In Search Of Our Identity

The issue of identity is inescapable and central to our lives. "Who am I?" we all ask. "Where did I come from? Where am I going?" Every person wrestles with these questions, and the answers we adopt determine the direction of our lives.

Today, this search for identity falls under the concept of "self-image". Every person has a "self-image" of himself. It could be a healthy, positive image, or it could be a poor, negative one. Regardless, a person's self-image determines his self-worth in this life, whether he/she is a success or failure. Self-image is what affects, for better or worse, a persons attitude and behaviour toward others and life's circumstances. With all that is at stake, it is easy to see why people are in search of a good self-image.

However, there is much debate concerning how to develop a good self-image. Many psychologists, counselors, and even some church leaders believe that to develop a good self-image a person needs to start loving himself more. As we will see, this philosophy is contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:2 that in the last days men will be lovers of themselves. According to this verse, our problem is that we love ourselves too much. So it would appear that we cannot develop a good self-image based on learning to love ourselves more. As a matter of fact, we do not need to develop a good self-image at all. We need to develop a realistic view of ourselves, what is called a "proper self-image". We need to learn who we are from God's perspective.

Romans 12:3 says: "3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."

This passage is very revealing in a couple of different areas. Paul warns us of a couple of different things that can be detrimental to our ability to live the "Newness Of Life" of which the bible so frequently speaks. He warns us against arrogance, pride and vanity. As you'll find, there is nothing about these things God finds appealing... As a matter of fact, God specifically says He "hates" them!

Paul also reveals the motivation for his warning, and I believe from examining everything Paul ever said, I think this motivation was the same motivation that gave him the drive, will power and great desire/love that was necessary for him to complete all the God-given tasks in his life... It was revealed in the very first part of this passage: It was the "Motivation of Grace" that gave Paul his desire, stamina and the ability to be totally content with his life despite the many hardships he encountered. And there were many hardships in Pauls life.

Pride is what caused satan to be cast from heaven. Pride is what caused Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And pride is what motivates us to think too highly of ourselves. How should we think of ourselves to counteract this attitude of pride? We can look at who we really are and have the guts to recognize what we see.

Truth is, we are a being that is "spiritually dead" without Christ in our hearts, and nothing we could ever do would produce nothing more than a stench in God's nostrils... For ALL have fallen short of the Glory of God... That's the plain Truth. There is nothing within us in the flesh only that could ever be considered "good"... No matter how pretty, no matter how smart, no matter how educated, no matter how gifted in any area, no matter WHAT!

When we think of ourselves with "sober judgment" (the ability to see the reality of who we are), we ar thinking in accordance to what? God's Word, of course. You have to look no further than the scripture above to confirm that."Sober judgment", in comparison to the "modern-day philosophy" that says we should love ourselves more, we find a clear contradiction. Scripture is Truth, so, the "modern-day philosophy" loses out as a clever, but false teaching that does nothing more than lead an individual down a path of failure, as someday, the individual will find there nothing to sustain true "happiness" in false assumptions of their identity.

2 Timothy 3:1-5

Godlessness in the Last Days

"1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

In this passage, Paul plainly states the various conditions of man in the last days. I think we can all agree that none of these characteristics could be deemed as things we should have in our own lives. Right? So, is the problem that we hate ourselves or that we love ourselves too much? It would seem, by the scripture above, that we tend to love ourselves too much.In light of these verses, will "loving ourselves" more enable us to develop a "proper self-image"? Absolutely not! So how do we develop a "proper" self-image? That's coming next in "How To Develop A Proper Self-Image".

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~~In Search Of A "Proper" Self-Image~~

How To Develop A "Proper" Self-Image

To develop a "proper" self-image, we must first decide to whom we are going to listen. Are we going to listen to satan and the world? Or are we going to listen to God and His Word? As we have already seen, satan and "the world" are in direct opposition to God and His Word concerning how we should think about ourselves. Unfortunately, we live in the world and are constantly bombarded by the almost endless philosophies of the world. So let's examine some of the ways the "world" tells us to determine our self-image and then compare them with what God has to say.

#1 - Appearance

How we look is one gauge we use to determine our self-image. Most commonly, if you notice yourself and those around you, if we think of ourselves as very pretty or handsome, we tend to have an "acceptable" self-image because of...what? Many people will "accept" us into their social circles because physical beauty is a desirable trait among people. Many people even worship physical beauty... Yes. Even today.

If we think of ourselves as physically "ugly", our self-image could suffer greatly. We will probably tend to consider ourselves as "undesirable"..."unwanted"... Mostly we will be shown by the world that we are not "acceptable" to it, and thus, we'll tend to think quite a bit "less" of ourselves as the result of this "shunning".

