toward evil - Gen. 6:5

Enoch-Gen. 5:18-24

walked: with God - Gen. 5:24

What can we say about this style of walk?

1) begins at baptism - Rom. 6:4
2) is not fleshly, but spiritual - 1 Cor. 3:3; Gal. 5:16-26
3) is by faith and not by sight  - 2 Cor. 5:7
4) doesn't glory in other than the cross of Christ - Gal. 6:14-16
5) is in a manner worthy of our calling - Eph. 4:1; 1 Thess. 2:12
6) is in love - Eph. 5:2
7) is as children of light - Eph. 5:8
8) is in Christ - Col. 2:6
9) is as Jesus walked - 1 Jn. 2:6
10) will be with Christ - Rev. 3:4

     Let's look now at two more groups of people.

The Jews of Jn. 12:42-43

Four steps to arrive at the point where we are acceptable to men:
1) 1 Tim. 1:3-7 - start to speculate
2) 1 Tim. 4:1-7a - Listen to bad things and teach error to others
3) 1 Tim. 6:3-5 - become conceited and ignorant in the eyes of God.
begin: envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and depraved of the truth
4) 2 Tim. 4:3-4 - accept myths as truth

another Jew (Moses): Heb. 11:24-25

1) 1 Tim. 6:5-10 - love Godliness instead of gain
2) 1 Tim. 6:17 - fix hopes on God
3) 1 Tim. 6:18 - do good, be rich in good works, be generous and ready to share
4) 1 Tim. 6:19 - take hold of that which is life indeed
5) 1 Tim. 6:20 - avoid worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called "knowledge"
6) 1 Tim. 6:11-16 - be a man or woman of God