Our Identity in Christ
0 Amens
Our Identity in Christ
Introduction
- Let me tell you about three personal experiences which will at first seem fairly unrelated
- The first occurred almost 8 years ago
- I was Senior Pastor of North Pine Baptist but my health broke down after I had suffered a stroke and I got to the point where I had to resign
- The result was that I stayed at home on sickness benefit for 19 months – I didn’t have a job, nor a title nor any real idea of what the future held
- The second incident occurred just last week
- I was crossing a pedestrian crossing at Brookside shopping centre as I walked to Malyon College where I spend two days per week (I lecture part time at the college)
- As I began to cross a very large ute (pickup truck) drove fairly aggressively onto the crossing and nearly ran me over – in fact if I hadn’t stopped I would have been killed
- The third incident occurred when I was a pastor in a local church
- My wife Margaret received a letter from a church member who described me as a tool in the hand of Satan – she thought that Margaret was OK but I was far from OK
- So there are my three personal experiences – and you may be forgiven for wondering what they have in common
- In fact they do have something in common with each other – and in common with experiences you are likely to have in the coming weeks and months
- You see in each situation I had to make a choice of how I would respond
- That is true of the situation of when I had to resign my role as pastor – it is true of the situation when I was nearly run over – and it is true of the time I was accused of being a tool in the hand of Satan
- And what I want to say to you this evening is this: How we respond to situations depends very much on our understanding of who we are “in Christ”
An identity issue
- What we are talking about this evening is the issue of our identity as a Christian
- And the first thing I want to say is that when we became a Christian, our identity changed – and understanding the implications of our change of identity is a key to living the Christian life
- Let’s think for a moment about who we were before we became a Christian i.e. What was our identity as a non-Christian?
Ephesians 2:1-5;12,13;19,20
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, {2} in 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. {3} All 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. {4} But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, {5} made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. {12} remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. {13} But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. {19} Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, {20} built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
- This passage contrasts our identity before we became a Christian (underlined) with our identity after we came to faith
- If we make a summary we come up with something like:
dead in our transgressions and sins
following the ways of this world
following the ways of satan
gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature
separate from Christ
excluded from God’s family (citizenship in Israel)
foreigners to the covenants of the promise
without hope
without God
far away from God
foreigners and aliens
- That’s a fairly sorry list isn’t it – and it is not the complete list e.g. if we look at passages like Colossians1:3 we could add that we before we were a Christian we were “under the dominion of darkness”
Colossians 1:13
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
- Romans 6 puts this same concept in a slightly different way
Romans 6:3-7
{3} Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? {4} We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. {5} If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. {6} For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- {7} because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
- Verse 6 allows us to add to our list which describes our identity before we came to know Christ – we can add “a slave to sin” (show extended list)
- So now we have a list (not exhaustive) of descriptions of our identity before we became a Christian
- Using the same passages we could go through and make a list of our identity after we came to know Christ e.g in Ephesians 2 I have not underlined descriptions which apply to us after our conversion
Ephesians 2:1-5;12,13,19,20
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, {2} in 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. {3} All 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. {4} But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, {5} made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. .......................{12} remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. {13} But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. .....................19} Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, {20} built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
- From this passage we can list the following descriptions of our identity after our conversion:
Alive with Christ
God’s workmanship
Near to God
A fellow citizen with God’s people
A member of God’s household
- This list is far from exhaustive and from other passages we can add to the list:
John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
A child of God
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
A new creation
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
A person chosen by God
A royal priest
Belonging to God
Colossians 1:13
For he has rescued you from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.
Belonging to the kingdom of light
Romans 6:6,7
For we know that our old body was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin..
No longer a slave to sin
John 3:3
In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
Born again
Ephesians 1:13
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
Indwelt by the Holy Spirit
Romans 8:17
Now 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.
An heir of God
- So if we add these descriptions to our list, our identity after becoming a Christian looks like:
Alive with Christ
God’s workmanship
Near to God
A fellow citizen with God’s people
A member of God’s household
A child of God
A new creation
A person chosen by God
A royal priest
Belonging to God
Belonging to the kingdom of light
No longer a slave to sin
Born again
Indwelt by the Holy Spirit
An heir of God
- Again the list is far from exhaustive – but it is enough to make it plain that when we became a Christian OUR IDENTITY CHANGED
- In the diagram I have simplified this by listing just a few of the changes of identity that we have talked about
- But one thing is clear: If you are a Christian, you are not the person you used to be!