If we are physically pretty or handsome, what will happen to our self-image as we grow older and our looks change, or if we are in some kind of accident that alters our appearance in some fashion? Generally, we'll tend to think "less" of ourselves because the world around us will make clear that we are not who we once were, physically. The world will treat us with less popularity... less respect (which it never really had for us)... in general, the world will not "accept" us as it once did. Our "self-image" will suffer greatly as we will feel of less worth, we'll feel "diminished" in some capacity, and some will even feel "worthless". As you can see, a "culture" can greatly affect the way we see ourselves.

Usually, Mom and Dad start by saying such things as, " You are such a beautiful little girl," or "You are such a fine-looking young man." Friends, and even complete strangers can "echo" these same sentiments... In today's time, it's not uncommon for a young man to walk up to a lady and say, "Babe... You are so hot!", indicating that upon physical appearance alone, he has found someone "desirable"... And more times than not, the young lady will feel "special" in that she was able to gain his immediate acceptance... What a total, simple-minded fallacy of the enemy!

From the illustrations above, it may be easy to develop a "good" self-image, but we must realize that the opinions of Mom, Dad, friends and even strangers can change in time. Even after we have personally decided we are handsome or pretty, our very own opinion could, and will, one day change. It is inevitable.

So, could we ever develop a "secure" self-image or identity based on our "appearance"? I submit to you, absolutely not.

Psalms 139:13-14

"13 For you created my in most being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

According to these verses, God made you and I the way we are. Since God made us who we are, it does not make sense to build a self-image based on what others say/think about us that are of the world. It really does not even matter what we say about ourselves if we do not know the "Real Truth" about who God says we are.

Another thing many of us use to determine our identity is "what we do". In other words, our "abilities": I'm a businessman, a housewife, or an athlete, for example. Self-image based on what we do, however, is dependent on how well we perform:

If I was a businessman, and my business did very well, I could smile and feel confident in that I am an "accomplishment" when in the midst of friends, or even alone with myself. But, if my business was a failure, my "identity" would be somewhat different. I may lack self worth, feel inadequate, embarrassed... I would feel like a failure in many ways... And my "circle of friends" would probably reflect that in the area of "acceptance"... To people tend to remain your friend even when you have been "less than satisfactory" in areas of your life? The answer to this can be very revealing when determining friends.

What if I were a Dad and my kids turned out to be pillars of the community... Leaders in every respect... What would people think of me? What if I were a Dad and my kids turned out to be "drug-addicts"? What would people think of me then? See what I mean? The very thing that determines whether we are successes or failures are the people around us!

Our abilities to perform any certain function/task always changes over a period of time. For example, is a 45 year old athlete able to perform the way they did at age 25? Of course not. So, concerning the people around us, we can pretty much figure that their "opinions" of us will constantly "change" with relation to how we "perform, or "measure up" in their eyes.

When we look at ourselves, do we ever "compare" ourselves to others? Most people do. When we do that, we usually don't have to look very hard to find someone that is "better" at doing a specific task than we are. When we compare ourselves to them, our self-image always suffers. Most times we don't "measure up" to another's standards. But, on the other hand, sometimes we feel we are "THE BEST" at what we do, and being "THE BEST" has certain extra rights and privileges... Right?

2 Corinthians 10:12 "12We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise"

According to this verse, it is not wise at all to compare our own self to others. If we do compare ourselves to others, there are only two conclusions we can come to understand: We are either "BETTER" than those with which we compare, or we are "WORSE" than those with which we compare ourselves. So, knowing this, it definitely does not make sense to build your self-image on your abilities as a person.

There are many other ways we try to determine our self-image based on the philosophies of the world (for example, family relationships, friends, denominational affiliation). Basically, however, all these standards gauge self-image by:

1. What others think about you;
2. What you think others think about you;
3. What you think about yourself.

And this brings us to the problem of listening to the world's opinions in regard to who we are. The world's opinions are constantly changing from moment to moment. It is impossible to find any stability or security in what the world says concerning our identity.

If we have a poor self-image based on the opinions of the world, we will experience defeatism and be null and void of the knowledge of The Truth about who we are, and we will be rendered "ineffective", pertaining to the plan God already has for our lives.

1 John 2:16-17 says, "16For everything in the world‚ the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does‚ comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever."

Mentioned above in scripture, some of the things of this world are:

1. Man having cravings for sin;
2. His eyes are lustful;
3. Man brags about what he has, and what he has done. It is also pointing out that these things are NOT from our Father, God. So guess who fathers such things as these? That's right. The enemy ; satan.

As mentioned in the scripture above, this world and it's desires will pass away... cease to exist. So, can a person ever have a secure identity if he/she is dependent on the things of this world to determine who he/she is? No...no... No. We can only determine from the scripture above that it is more important to see ourselves from God's Perspective, rather than the world's false assumption of who we are.

