My dad was a pastor, which made me a “PK”—pastor’s kid. Given my propensity to bad behavior, people in my dad’s church would often say to me, “Young man, you’re the pastor’s son! You should be an example!” I didn’t want to be an example; I was only 5! But their well-intentioned appeal was meant to get me to embrace an identity that would transform my behavior.

Our identity in Christ works like that. Once we embrace who we are in Jesus, it makes a world of difference in how we live.

So the question remains, “Who are we in Christ?” If you and I were getting acquainted over a cup of coffee and I asked you to tell me about yourself, I wonder what you would say. Perhaps you would say something about your career. Or you might identify as a Baptist, a Methodist or some other denominational connection. Perhaps you would tell me about your political identity—a Democrat or a Republican. Or you might call yourself a Christian.

I would have to tell you that none of those are your real identity. Our real identity is the identity we have in Christ. And that identity is that we are followers of Jesus. 

Whenever Jesus called people to join His movement, it was always a call to “Follow Me.” To a group of fishermen like Peter, Andrew, James and John, this was an attractive offer. In first-century Jewish culture, as it is today in Orthodox Judaism, the highest honor for a young man would be to become a follower of a rabbi. Followers would spend time in community with the rabbi, serve the rabbi, sit at the feet of the rabbi absorbing all the nuances of his teaching, and in so admiring the rabbi would begin to look and act like their rabbi. Given the high honor, it’s no wonder that Matthew tells us that the four soon-to-be-disciples “immediately” left their nets and followed Jesus.

And I must say that it is a high honor for us as well to be called to join those fishermen as followers of Him.

Interestingly, the word for follow in the original language can mean “to be found in the way with” someone, or to imitate someone. When Jesus came into our world, He refused to walk in the dead-end ways of the world, instead cutting all new—sometimes radical—paths with the machete of His wisdom. 

Rejecting the path of bitterness and revenge, He cut a path of forgiveness—all the way to the cross. Refusing to walk the strongarm path of power and control, He forged a path of servanthood. Instead of walking down the deeply rutted, highly trafficked way of greed, He mapped out a path of generosity. The paths that Jesus walked were  multifaceted and good.

Unfortunately, some who call themselves followers of Jesus continue to live in the ways of the world. We’re not quick to forgive. We don’t want to love our enemies. We don’t like the thought of giving our resources to advance His Kingdom when it requires personal sacrifice. We don’t care about the poor and broken. We would rather love ourselves than love others. We are quick to be critical of and grumpy about things that violate our preferences. We tend to be short on mercy and stingy on grace. And often we see sinners as a group to be shunned and judged instead of candidates for the redemptive love of Christ. 

A friend of mine was deep in an affair and planning to bolt from his marriage. A group of us confronted him, seeking to restore him to his marriage and his relationship with Christ. I said to him, “If you continue in this affair, please don’t tell anyone that you are a follower of Jesus because that would shame His Name.” To which he replied, “Oh, but I am a follower of Jesus.”

That was a delusional response. You can’t be a follower of “Waymaker Jesus” and intentionally walk in ways that contradict His character and will. Granted, none of us will be perfect at walking in His ways all of the time. But it is the intention of authentic followers to repent when we wander, and to get back into the way with Him. Six times in the Book of Acts, early Christians were called “people of the Way.” I wonder—would people in our world so notice the attractive, Christlike transformation in our lives that comes from following Him that they would recognize us as people of the Way?

Followers forgive quickly, love deeply, dispense mercy and grace to the undeserving, seek the best of others, minister to the poor and needy and live to reflect the compelling purity of the character and will of the One we follow. In short, Christ-followers look a lot like Jesus. 

Early in my ministry, I was walking into church one Sunday morning and a woman was walking with her little boy behind me. I overheard her son say, “Mom, is that Jesus?” I couldn’t wait to hear her response. She said, “No, that’s our pastor.”

Which was true. But I wish that she would have said, “No, that’s not Jesus, but he reminds us a lot of Him!” Living a life worthy of that response would have identified me as a true follower of Christ. ©2025 Joseph M. Stowell

Joe Stowell is global ambassador and special assistant to the president at Moody Bible Institute. He is a frequent speaker at the Billy Graham Training Center at The Cove and the author of several books.

Photo: Dallas Theological Seminary