If any of you boys or girls looked at this strange word and thought it was like Greek to you, you were right! It is a Greek word with a simple meaning, and you will easily understand the meaning as I explain it to you. First, however, I will copy two verses from the Bible where the Apostle Peter says, “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example (or a hupŏgrammŏs), that [you] should follow His steps: “who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth” (1 Peter 2:21-2221For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 22Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: (1 Peter 2:21‑22)).
When I went to school, printed on the back cover of our workbooks at the top was a line of perfectly formed letters of the alphabet—the hupŏgrammŏs. Underneath the letters were lines all the way down the page. We were to copy these letters, always keeping our eye on the hupŏgrammŏs (the perfect, top-line example) and not on our own letters as we worked down the page. By doing that, our bottom line of letters was a fairly good copy of the perfect top line, because all that practice made us quite good. Our problems came about when we took our eyes off the top line and instead followed what we had already copied. Then the bottom line was very different from the perfect examples at the top.
Now if you think of what Peter is saying in those verses, you will understand that as long as we keep our eyes on Jesus, the one, perfect man, and try to follow His example, we will not go too far astray in life. However, if we follow what our friends are doing or our own ideas, thinking they are good enough, the result will be very poor.
But there is one thing that you must not miss in all this. Peter is writing to people who already know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour and are part of the family of God. They have come to Jesus to have their sins forgiven, and their names have been written in heaven. Many people try to follow Jesus as a good example without first coming to Him as sinners needing forgiveness. So the first step you must take is to tell Jesus that you know you are a sinner and believe in your heart that He took the punishment for your sins on Calvary’s cross. He will gladly forgive you and wipe your messy page clean, and then you can begin to follow Him as your hupŏgrammŏs.
Now do you understand what that word means?
ML-12/30/2007