• We do not need a self-image based on the ever-changing opinions of the world. We need a proper self-image, an identity based on Truth from God's Perspective. Since God created us and knows us better than we know ourselves, it makes perfect sense to begin listening to what God says about us.
• You are not who you are because of your own or others' opinions. You are who you are because of what God says about you! When we begin listening to God, we can rest assured that what He says will not be like the ever-changing opinions of the world:

"All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the Word of The Lord stands forever" (1 Peter 1:24-25) .

Next Up? "A New Identity"
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Beginning Of Study - "Who We Are In Christ"

Our "New" Identity

A person has no identity apart from a relationship with someone or something else. That is why we latch on to practically anything in our desperate need to discover who we are. We determine our identity through our appearance, occupation, abilities, family relationships, friends, denominational affiliation -- The list is absolutely endless.

Identity, however, is a "spiritual" need. Who we truly are is determined by our relationship with Jesus Christ. This is the only way you will find out who you really are - through the One who created you! When we are identified with Him, we have an identity that cannot be shaken or taken away. It's an identity that is more wonderful than we could ever imagine.

Unfortunately, the tragedy of "Modern-Day Christianity" is our utter ignorance of who we are in Christ! As a result, many Christians struggle, wondering if God really loves them, if God ever did love them, or if God "still" loves them. The believers identity in Christ is not a side issue; it is central to experiencing the "Real" Christian life!

1 Corinthians 15:22 says, "22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.

From God's point of view, there are only two kinds of people in this world. Their identities are determined by whom they are identified with. According to the verse above, we are either identified with Adam, which is "spiritually dead" and lost in our sin, or we are identified with Christ, which makes us "born-again" unto God spiritually, with the "old self" dead and gone...

To be "in Adam" or "in Christ" may be strange language to us. Biblically, to be "in" someone means that person is our family head. As such, he has left us his name, his nature, an inheritance, and a destiny.

The "destiny" for those that are "in Adam", is unbelief and ultimately, separation from God. The destiny for those that are "in Christ", is one of belief in God, and total and eternal acceptance by God, that we may have eternal life. "Eternal life" is our inheritance from God! Magnificent, isn't it?!

• Let's face it. Eternal means eternal. If we could lose our relationship with God once He has accepted and forgiven us, God's Word could not have said "eternal" could it? If we had a relationship with God for let's say 10 years, then we think we can "lose" that acceptance, then we've had life for 10 years... There wasn't anything eternal about it, was it?...To think that anyone can "lose" their salvation, is to be ignorant of the "Whole Truth" that God has given us. There is a great deal of what God is trying to tell us that has either been mis-understood, or not realized at all by the born-again believer. The Word of God does say "eternal", doesn't it? That's what it says, and that's what I'm going to believe.

Every human being is born into the world "in Adam". That means we are born with the same nayure, inheritance, and destiny that Adam possessed after his fall. Let's take a closer look at the inheritance left to us by Adam.

Romans 5:19 says, "19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."

As revealed above, through the disobedience of one man, we were made sinners. The one man was Adam. Therefore, our identity in Adam is a "sinner", when we are born into this world.

Romans 5:12 - "12Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned"

Sin entered the world through one man. This one man was Adam. Death entered the world through sin. As a result of this, death came to all men. God wasn't speaking of physical death to our bodies. He didn't address that until later. God was speaking of "spiritual death"! This death was brought upon us because of "sin". Therefore, the "inheritance" we have been given in Adam, is sin and spiritual death.

Ephesians 2:1-3 says, "1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath."

In this scripture, our condition before we knew Christ was that we are "dead in our transgressions and sins". We "follow" the ways of this world and the ruler of the "kingdom of the air" (satan). satan is the "spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient (the sinner). The sinner will seek to gratify the cravings of the sinful nature (within all of us before Christ) and following it's (sinful nature) desires and thoughts. By our very nature in Adam we are nothing more than "objects of God's WRATH"... Not a very pretty picture is it?

So. What type of nature did Adam pass on to us as our family head? A sinful nature, we are objects of wrath and we are doomed to a lifestyle of sin... Still want to be "In Adam"?

As we've seen thus far, all of us are born into the world as sinners. We were born spiritually dead in our sins and totally controlled by our flesh. As a result, we were by nature, objects of wrath. This is the identity Adam passed on to us -- an identity we received through birth. For this identity to change requires a "new birth".

John 3:3-6 states:

3In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."4"How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!"5Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.

As revealed in these scriptures, for a person to see and enter the Kingdom of God we must be "born again". John describes being born of water as "flesh gives birth to flesh". But the kind of birth Jesus refers to when He says, "You must be born again", is a new "spiritual" birth.

Physically, we are born "in Adam" and he (Adam) is our family head. When we are "born again" of the "Spirit" of God, our family head changes. God is then our family head through being "born again" spiritually unto God. Thus we have a "new identity". This new identity is from God Himself.

