How can I become more Christlike (Christ-like)?

from the old testament

• Becoming more like Christ is not an Old Testament notion; however, learning more about the LORD God is one way to become more like Christ–to experience the renewal of our mind. A great way to do this is by meditating on God's written Word, the Bible (Psalm 1:1–3).
• We can also ask God to make His Word come alive to us: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law" (Psalm 119:18). The more we understand and apply God’s word, the more we emulate Christ.

from the new testament

• In the book of Luke, Jesus outlines the necessary sacrifice we must make to become like Christ: "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it" (Luke 9:23–24). We are to put to death our old sin nature for the sake of obedience to Christ.
• Becoming like Christ means submitting to God’s living Word, Jesus: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).
• When we make the decision to invest in growing in our knowledge of Christ, we realize that we become more like Christ by giving up our own lives for His sake. In the words of John the Baptist, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30).
• When we spend time in God's Word and pray with Him, we come to know His voice: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27–28).
• Becoming more like Christ is a work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and begins to conform us to the image of Christ (Romans 8:29–30).
• As we grow more like Christ, we are transformed into Christ's image by the renewing of our mind: "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2).
• A sign of becoming more like Christ is growing in spiritual maturity, becoming more solidly grounded in our faith and in love (Ephesians 4:11–16).
• The process of becoming Christ-like lasts a lifetime and is completed when we are with Jesus in heaven (Philippians 1:6; Philippians 2:12–13).
• Becoming like Christ ultimately involves the pursuit of the knowledge of God and active obedience to His commands and instructions to us (James 1:22).

implications for today

When we deny ourselves of the things that keep us from being like Christ, we have space in our hearts and lives to become like Him. As we become more like Christ, we are less likely to be spiritually deceived or led astray by false doctrine. If we want to become more like Christ, we can start by spending more time with Him. We can talk to Him in prayer, read His Word, and spend time with others who live like Him. When we do this, we can know Him better and become more like Him.

We become more like Him to reflect Him to the world and to rid the remnants of sin that weigh us down. When we can see that we are growing in spiritual maturity, faith, and love, we can be encouraged that we are growing in Christlikeness. Spiritual maturity means we are no longer easily swayed by emotions, opinions, or false teachings but are grounded in God’s truth (Ephesians 4:14–15; James 3:17). It looks like hungering for time with the Lord, taking responsibility for our actions, and being more concerned with God's will than our own comfort. Faith means trusting in God. As we grow in Christlikeness, we trust Him in both joy and suffering. We go to Him first in times of need and gratitude. We rely on the truths of His Word rather than feelings or circumstances (Hebrews 11:1; Proverbs 3:5–6). We obey and walk with Him even when we don’t understand. And above all, Christlikeness results in love (Galatians 5:22; Colossians 3:12-17). This includes forgiving quickly, showing kindness even when it’s hard, loving both believers and enemies, and putting others' needs before our own (1 John 4:7–12; John 13:34–35). When we love like Christ, it shows up not just with words but in our attitudes, actions, and willingness to lay down our lives in big and small ways for the sake of the other (1 Corinthians 13:4–7). As these qualities deepen in our lives, they confirm that the Spirit is shaping us to look more like Jesus (Galatians 5:22–23; 2 Corinthians 3:18).