Hello everyone! Welcome back to the blog. I know, I know. I need to get better at updating this more regularly. I’m trying, but I’m a freshman in college now so it’s been a busy time.
Anyway, on to our topic of the day.
It seems to me that modern Christians, especially here in America, are undergoing a serious identity crisis. There is a dangerous skewed teaching that has infiltrated the American Church that many believers, especially young people, are falling prey too. And it’s a very skewed doctrine of identity in Christ.
Now, don’t misunderstand me. The idea of new identity in Christ is not in any way bad, nor is it heresy. It is completely true that being in Christ gives you a new identity that you can walk boldly in. 2 Corinthians talks about this.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Having a new identity in Christ is completely biblical, and definitely something we should all celebrate. I’m a Christian. That means that now I am:
Forgiven. Redeemed. Justified. Loved. Adopted into the family of God (1 John 3:1). I am being sanctified day by day. I am made in the image of God and made worthy through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Here’s where it starts to derail.
People who preach this, generally speaking, love this idea. And we should. However, when we are constantly focused on, talking about, and preaching who we are, we are making God smaller. We are making it about us when it’s about Him. It can become the gospel of who I am, rather than who He is, very quickly. And isn’t that just so human of us?
It is also very easy to forget, or even intentionally ignore, the other side of this. The side we don’t like. The side of our identity that makes God greater than us.
I’m a Christian. I am loved, forgiven and redeemed.
I’m also a Christian.
Which means I am also a sinner in desperate need of the grace of God.
I’m a hypocrite. An idolater. A liar. A cheat. I envy. I lust. I’m greedy. I’m rude. I disrespect my parents. I often worship God with my lips, when my heart is far from Him. I think unrighteous thoughts and do unrighteous things. I love the world rather than the God who created it. I’m a vile wretch deserving of judgement.
Can you relate?
Now, it’s not fun to admit those parts of who we are. But you can’t have or truly appreciate your identity in Christ until you understand who you are without Him. And that is my main point. We have to acknowledge who we are without Him for three main reasons.
- So we truly appreciate who we are in Him.
- So we are constantly in awe that God would save a sinner like me.
- So we understand that is all about Him, and not about us.
The hard reality is that all of those wonderful attributes I listed above (being forgiven, loved, a child of God) only apply to those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. I wish it applied to everyone, but sadly it doesn’t. That’s not who we naturally are. And understanding that is key to appreciating God and His mercy in redefining us.
You are not redeemed unless you realize you need redeeming. You are not forgiven unless you realize that you need forgiveness. Belief has always been the condition. And there en-lies the problem, and quite frankly the danger, of the self-identity gospel. You can’t have grace without repentance.
I’ll say it again: you can’t have grace without repentance.
Salvation isn’t so amazing to us until we realize exactly what we have been saved from. We’re saved from ourselves. Our natural selves that worship creation rather than our Creator (Romans 1:25). And in the same way, we don’t truly understand or appreciate our identity in Christ until we realize who we are without Him. You need the dark to know how precious the light is.
Now, I am also not say to berate yourself. If you’ve been forgiven, if you truly believe in Jesus and His finished work on the cross, you’re free. Walk like it. But don’t forget that you need Him. You need His grace. You need His forgiveness. Never forget it. It about Him and what He has done. Not us.
So, in summary, love and appreciate your identity in Christ. Celebrate that you are forgiven by His blood, if you have indeed placed your trust in Him. But don’t make it a gospel of self. Remember who you were before Him. Who your natural self is. Celebrate the gift, but don’t forget how little we deserve it. Your identity in Christ is not about you, but it’s all about Him.
The Art of Faith 