When Nicodemus heard Jesus say you must be born again, Nicodemus asked, How can this be?" If you think about it, probably every one of us would have asked the same thing. So, how can you be born again? Jesus gives the answer in the famous passage of John 3:16.

16"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

This is absolutely astounding in that God did not "have" to do any of this for us! As revealed in this scripture, God's sole motivation to give His one and only Son as a sacrifice for our sins was His Love for us! If we were to be saved, Jesus was the only sacrifice in all of earth and Heaven that was good enough to pay the price. None other would do.

What must we do, according to this scripture, to receive eternal life? Simple. The answer is so simple, it confounds the wise. We simply need to "BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST"! Now. To be 'born again", what need we do according to this scripture? Yep. You got it... "BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST"!

John 1:12-13 -- 12Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God! 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.

This scripture is also phenomenal when realizing who we are "in Christ". It plainly says when we receive Jesus Christ we get the right to become "children of God"! We receive Christ through believing faith. As a child of God, whom are we born to? God! John distinctly contrasts being born of natural descent and being born of God. I think he does this because he wants us to clearly see the difference and realize what has happened to us!

So. If we believe in Jesus Christ and are "born again",whatt is your new identity? Simply, we are a "Child of God"...

Romans 8:15-17 -- 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs. Heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Focusing on this scripture, when we are born again of the Spirit of God, wreceiveded a "Spirit of sonship"! Paul starkly contrasts this to a "spirit of fear". Evidently, Paul knew that many were and would in the future mis-interpret their relationship with God as one as was under the Old Covenant. But Paul is trying to reveal something new to us!

In Ephesians 2:3, we learned that "in Adam" we were all, by nature, objects of wrath, and our natural response to God is one of "fear". But iproverbsbs, we are told that the fear of God is the "BEGINNING" of understanding. It said nothing of it (fear) being the end result... Quite the contrary... The Word tells us that "perfect love drives out fear". In light of these things, we can conclude that it is very important for us to understand that when we are born again, we DO NOT receive a spirit that makes us a slave to fear!

• Because we have received the Spirit of sonship, we should be crying out, "ABBA, FATHER!"
• The Spirit of God should testify to our human spirits that WE ARE GOD'S CHILDREN!!!
• Because we are children of God, we have become HEIRS! Heirs to God! All that God has is now ours!
• Because we are children of God, we are "CO-HEIRS" with CHRIST! Good God, Almighty! Co-Heirs with CHRIST!
• We have received an inheritance! An eternal, glorious, unspeakable, Spiritual inheritance! ... From none other than God, Himself!

In summary of this part, a person's identity is determined by the one he is identified with. From God's vantage point, a person is either identified with Adam or with Jesus Christ. If you are identified with Adam, you are a sinner and your identity is eternaseparationon from God -- death. If you are identified with Jesus Christ, you are a child of God and your destiny is eternal life.

Your identity can change through "new birth". If you are still "in Adam", are you willing to receive Jesus Christ by believing in His name and experiencing "new birth" in Christ? You can do so by simply asking Jesus to come into your heart.

If you wish to do so right now, here is a suggested prayer:

Lord Jesus? I need You. I recognize that I was born into this world a sinner, spiritually dead and I am in need of life. Thank You for dying for the forgiveness of my sins and then for being raised from the dead so You could come and give me life! I now receive You into my heart! Take control of my life and teach me about Your Love and the inheritance I now have as a child of God! Thank You, God, for coming into my heart and for giving me eternal life... In Your Name Jesus I pray only, as You are the only source of anything which I seek! Amen...

If you prayed to receive Christ, you are now a child of God. You have a new identity, a new nature, and a new destiny. Throughout the rest of this particular blog, we'll take a closer look at just what it means to be a "child of God" and the eternal inheritance we have as His Children...

Glory To God Only... Amen & Amen...

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We Are A New Creation In Christ

When you become a child of God, the Bible says you have become a brand new creation -- like a caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly. In nature, the caterpillar weaves a cocoon around itself, and in the cocoon the marvelous process of metamorphosis takes place. When this process is complete, a beautiful butterfly emerges. This butterfly is a new creature; It will never be a caterpillar again. In the same way, we have become new creatures in Christ; we will never be old sinners again. And as new creatures in Christ, we must learn to see ourselves as God sees us.

Key verse: 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

Here it is, as plain as day. If we are in Christ, we have become a "new" creation. The old person we used to be is... GONE! Once you have become a "new" creation "IN CHRIST", you can never become the old person again! Why? Because God did the changing... And what God does CANNOT be undone by man... Nor does God say He will ever "take it back". As a matter of fact, quite to the contrary. God says in His Word (which HE exalts higher than Himself) that His gifts are "IRREVOCABLE!" Glory to His wonderful name!

