There are many ways in which we all consider our identity. The majority of individuals either identify themselves as what they do for a living, who they are married to or dating, the fact that he or she is a parent, or there are others who identify themselves with whom they are related. However, there is another form of our identity most of us appear to overlook. This form of identity, which is bigger than who we are as individuals, is probably the most important identity we absolutely must discover within ourselves in order for us to become even better individuals than what we ever can imagine. What is this form of identity? Could it be this Joseph Hawk on this identification card to the left? Oh, no! It is so much more than that!
There are many times in my job when I have people who come into my office who can identify themselves as one of the four I mentioned above. However, whenever any form of identity is “ripped” away from them, it is easy for that individual to suddenly feel lost, disappointed, disillusioned and even depressed and understandably so. Just imagine the thought of losing your job or finding your marriage or dating relationship crashing down around you. However, the form of identity I am referring to is one that will never leave us and that we should choose never to abandon. Once we discover what our Identity in Christ is, we are then able to not only identify ourselves as ones whom Christ loves and died on the cross for, but we can also identify ourselves as ones who are redeemed and loved, not only by Jesus, but also by the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
But how does one go about discovering his or her Identity in Christ? For one, I feel it is important for us to discover how or where we are originated. Without going into extensive terms on the origin of our humanity, let us simply refer to the passage of scripture that easily sums it up: Genesis 1:26, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, our likeness….” Therefore, this passage is saying that us humans, as individuals, are created by God and are emulant of his image! That provides for a firm foundation as to what our Identity in Christ is! We are created by the Almighty Creator!
Now that we have identified that we are created by God, it helps define us as part of His creation. In addition to, when Jesus came upon the scene, He also helped in defining us as God’s children. “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God–children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” (John 1:12-13) With what John says in his book, when we accept Jesus as our Savior, we then become one of God’s children. What a status! To be one of God’s sons or daughters, I find to be not only a very liberating thought, but also a very humbling feeling! To think that God loves us so much and if we love him and his son, Jesus in return, we are then called one of His children! To me, this is a huge proponent to our Identity in Christ.
Not only are we then considered one of God’s children, but it is also stated in the Word that God loves us! The famous passage, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” So now, we have three proponents to our relationship with God that we can then form to create our Identity in Christ: we are part of God’s creation, we are considered God’s children, and He loves us so much that He gave us is only Son!
Finally, there is one other thing I would like to add to our definition of our Identity in Christ. Not only does our identity define who we are, but it should also define how we act. Some of those who are defined by their actions, according to terms of identity could be lawbreakers and prisoners for one. Sorry, I do not mean to get negative or critical but because of one’s actions they commit, whether good or bad, helps us define who those individuals are. One who would be considered as a positive individual according to his or her actions would be one who works for a charity or one who leads others to Christ. The actions that we choose to make, therefore contribute to God’s Kingdom. God has called for us to live, to follow, and behave to a certain standard. This standard consists of following through with what His Word tells us to do. For example, actions that would give a positive reflection on our Identity in Christ can be found in the Beatitudes, which is located in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12). Another thing I tell many of my clients is that our attitudes interpret what our actions will be. If we were to act out in a way that would positively reflect our Identity in Christ, our attitudes must also be in line with those actions. The fruits of the Spirit, which can be found in Galatians 5:22-26, are a great example of how we should formulate our attitudes to reflect a positive Identity in Christ. Once one’s attitudes are reflective of the Fruits of the Spirit, it is then easy for one to commit actions that are pleasing to God and that provide a positive reflection on our Identity in Christ.
In summarization, once we, as individuals, realize just who we are in Christ we can then walk with blessed assurance in knowing that our identity rests upon one who “shall never leave you nor forsake you”(Deuteronomy 31:6). That, within itself, shall provide for us a sense of identity that we can be confident about and can take comfort in knowing will never cease to exist!
In conclusion, I sincerely hope that you have found this blog entry to be a source of encouragement for you and food for thought as how you can identify yourself within Christ’s body of believers. Please, comment me in response to my blog with your thoughts, reflections, and feelings concerning this blog entry. I would enjoy a thorough “comment conversation” with those who are blessed by reading this post. Also, if any of you would like for me to talk about any certain subject Christian Counseling related, please comment me or e-mail me and let me know what you would like to learn more about from my research and my perspective. May the Lord bless you through reading this and may He bless you further more from this day forward!
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2 Responses to ““Identity in Christ””
Great post, Curtis. I agree completely, and I used to refer to myself in many ways that you outlined. Another way we categorize ourselves is under a specific Christian denomination. I am a firm believer that no denomination is infallible, and that we have enough information in Scripture to fulfill God’s purpose of loving Him, loving our neighbors and making disciples of all nations. However, in our pursuit of knowing more, we often become dogmatic about disputables. The problem this creates is an errancy in our denominations. When we call ourselves Catholics, Episcopalians, Lutherans, Evangelicals, Protestants, Calvinists, Arminians, etc. first, I think we run into a same problem that you mentioned above. Denominations can falter. Anyone who has lived through a church split, or scandal can attest to that. We need to be followers of Christ first. We need to be open to Scripture and interpretations that go against our traditions. This is not to say we need to be so open minded our brains fall out. We need to prove all things and hold to what is true. Warren Wiersbe has a quote I truly love. He said “don’t be a system disciple. You might get to Heaven and find out your system is not His system.”
On the subject of theology, many Christians disagree that Jesus is a permanent support in our lives because of a belief in lost salvation. I am a firm believer that Scripture can be interpreted either for or against lost salvation if we close our minds to the opposing concept and look for what supports our ideas and traditions. I am also a firm believer that Scripture gives us the answer without contradiction and that we must study deeply. There are verses that sound like contradictions, but God cannot contradict Himself. While I am not a Calvinist (I try to avoid tags and I also believe in some Arminian positions), I do believe Calvin’s concept of eternal security is fully supported by Scripture. We are given eternal life, and become a new creation when we are saved. I am writing this post instead of writing on Col 3:12-17, which I have an assignment on for class. During my study of this passage, I am covering how it conveys that the elect/chosen ones of God are loved with the same fervor Jesus is loved by God. We are to put off the old and put on the new while we are still on earth because we are new creations. Being created anew cannot be undone, because we are in Christ and that cannot be undone. Therefore, we are granted a down-payment of sorts on our eternal life. So, I invite any who hesitate or struggle with Curtis’ statement and believe Jesus’ promise can be undone; or any who think that salvation is temporarily bestowed on us based on works, I invite you to look deep into Scripture for the answer (don’t take my word for it…only take the Word’s word for it.) I believe you will find great comfort in Christ for those who believe.
I thank God for His Word and for the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus,
Dave
Curtis,
Very strong post! I reflected greatly on the line that not only does our identity define who we are but also defines how we must act. The two of those go hand-in-hand! Excellent post!
-Wade