Our Identity in Christ

Lately I have been thinking about the whole concept of identity.  We live in an age where our technological advancements have led to the relatively new crime of identity theft.  Identity theft is an insidious act that anyone who has ever experienced it can only describe it as a nightmare.  To think that another person can use your name, your social security number and your credit card for any purpose their heart desires is quite frankly chilling.

However, there is another type of identity theft that I find that those who claim to follow Christ fall victim to.  It is the theft of one’s identity in Christ.  What I mean is this.  We have a tendency to allow ourselves to be characterized and identified by cultural, societal and familial expectations and we sometimes fail to realize that in Christ we are “new creatures” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

For example, I am a pastor.  I have been serving in pastoral ministry for 25 years.  As a pastor, I study the Word of God, prepare sermons and Bible studies, teach small groups, speak at the nursing home, visit the sick, counsel people, build relationships with people, and seek to cast vision and direction for our church so that we can be effective in reaching our community for Christ.  I enjoy what God has called me to do and I throw myself into it.  But I am also a realist.  There will come a day when I will not have the physical energy and possibly not even the mental capacity to do all that I do now.  I can honestly say that I am okay with that reality, because my identity is not bound up in my accomplishments as a pastor.  More than being a pastor, I am a child of God and that is my true spiritual identity.

When I allow my culture, or my colleagues, or my family to determine my identity then in essence I am making myself a victim to spiritual identity theft.  Dr. Kenneth Boa writes the following in his book Conformed to His Image:  "Our culture tells us that our worth is determined by our accomplishments and encourages us to pursue significance and meaning through the things we do.  Scripture tells us our worth is determined by what Christ was willing to do for us and that in him we have an unlimited source of meaning and purpose (p. 144)."

When you and I by faith trust in Christ as our Savior and Lord to forgive us of our sins, we are made part of God’s family (Romans 8:15-16; Ephesians 1:5) and are God’s children.  Our identity is neither in what we can accomplish and nor in who or what we were in the past.  Our identity is in Jesus Christ.  Knowing that who I am is determined by Christ can give me the strength and courage to face the stuff life throws at me with a sense of peace and resolve.  As a follower of Christ, I am a child of the King of Kings and nothing anyone does, says or thinks can change that fact.  No one can steal my spiritual identity.

Learning to Listen

Part of being a disciple is learning to listen to the Holy Spirit.  When we come into a faith relationship with Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit takes residence in our lives (John 14:17).  Part of his role is to teach us (John 14:26); to convict and correct us (John 16:8-11); to guide us (John 16:13-14).  Closely related to being guided is being filled or controlled by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). In all of this, we do not lose our ability to make choices as we live our daily lives.

So how do we live in cooperation with the Holy Spirit as we live our daily lives as individuals fully capable of making our own choices?  One answer to that question is to develop one’s awareness and response to the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Here is one example.  Tuesdays are typically my “day off.”  On Tuesdays, I will do odd jobs around the house, or a wood working project, or read a novel, or in good weather I like to try to get a round of golf in.  It is a time to “decompress.”  Not long ago on a Monday evening I was looking to see when I could get an early tee time at a local golf course that gives a huge discount to clergy.  Due to the lack of tee times available, I could tell that there was a corporate outing scheduled for that day so I decided to look elsewhere.  Our local park district course could have been available but I had not yet renewed my park district card so I would be paying non-resident fees and that just was not the best choice financially.  I looked on line at several other courses and then I sensed that "nudging," that still small voice.  I verbalized what I was hearing and said to myself: “Scott, maybe God does not want you to play golf tomorrow.  Don’t push it.” 

Tuesday morning dawned, bright and beautiful.  After getting ready for the day, the first task was to mail some of my son’s text books which we had sold on line.  As I was packing the books, the phone rang and my son-in-law was asking if I could drive up to their place and “rescue” our daughter who had inadvertently locked herself out of the condo with her daughter.  Their 11 month old son was however, locked in the condo and fortunately in his crib.  On the way to their home I drove past my favorite golf course and smiled as I verbalized my thoughts: “Okay God, I get it.  I know of at least one reason why you did not want me to play golf today.”