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus" - Ephesians 1:1

In this letter to the Ephesians Paul addressed the believers there as "saints". Paul DID NOT think of the the believers in Ephesus as "old sinners saved by Grace". According to this verse and many others, our identity is a "saint"!

A couple of questions for you: Does God see us as "old sinners saved by Grace"? Or as "Saints"? How do "you" see yourself?

"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia" 2 Corinthians 1:1

Corinth was a city in the Roman province of Achaia. If you'll notice, Paul addressed the believers in Corinth as "the church of God" and "saints". that might be a bit surprising to you if you knew the background of this particular band of brothers.

The Corinthians were guilty of sexual sins, getting drunk at the Lord's Supper, and pride. Yet, with all this going on, God, through Paul, called the Corinthian believers "saints". Remarkable, huh? Evidently, their behavior alone did not change their identity from God's vantage point.

Something we all need to be honest with ourselves about is, it is possible for us as born again children of God, and "saints", to commit sins. Also something to realize is the fact that we sin does not change our "identity" in Christ - Sin stunts our spiritual growth - Sure, but it does not change our identity. Fact is, we are saints in the eyes of God, because we have been saved by Grace, through faith in Christ Jesus.

When you sin as a child of God, "you" are the one doing the sinning. God recognizes our sin, but He sees us as children that need to grow... But our MAJOR problem is "how we see ourselves"!

Do we recognize we are children of God that need to grow? Or do we think that our relationship with God is so conditional that the first sin destroys everything God did for us? Interesting question, huh? Is there a difference between the way God sees us and how we see ourselves? If there is somebody is wrong... And it's not God. So, are we "willing" to see ourselves as a "saint"? You may be reluctant - Quite understandably given what is being taught in many places today. But we should really learn that we are saints... Not because we have done anything to "earn" that status, but because it is the "gift" from God!

As Christians we sometimes get the idea that our behavior is all that is truly important to God, or all that He is concerned with. Behavior, however, is simply the result of a belief system.

There is an old adage I am told that says, "Actions follow attitude." That is why God is so persistent in teaching us who we are. Once we know and truly believe we are children of God, saints by calling, our actions will follow suit. As we will see in the following verses, knowing who we are is our true "MOTIVATION" for living GODLY lives!

"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received" ~~ Ephesians 4:1

According to this verse, Paul urges us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received. If we do not know or understand the calling we have received, it's impossible to live a life worthy of that calling! Isn't it?

"To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ" Romans 1:7

According to this verse, we are called to be what? Saints. What kind of life are we to live? The life of a saint!

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord! Live as children of light!" ~~ Ephesians 5:8 (Glory To God! Amen!)

This verse says we once WERE darkness! It also says we ARE NOW light! So! We should LIVE as CHILDREN OF LIGHT! Amen! And we should live as children of light so we can truly shine in the darkness! So we can rightly show others the Truth of God!

A good paraphrase of this verse is, "You once were a caterpillar, but now you are a butterfly. Fly like a butterfly!" It just makes sense for a butterfly to fly. In the same way, as children of God, saints by calling, it just makes sense for us to live in accordance with who we are! When we do sin, however, God reasons with us based on our true identity!

It's as if He holds a mirror over us and says, "Look up here. What do you see?"

"A butterfly, Lord."

"Since you are a butterfly, why are you crawling around with the caterpillars?"

"I don't know, Lord. It doesn't make sense does it?"

"No, it doesn't. Why don't you get up and fly like a butterfly?"

The butterfly can fly because through the process of metamorphosis, God equipped the butterfly with wings. It wouldn't make any sense to tell the butterfly to fly if it didn't have wings. In the same way, it would be foolish to tell us to live a life worthy of our calling if we had not been given the Holy Spirit to enable us to do so. We have been made into a new creation, but what is it that makes us new?

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory!" (Colossians 1:27)

The mystery that Paul referred to in this verse that was revealed to the Gentiles was the fact that Christ is now in us as born again believers. So the thing that makes us "new creatures" is "Christ in us!" Realizing this, we can know full well that "Christ in us" is our ONLY hope for living out and experiencing our calling as "children of God!" Just as a butterfly is dependent on its wings to enable it to fly, we can be dependent on "Christ in us" to live the Christian life!

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" ~~ Galatians 2:20

Important stuff in this scripture... The only reason Paul says, "I no longer live", is because we have been crucified with Christ (notice the past tense). Although our old selves have been crucified, we can now rejoice in the fact that Christ, through the Holy Spirit DOES now live in us (note: this was given us by God). If we will saturate our own hearts with this knowledge and Truth, there will be nothing left for us to do but to live our lives by faith in the Son of God, who loved us, and gave Himself for us! Amen & Amen!

We truly are a new creature in Christ! Through spiritual birth GOD has transformed us into saints! Sometimes we might act like "old sinners saved by Grace", but that is NOT our identity!

