Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Parallel translations
- WEB Be imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.
- BSB You are to imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
- NKJV Imitateme, just as I also imitate Christ.
- NASB Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
- NLT And you should imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Paul urges the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ. Christlike self-denial for others is the standard to follow.
Overview
Concluding his teaching on liberty, Paul holds up his own example, which is itself patterned on Christ. Imitation flows down a chain: from Christ to Paul to the church. The verse roots Christian ethics in the example of Jesus, whose self-sacrificing love for others is the ultimate norm believers are called to reflect.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Phil 3:17Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample.
- 1 Th 1:6And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost:
- Eph 5:1–2Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
- 1 Cor 4:16Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
- Heb 6:12That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
- Phil 2:4–5Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.
- 2 Th 3:9Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
- Rom 15:2–3Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
- 1 Cor 10:33Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 11:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.