I haven’t always paid attention to those promptings.  Many times I have “forced the issue” and done what I wanted, when I wanted, how I wanted.  After all it is “my” day off.  But as I strive to follow Christ, I am learning to listen.  As I have worked on this skill I have also learned a principle of living:  

When I respond obediently to the gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit,

 I consistently find that in some way I am put in a position

 to bless another person who in turn praises God.

It seems that is would be what Jesus meant when he instructed us to store up treasures in heaven (Matthew 5:20-21).  When we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow his promptings in our lives we are making eternal investments.  There is great value in learning to listen with spiritual ears.

No Excuses

One of the key characteristics of one who follows Jesus is that they “abide in his word” (John 8:31).  That means that the one who follows Jesus Christ will commit to spending time reading and learning to study the Bible on a regular basis.  As a pastor for 25 years I have heard and sadly made many excuses for one not reading their Bible consistently.  Excuses such as:  “I don’t have time.”  “My commute is too long.”  “The kids activities just wear me out.”  “I am meditating on the most recent passage I read.”  “I don’t read very well.”  “I don’t know where to start.”  Someday I am waiting for someone to tell me “The dog ate my Bible.”

The harsh reality is that with the resources and technology available to us today in the United States, there is absolutely no excuse for someone who claims to follow Jesus, to not be able get the Word of God into their lives on a daily basis.  If you have a smart phone you can download a free app called “You Version” that has virtually every translation one could ask for, plus Bible reading programs and even an audio component so that you can listen to the text being read.  Biblegateway.com has many translations available and also includes an audio feature.  There are sets of CD’s available for the person who has a long commute and needs to listen to the Bible being read as they drive their car.  Or one can go “old school” and simply read their personal copy of the Bible.  We have no excuses.  

This year, since January 1, I have been following one of the Bible reading plans available through “You Version.”  I have been amazed again at what I learn from God’s Word when I work through it systematically.  At times I have been deeply moved to change things in my life and other times I have been surprised at God’s timing as I am specifically encouraged by a passage that was part of the reading plan for a particular day.  Truly God’s Word is “living and active” (Hebrews 4:12). 

Someone once told me that we find the time, energy and when necessary the money to do what we really think is important.  You may read this and accuse me of making you feel guilty about whether you spend time in God’s Word or not.  Be that as it may, let me leave you with this:  If I am to follow Jesus, I need to have accurate information about what Jesus wants me to do and how he wants me to live.  That information is best found in the Word of God.  When I understand that reality and assess the vast array of resources at my finger tips, I really have no excuses.

Social Tension and Following Jesus

Part of being a follower of Jesus Christ entails that we must live with and respond to real world events.  This past week we have been inundated with the news of the death of Osama bin Laden at the hands of a US Navy SEAL team in a raid on his compound in Pakistan.  Responses have ranged from those who literally celebrated in the streets to others who were deeply troubled at such celebrations over the killing of any human being.  It is within that social tension that the Christ follower lives.

As I have thought and prayed about my response to this event, I have been challenged by God to start with His Word and seek to find the balance that will guide me in these situations.   These are not just matters of social justice or national patriotism, they are truly matters of the heart and if we truly believe that the Bible is our supreme and final authority in matters of faith and life then it needs to be our first source for direction.

With that thought in mind I began to search the Scriptures for a response to this event and I was led to Psalm 11.  David, the psalmist, seems to be in a situation in which justice is needed.  He expresses his confidence in God (v. 1) and his awareness of the underhanded dealings of the wicked (v. 2).  And he asks the question that we all ask, “When it seems that there is no justice what can the righteous, those who want to follow God, do?  Where do we turn?"

The answer is always the same.  Even when justice does not seem to be present we need to trust the God of justice who has never abdicated his position or lost control of the circumstances.  God is above us and is constantly aware of all that goes on.  The psalmist says he “examines the righteous” (v. 4) which literally has the idea of testing or refining.  But he hates those who do violence.  That is strong language that is backed up by God’s warning of severe judgment for those who love and practice violence on his creatures.  In contrast God says that he loves justice (v 7). 

How do we summarize this in light of this past week?  I think the balance is that God does not celebrate the death of any of his creatures because his desire is that all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  And yet he does allow justice to be done.  A man who masterminded the death of thousands of innocent people deserved justice and justice was meted out.  As a Christ follower I do not celebrate violence and death but I do love and celebrate justice as does God.