If you find yourself crawling around with the caterpillars, you need to realize that you are a butterfly! get up and fly! God has something much better for you than crawling around with the caterpillars. It is called the "Abundant Life"! With Christ living in you, you can experience everything God created you to be as a new creature in Christ!

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We, As Born Again Christians, Are Found "Not Guilty!"

Having a proper understanding of our identity in Christ greatly depends on how we view God's forgiveness toward us. If we see ourselves as unforgiven or not worthy of forgiveness, in my opinion, it perverts our understanding of God's love. In a world where forgiveness has to be earned or paid for, complete and unconditional forgiveness is sometimes difficult to understand, especially by those of us that have been taught otherwise. However, the scriptures will tell us that this is the way God has forgiven us.

Please listen to what will be said here very closely, and make your mind up for yourself concerning God's forgiveness. Please know, that without Truthfully understanding God's forgiveness, we'll never really understand one of the most important things about our God, and our relationship with Him. This holds true no matter what your view.

When Christ died on the cross, His last words were, "It is finished." In other words, "The payment for sin has been satisfied." Please make no mistake here. When Christ came to us here on this earth, He was on a multi-task mission. One part was to purge Heaven of satan's sin (another whole topic in itself), and the other was to save US! One of the things He came to do for us was to adequately deal with our sin.

Sin exists for us in three time frames... past, present and future. If Christ had failed to deal with any one of these, it would be impossible for Him to "save" us from anything! Right? But He was successful in all phases of His mission, both upon this earth and in heaven. THIS is the freedom we have as children of God. 2 Corinthians 5:19 says, God is "no longer counting men's sins against them."

Key Verse: Acts 10:43

"All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name."

This scripture reveals that all the prophets testified about Jesus. It also says that the way we receive forgiveness of our sins is to "believe" in Jesus. In light of this verse, the prophets in the Old Testament were expecting the Messiah to bring us to a place of forgiveness. Jesus fulfilled that expectation in all ways.

According to this verse, when we put our faith in Christ, what do we receive? Our forgiveness. After this, there is no need to seek and re-seek that which has already been given you! Thus, a huge part of our "new" identity in Christ is that we are a "forgiven" person. But let's not stop here.

Acts 26:17&18

"I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, the power of satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me."

Glory To God! Let's take a minute and see what was said here! Paul makes it clear that his mission is to "open their eyes". He says that before coming to Christ we are under satan's power. Upon putting our faith in "Christ Alone", we WILL receive forgiveness of sins, removing us from the power of satan! We are also "sanctified" (found not guilty!) because of and through our faith in "Christ Alone!"

If we are forgiven and sanctified (found not guilty) when we put our faith in"Christ", their is no need to be sanctified (found not guilty!) and forgiven at any subsequent time after our salvation! Glory To God! When we become children of God, we receive Forgiveness and Eternal Life as part of our Godly Inheritance! Thank You, God, for what you have done for us! Amen!

Colossians 1: 13, 14

"For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins!"

What has God rescued us from? The dominion of darkness! If it were not a done deal, this scripture would have read, "in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins, if you constantly ask for it!" Sound a little funny to you? Me too! Plainly, "In Christ", we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins! We were redeemed at the point of having faith (believing in and accepting) Christ. We were forgiven at the same time. According to this verse, our forgiveness and redemption are already ours. We DO NOT need to ask for them on a daily basis.

In light of all the previous scriptures mentioned in this particular blog, it is quite clear that our forgiveness was complete on the day we put our faith in Christ. Are we willing to rest in the fact that we are totally forgiven and that there is nothing we can do to "add" to His forgiveness? It's a very important question. The conclusion you have may completely transform your relationship with God. Give it some deep thought!

Hebrews 10:17, 18

'Then He adds, "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more." And where these have been forgiven, there is no longer ANY sacrifice for sin'

As plain as this scripture is, many do not have the courage to look into the Truth because of "previous mis-understanding through teaching". God WILL NOT remember our sins any longer. He won't remember them because they have been forgiven!

If God has forgiven our sins and remembers them no more, how then, should "we" look at our sins? As forgiven and forgotten. This understanding does something for the believer that nothing but the Truth can... It sets you FREE! You are now FREE to fully realize your "FREEDOM" from sin and REST in the TOTAL ASSURANCE in your FUTURE! Realizing this, is there anything to be "fearful" of in your relationship with God? NO! NO! NO! And what does scripture say about this other than "PERFECT LOVE DRIVES AWAY FEAR!" GLORY!

1 John 4:18, 19

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is NOT made perfect in love. We love because He first loved us."