- In fact you are a new person – a new creation – you are now a child of God
- I emphasize this because some people think that when we become a Christian, our identity gradually changes so that we become more like Jesus
- These people often think also that as their identity is gradually transformed, not only do they become more like Jesus, but they become more acceptable by God
- None of this is true
- When we become a Christian, our identity changes immediately – and it won’t change again this side of heaven
- Our identity changes because God changed it – it was not something we did ourselves
- If you look at the list of changes it is obvious that all of these were achieved by God – they were not something we could do for ourselves
- This is who we become when we are converted – and this is who we will remain – we are just as much a child of God when we have been a Christian for 25 seconds as we are when we have been a Christian for 25 years!
- As we will see in a moment, understanding that is of paramount importance as we seek to live as followers of Jesus
- But before I talk about that, let’s look at another diagram which may take away some confusion about what happens when we become a Christian -(Identity/Christ-likeness diagram)
- As you can see, after we become a Christian our identity remains the same – we remain a child of God, a new creation etc
- But what changes, through the process of sanctification, is our Christ-likeness
- As the Holy Spirit works in us over a period of time, the fruit of the Spirit grows in us and we become more and more like Jesus – not an easy process, not a smooth process and not a process that becomes completed this side of heaven
- Understanding this diagram is important – because it is important for us to remember that when we become a Christian we don’t begin a process of being transformed into a new person – the kind of person God can accept
- When we become a Christian our identity changes instantly – not so that we will become accepted by God, but because we have already been accepted by God
Why is understanding our identity important?
- Some of you may be wondering why I am emphasizing the importance of what may appear to be of little consequence
- I am doing it because when we have a clear understanding of our identity in Christ:
1. It helps us to accept ourselves
2. It helps us to deal with temptation
- I am now in my 30th year of ministry – and over almost 30 years I have encountered many people who struggle to accept themselves – or to accept their circumstances
- For example, when people lose their job their life is shattered
- Now at one level that is understandable because grief is a natural consequence of loss
- If we lose our job or lose a loved one, of course we will experience grief – that is natural
- But in the midst of that grief some people feel worthless and hopeless
- It is very easy when you are out of work to feel that you are useless – you no longer have an income – you no longer have a position – you are no longer to make the contribution to society that you feel you are able to make – and the conclusion you come to is that you are worthless
- I went through some of that when I had to resign as a pastor
- I no longer had a position of responsibility in a church – I was no longer able to provide financially for my family – some of the dreams I had for the church could no longer be fulfilled, at least not by me
- And in that process I began to ask the question “Who am I?” – “What is my identity?”
- I am glad to say that after reading the Scriptures and after thinking about it for a time – I came to the conclusion that I was exactly the same person I was before I had to resign from my position
- I was still a child of God – I was still a new creation – I was still a royal priest – I was still someone in whom God’s Holy Spirit lived – in fact my identity as a person who was “in Christ” had not changed
- Understanding that was life changing – not because it changed my circumstances, it didn’t – but because it changed my attitude towards my circumstances
- It allowed me to move from asking the question “Why me Lord?” to “What now Lord?”
Our identity in relation to sin and what others think about us
- You see when we genuinely understand our identity in Christ we find that our identity is not affected by:
1. Our circumstances
2. Our sin
3. What others think of us
- Remember what I said earlier about the letter Margaret received in which I was described as being a tool in the hand of satan?
- I know that I am a sinner – but if I believed what was written in that letter, how would I feel?
- I’d feel hopeless wouldn’t I? – Or unworthy – I’d feel like giving up
- Now it is true that if I am genuinely challenged about my wrong behaviour I need to do something about it
- But if I am attacked because someone is trying to bring me down, it helps greatly to remember that despite what others say – my identity as a person “in Christ” has not changed
- Despite what people may say about me, I am still a very much loved child of God – and remembering that helps me to keep on keeping on – doing my best to serve the Lord despite the opposition
- Question: Does my relationship with God change when I sin?
