Who Am I?
Who am I? It is a question that can foster countless thoughts and beliefs that adopt a concluding statement of our identity. The gospel is filled with astonishing promises of new hope, life, and freedom that correspond with identity by establishing a new radius on selfless love that comes around full circle once an entrenched relationship is made with the Father.
Looking at the events of The Cross and its significance puts to rest our past system of living, and dissolves adverse habits that had us locked up in our own chains. The book of Ephesians gives a good depiction of this in the following, “All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else,” (Ephesians 2:3). This chapter goes on to read, “But God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus,” (Ephesians 2: 4-6). Death has no power over Christ. As the resurrection is the merger of new life and salvation we can live out this new life by grace for our old life is now hidden in Him. The Father took His children back and it is now time to start living out in this new quality of character as a royal priesthood.
What does this new life mean? In a world that does not know or understand where to place its anchor confusion is disembogued and has us living a life in fear, depression, anxiety etc. The Lord has not called you to identify with the world in its achieved or ascribed statuses having to constantly embark on a rat race to be “somebody” or to even depend on your own feelings of who you should be. Sure, you are a sister, teacher, wife, or astronaut, but all of these roles can change in an instant and once they are gone, they can have detrimental effects on your value and self-worth. Identity is not what you can do, but rather what He is in you which is a permanent identity based outside of your own feelings or desires. Paul writes in Colossians, “Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority,” (Colossians 2:8-10). Identifying with Christ and His desires will start to shape not only your spirit but also the way you think and approach conflict and trial in this life. For instance, if anxiety has been a battle for you, in the past your old self would accept these fears to be part of you. As we grow in faith and understanding of God’s will through the renewal of our mind, we realize that this uneasiness is an infringement of His purpose and plans for you. It is time to bind all the things that keep us moving forward in our walk with Him and identify their real perpetrator, as well as to distinguish between what it true and truth.
Losing yourself to Christ is a beautiful thing. It is not something that needs a specific point of entry to be initiated because He will take you wherever you are at.
And so, we leave you with this word…
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the goodness of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you had no mercy; now you have received God's mercy,” (1 Peter 2:9-10).