According to this verse, anyone who remains "fearful" in their relationship with God has an underlying problem. Most of these problems are the direct result of mis-understanding God's intentions and works toward you. Instead of the love of God being the most abundant and prevalent thing in our hearts and minds toward God and others, we are "fearful". Fearful of God's judgment... We wonder at what times He may look at us in "acceptance" and when He looks upon us with "rejection". We know we are less than perfect... But if we think God's acceptance of us hinges on our "performance" or our ability to beg, we'll miss the greater part of how He really feels about us and what He, in His all-knowing deity, has really done for us to insure our eternal well-being.

There is something that "drives out fear": Love. This whole scenario can be best explained by examining the parallels in the traditional Jewish Wedding. When Christ calls us "His Bride", He is speaking in terms that everyone back then would have understood. The Jews are God's chosen people. By examining this traditional ceremony, we can more fully understand what God is saying to us.

There are a few things that are revealed through this custom, some of them quite astonishing and new to our understanding. It is a topic in itself and one I hope to blog in the future, but the point I wish to immediately focus on here, is that Christ FIRST chose US to be His bride. We, then, make a decision to accept His marriage by being "born again". Thus, we love Him because He "first loved us!" Glory To His Name! As a born again child of God, we now await to drink from the "fourth cup"... the cup of "consummation" which now awaits us in Heaven, to be shared between us... and Christ... GLORY!

So, with this "Bride and Groom" theme that is most dominant in scripture and the "love - fear" Truth that is brought forth in the scripture above, we can discern a few different things:

• If we are "fearful" in our relationship with God, we are not "perfect in love".
• We cannot be fearful and loving at the same time
• Should any bride "fear" the Groom? No!
• We love God ONLY because He first loved us.
• Correctly understanding or mis-understanding God's love and forgiveness affects "every" circumstance and action governing our lives as Christians.
• If you can fully realize you are forgiven, it will take away your fear of God's judgment, assure you of your eternal acceptance, and set you free to live the life God intends for you in total peace, joy, love and certain confidence that God has dealt with your sin -- "Once And For All!"

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold "unswervingly" to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful" - (Hebrews 10: 19-23)

Wow! Jesus opened the way for us to the Most Holy Place by His life's blood sacrifice for our sin. The "Most Holy Place" is the very Throne Room of God! Jesus is our "Great Priest!" Knowing that you are forgiven should give you "full confidence" to approach God! The ONLY thing that cleanses us from a guilty conscience is "being sprinkled" by the blood of Jesus! We can now draw near unto God faith a sincere heart and an attitude of "full assurance" that we have been sanctified (found not guilty) and eternally accepted by God as a child of God!

In verse 23, it's important to note that "Jesus" is the One that is faithful... NOT us! So, then, it is very important for us to realize that we are totally forgiven! If He had left any part of our salvation up to us, rest assured, we would have screwed it up... It's inevitable!

"In Him and through faith in Him we may approach God with freedom and confidence" - (Ephesians 3:12)

Starting to dawn on you yet? The ONLY way we can approach God in freedom and confidence is in Jesus and our faith in Him (which includes what He has done for us). To approach God in freedom and confidence means you must "KNOW" you have been accepted by God, "once and for all"! That freedom is ours to be had!

We have seen that our relationship with God should be greatly affected by the forgiveness Christ has provided. Is there any reason why you are not experiencing freedom and confidence in your relationship with God? If so, are you willing to let go of it and by faith accept the fact that as a child of God you are totally forgiven?

Our understanding of God's forgiveness has a lot to do with how we treat other people, also. If we have never experienced God's love and forgiveness for ourselves, it would be very hard to be a loving and forgiving person toward others. Make sense to you?

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God FORGAVE you..." -- (Ephesians 4:32)

As you can well see, the way you view God's forgiveness toward you will surely determine how you apply the wisdom of the above scripture to your life. This scripture points out that we are to forgive others as Christ "forgave" (notice the past tense that is very specific in this scripture) us. God forgave us because of His kindness and compassion toward us. If God has forgiven us totally and unconditionally, we SHOULD forgive others in the same way... But do we? How often do we require that the other person "ask" our forgiveness before we "try" to forgive them? How often do we put forth our best effort to forgive and seek forgiveness just because we think it a "command" that our very salvation hinges on? And even when we "try" to do these things, how often are we really successful?

If we see ourselves as unforgiven, or conditionally forgiven, being constantly in danger of punishment, just like sinners who have never been saved, how will we treat others? I don't need to answer that one for you... But if we see ourselves as totally forgiven, how then would you treat others? You could easily learn that it is within you to have forgiven most trespasses before they even occur... Making the process an already done deal... Drastic difference isn't it?

"Therfore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience! Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievance you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord "forgave" you." -- (Colossians 3:12 & 13)

This is very revealing wisdom in that it describes God's chosen people as people clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience... A people that bears with one another and a people that forgives all grievances between themselves... Forgiving each other in the same manner as God forgave them... Oh. And this is done in the "heart" of His people. It's not referring to "lip service" here. Does this accurately describe us? If not, we've missed something very important in our understanding of God. A forgiving spirit is totally natural for God's people. This is because it is the personality of Christ in the believer.

