"Who We Are Instead" pt.1

Our Identity In Christ

The Bible says that when we are baptised, God fills us with His Spirit and makes us completely new creatures. "Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

But a lot of the time we don't act like glorious new creatures. The Devil hates that God has done this for us, and so he tries to convince us that we haven't been changed. Too often we believe his lies, and when we do, we can act as though they are true, and we live defeated, depressed, insecure lives unsure of who we are and what our purpose is.

My favourite band, Jars of Clay, put out an album called "Who We Are Instead" (from which the name of this series comes). On the album they have a song called "Trouble Is", which basically describes the Christian who doesn't realise who God has made him or her into.

Trouble Is

My wings don't sail me to the sky
On my own these wings won't fly
Jesus told me so
Still I'm not so sure that I know

Can't find no rest for my soul
Can't find no rest on my own
Jesus told me so
Still I'm not so sure that I know

Chorus
Man, the trouble is
We don't know who we are instead

I'll keep runnin' the other way
My heart ain't built to stay
My heart ain't built to stay
And the world just ain't that way

Chorus
Man, the trouble is
We don't know who we are instead

My heart ain't built to stay
My heart ain't built to stay
Jesus told me so

Satan knows the wonderful life of Grace that Jesus bought for us on the cross, and, as the Father of Lies, and the enemy of our souls, he wants to destroy that life in us. So he attacks it by telling us that it doesn't even exist. He tells us lies about our worth, our loveliness, and even our identity. When we begin to believe those lies, we begin to tell them to ourselves. Satan is so crafty, that he can make his ideas seem like our own! We need to defend ourselves against these lies--but to do that, we need to know what they are.

Satan's Lie
You are a sinner because you sometimes sin
God's Truth
You are a saint (one who is made righteous by God) who sometimes sins

Satan's Lie
You get your identity from what you have done
God's Truth
You get your identity from what God has done for you

Satan's Lie
You get your identity from what people say about you
God's Truth
You get your identity from what God says about you

Satan's Lie
Your behaviour tells you what to believe about yourself
God's Truth
Your belief about yourself determines your behaviour

God has given us a new identity in Christ. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says:

1265 Baptism not only purifies from all sins, but also makes [us] "a new creature," an adopted son of God, who has become a "partaker of the divine nature," member of Christ and co-heir with Him, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Here's what the Bible says about it:

We are children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus!

John 1:12-13--But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

1 John 3:1--See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.

Ephesians 1:5--He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

Romans 8:15, 28-30--For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of sonship. When we cry, "Abba! Father!"...We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified.

We are Christ's friends!

John 15:11-17--These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another.

We are justified--our sins are forgiven!

Romans 5:1-11--Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us. While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man--though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation.

Colossians 1:13-14--He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We are Redeemed by Christ to be the Temple of the Holy Spirit!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20--Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

We are Saints!

Ephesians 1:1-6--Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are also faithful in Christ Jesus: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

We share in Christ's divine glory!

Colossians 2:9-15--For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily, and you have come to fulness of life in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of flesh in the circumcision of Christ; and you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, having canceled the bond which stood against us with its legal demands; this he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him.

So yeah, I know that was a lot of Bible! But it's important. The Bible has been called God's love letter to us, and from the above passages, we can see why! God loves us a whole lot! He's made us a part of His family, He's called us His friends, He's made us holy, and best of all, He lives inside each of us, making us sharers in His divine life of Grace and Love!

Seriously, let that sink in for a moment! Infinite, holy, almighty God cares enough about YOU to make you like HIM! That's unbelievable! God, the King of the Universe has made you His son or daughter!

Guys, that makes you princes!

Girls, that makes you princesses!

Think about that the next time you're feeling down. Post it on your mirror. Say it to yourself when you look at yourself in the mirror out loud! This is your identity! Own it!

God bless!