Thomas à Kempis in the 15th century told us we should imitate Christ, so it will surprise some Christians that Augustine a millennium earlier had a different understanding. Augustine described his pre-conversion understanding of Jesus as “a man of most excellent wisdom,” but Gerald Bray tells how the great thinker came to see that “what the Son of God did on the cross was something no ordinary human being could ever do. He took our sins upon himself, not in order to set us an example that we should imitate but in order to remove from us the burden of sin and death that prevents us from enjoying fellowship with him and eternal life. We must be crucified with Christ, not strengthened by his example.” If that analysis interests you, please read the following excerpt from Bray’s Augustine on the Christian Life: Transformed by the Power of God (Crossway, 2015). —Marvin Olasky...