- Lots of Christians think that it does
- But according to the Scriptures we have looked at tonight, it doesn’t
- I am not condoning sin or saying that sin doesn’t matter – but I am saying that when we sin our identity as a child of God doesn’t change
- What changes is our fellowship with God – we feel ashamed – we feel from distant from God – we are afraid to come into his presence even though his love for us hasn’t changed
- God never says “Sin doesn’t matter” – His word encourages us to confess our sin, repent of it and receive forgiveness from the God who invented grace and who demonstrated grace by sending his only Son to die in our place so that the penalty for our sin could be dealt with once for all
- Sin is never good – sin is never acceptable – but our sin does not change our identity as a child of God – and sin does not cause us to lose our acceptance by God
Understanding our identity helps us to deal with temptation
- The final topic I want to talk about briefly this evening is dealing with temptation
- Remember I talked about nearly being run over on a pedestrian crossing?
- My natural human response in that kind of situation is to retaliate
- I feel like shouting obscenities – I feel like making rude hand gestures – I feel like doing all the things that satan would like me to do to ruin my witness as a Christian
- But if in these kinds of situations I can remember my true identity in Christ – I will be able to respond in a way that honours God
- Remember back to what we learnt from Romans 6
- When we become a Christian we are no longer a slave to sin
- If we study Romans 6 carefully we will learn that the person we used to be was a slave to sin, but that person died with Christ and a new person was born who is not a slave to sin
- So when I am tempted to sin I can say to myself “I don’t have to obey because I am a person who is no longer a slave to sin”
- Remembering my identity can affect the way I respond to temptation – not just the temptation that comes when I am nearly run over – but each and every temptation that satan puts in my path
- Do you believe that?
- I am not claiming that I have victory over every temptation I receive – but I am saying that remembering who we are in Christ is a key to dealing with temptation
Conclusion and Challenge
- I wonder what your circumstances are right now – I wonder what they will be in the future PAUSE
- Perhaps you are going through a period of uncertainty – perhaps your circumstances have changed – perhaps you have begun to doubt yourself in the midst of your new situation
- What would God say to you in the midst of your circumstances?
- He would say “You are my precious child – you are a new creation because I made you to be a new creation – you are a co-heir with Christ waiting for an inheritance beyond your imagination – You are a person who belongs to me, and to prove it I have sent my Holy Spirit to live in you as proof that you belong to me”
- Do you believe this?
- Satan doesn’t want you to believe it – but it’s true!
- Or perhaps you have been under attack lately
- Perhaps people have said things about you – things that make you doubt yourself
- What would God say to you tonight?
- He would say “Don’t be fooled!” – what others think about you is of no consequence – what matters is what I think about you and my love for you is unconditional – You are precious in my sight no matter what others may say about you or what they do to you
- Or perhaps there is some particular sin that is a problem right now
- Perhaps you feel powerless to deal with the temptations that keeping coming – perhaps you have lost hope
- God says to you this evening from his word “You are no longer a slave to sin, because I made you a new person - I have set you free from the power of sin, now go and live in the freedom I have given you”
- Or it may be that you have already given into temptation and the evil one is saying to you “You’re hopeless! – You’re worthless – your sin has made you unacceptable to God – you may as well keeping on sinning because that is the kind of person that you are”
- God says to you this evening “You are still my precious child no matter what has happened - The death of my Son has made atonement for your sin past, present and future – repent, receive my forgiveness and my cleansing so that the closeness we once had can be restored”
- I don’t know your circumstances this evening, or what they will be in the future - but I do know this: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
- God has made you to be a new person with a new identity – now go out and live in the new freedom that God has given you”
PRAY
Thank you Father for allowing us to be one of your children, even though we don’t deserve it
Thank you that by your grace you have made us to be “in Christ”
Forgive us Father we pray, for the times when we forget who we are – for the times we have listened to others and forgotten the truth of your Word
Help us we pray, to recognize who you have made us to be in the midst of uncertainty – in the midst of temptation – in the midst of persecution
Continue to teach us and lead us we pray, for we long to be the people you have called us to be, and we long to do the things you have called us to do.
Amen
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