Why can't we simply follow in Jesus' footsteps as our example?
Because Jesus was God during His earthly ministry, and humans cannot walk in the steps of God. His miraculous walk on the Sea of Galilee was not something a man could imitate—Peter sank. So Paul, writing to Gentile believers, tells them to follow him as a human example.
Les explains that Philippians 3:17 says, “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them who walk so as you have us ... as an example.” He stresses this does not take anything away from the Lord Jesus. Jesus truly was a man who walked, ate, talked, and faced the same temptations, but when He walked the footsteps of Galilee and across the Sea of Galilee, He was God. A human cannot walk in the steps of God. Les illustrates this by saying that if he tried to walk across the Sea of Galilee, he could not follow; he would have to be like Peter and go down. Therefore, believers should be careful and follow Paul, who was just as human as we are, as the example given for the Gentile believers.