Christ forgave us of "all" our sins. So, we are to forgive ALL grievances we have against others... ALL... "Once and for all"... This means those of the past, those of the present, and yes, those of the future. Your reward will be "YOUR" freedom!

Forgiveness is at the very root of our identity in Christ. His unconditional love for us that He demonstrated by dying for us on the cross is what gives us the power to draw near unto God... And to love others ~~

Next: "We Are Totally Righteous"

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As Born Again Christians, We Are Now "Totally Righteous!"

Not only do we receive forgiveness through faith in Christ, we ALSO receive righteousness - Christ's righteousness! Through faith in Christ, we exchange our UNrighteousness for His PERFECT righteousness!

Resting in the righteousness of Jesus Christ FREES us from the impossible task of trying to keep ourselves "clean" before God. Before you get all in an uproar, let's look at some Scriptures concerning the issue of righteousness.

Romans 3:21-22

" 21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction"

According to the Word above, it says that our "righteousness" comes from God alone, doesn't it? So, ask yourself, "Can I become righteous by observing the law?" If you came to the same conclusion I have, the answer will be "No!". And how do we attain righteousness if not by the law? The way I see it, it's "through faith in Jesus Christ to ALL that believe!

2 Corinthians 5:21

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

To me, it just explained any better than right here. Plain and simply put, Christ had no sin. God made Christ to be sin on our behalf. Christ didn't take just a little of our sin... He didn't just take our past sin... No. He took "ALL" our sin, past, present and future. If He hadn't, WE'D STILL BE LOST!

Because of this "exchange", we became righteous before God. That is the only reason we will EVER be righteous before God! Through the "exchange and sacrifice" of and by Jesus Christ alone! Nothing I do, nothing you will ever do, nothing ANYONE does will ever bring about any sort of righteousness! It's ALL JESUS! The Word says, "In JESUS, we become the righteousness of God!"

So... This being said, if we have become righteous to God through Jesus Christ, how righteous are we? Now you're getting it! We are TOTALLY RIGHTEOUS through the "gift" of Christ!

Romans 4:5

5But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Here, the scripture says that "God justifies" the who? The point the scripture is making here, is man cannot possibly be justified by any attempt of works. Rather justification comes only by trusting God, through the "accreditation of faith" to those who believe! Thus, a person cannot gain righteousness through good works, but to those that have "believe in faith", the righteousness we receive is nothing less than "God's Righteousness"! What a gift! Glory to God!

Romans 5:17

17For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Death reigned through the trespass of one man, meaning our spiritual outcome was death in hell if we do not believe in Christ. No one was left out. Every person who ever was, or is going to be, is affected but the actions of that one man.

But we, as believers, have been given a "gift" having received God's Grace: We have been "given" God's Righteousness! And, to "reign in life", means we are going to live forever!

Philippians 3:8-9

8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,

Paul sternly states the case of Truth here. He has a name for "self-righteousness" that comes from only obeying the law - He called it "rubbish"! The righteousness that was of value to Paul, was that of God, through Christ only!

Who's righteousness would I rather have? God's, through Christ of course! The only way to receive the righteousness of God is by faith in Christ and His finished work at Calvary. To those of you that are reading this blog, are YOU willing to give up on your feeble efforts and "rest" in His free gift of righteousness today? Right now? This very instant?

Rest assured, that if you stand in the righteousness of Jesus Christ, you are 100% acceptable to God! For sure! Period!

Ephesians 1:6

6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved

According to this verse, we ourselves cannot establish our acceptannce before God. The One who has gained us our "acceptance" is Jesus Christ alone! Again, "It's All Jesus!" And being accepted as righteous by God through Christ, we can now relate to Him in freedom, total willingness without dread, and with an everlasting "assurance" with total confidence that He is now our Father... from now on!

It is of the utmost importance we understand that the "Righteousness of God" is not just another gift He gives us. Righteousness is given in the form of a person, Jesus Christ the Righteous One!

Romans 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

Paul was not ashamed of the gospel because he knew it was the literal power of God. One of the many things the gospel reveals is that the "righteousness of God" IS Jesus Christ! You can receive the "Righteousness" of God by faith, and those that have received God's Righteousness are to live by "faith" also.

Are we all resting in the righteousness we have received as child of God? After 12 years, I can say I now am. I did not not realize for a very long time how so complete the work of Christ toward me and the world... the "finality" of the cross... But now, Bless God, I do!

Scripture is clear that no one will ever be declared righteous in God's sight through obedience to the law. So, God, in His grace and mercy, did for us what we could not do for ourselves. He imputed to us His righteousness by coming to live in us! "But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption," (1 Corinthians 1:30). As a result, we stand in His presence totally accepted AND totally loved!

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