Imitating God in Christ: Recapturing a Biblical Pattern

by Jason B. Hood

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2013

Overview

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.

Key Features

• Takes us on a tour of what the Bible has to say about imitating Jesus.
• Challenges the assumptions of those who excessively fear moralism.
• Encourages Christians to truly live as Jesus.

Praise for the Print Edition

Jason Hood has that rare ability to combine scholarly thinking with clear and approachable writing. The footnotes are rich and the dialogue is fresh and compelling. Imitating God in Christ is a message we desperately need to hear today! The pendulum of knowing and obeying is swinging wildly across the Christian spectrum, but Hood has found the plumb line by taking seriously the Word of God. I am excited to see the fruit of this book in the kingdom of God.

--David Arthur, CEO of Precept Ministries

Jason Hood, in this well-written and well-crafted volume, has presented readers with a powerful and persuasive call to reconsider what it truly means for Christians to be imitators of God in Christ. Hood calls for the church to recover the important and oft-neglected scriptural teaching regarding the historical practice of imitation in order to bring about authentic Christ-centered discipleship and cross-shaped sanctification. In doing so, he winsomely points his readers toward renewal, faithfulness, Christlikeness and godliness, not as a grueling duty, but as a delightful destiny. I am hopeful for and enthusiastic about Hood's proposal and pray that it receives the wide readership and response it deserves.

--David S. Dockery, president, Union University

In this very readable and accessible book Jason Hood provides not only an introduction but even more, a biblical theology of imitation. Hood situates his discussion thoughtfully in the context of the broader themes of the image of God, sanctification and discipleship, while rightly calling us to rediscover the key biblical idea of following the example of Jesus and his disciples. I hope this book will continue to stimulate this important discussion.

--Jonathan T. Pennington, associate professor of New Testament, Southern Seminary

Product Details

• Title: Imitating God in Christ: Recapturing a Biblical Pattern
• Author: Jason B. Hood
• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Print Publication Date: 2013
• Logos Release Date: 2018
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9780830884407, 0830884408
• Resource ID: LLS:9780830884407
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-06T21:23:53Z

About Jason B. Hood

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.