Grace For The Journey

  Man has been plagued with the desire to “play God” since Genesis 3. This includes promoting imago self rather than imago Dei. That is, culture is obsessed with representing self, according to one’s own design. Although the created has always sinfully desired to be the Creator, contemporary culture is fraught with heightened forms of creating one’s identity. To be sure, we can easily and rapidly recreate our identities in both our real and virtual lives.

Online avatars permit us to create a virtual self where visual appearance, attributes, and behavior may be represented in any manner in the perceived risk-free environment of online spaces.  This permits individuals to act out their personal fantasies without apparent consequences.  Online screen names and profiles also permit us to self-represent ourselves in a particular manner that is often far from reality.  Social media permits us to define facets of self with mere images and a few characters.

Gender fluidity is being promoted as a cultural norm.  Individuals may now self-identify as someone or something else.  Bookstores and blogs are rampant with self-help, self-awareness, and self-actualization topics.  Tattoos have moved from expressing identity to defining identity.  Advances in artificial intelligence are rapidly colliding with concepts of identity and personhood.  TED talks provide unending lectures on personality, self-motivation, and humanity, all with the goal to assist us in defining our identity.

The Who’s 1978 classic song, “Who Are You” is the siren lament of contemporary culture.  People do not know their identity.  Culture has more adjectival labels for people now than one’s favorite cup of coffee at the boutique coffee shop.  People are in an identity crisis, desperately trying to define themselves in a world that strangles uniqueness as it makes everything normative.

We, believers in

Our Savior and Lord,

Jesus Christ,

Have the answer!

Our identity is not defined . . .

• By a denomination or a church.
• By what coffee we drink,
• By what clothes we wear,
• By what political party we align with,
• By what phone we use – an iOS or Android phone,
• By what sports team we root for,
• By what blogs we read,
• Or whether or not we have a beard.

Rather . . .

The Bible clearly and succinctly

Defines our identity with the

Two-word prepositional phrase,

“ἐν Χριστῷ” – “in Christ.”

The Bible repeatedly uses this expression in the letters the Holy Spirit led the Apostle Paul to write (along with “in Him” and “in the Lord”); it was critical to Paul’s understanding of himself and God, and it is the same for us.

Our identity

Is a Gospel identity

Fully defined in Christ.

To be in Christ means we share in Jesus’ death and resurrection. The old us is dead, and we are a new creature placed under the headship of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1-2).  Hence . . .

Our identity has been changed,

And

We think and act differently.

We are adopted into the family of God (1 Corinthians 12:13).  Having been justified, we are able to come boldly before the throne of God (Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews 4:16) as a people set apart (1 Peter 2:9).  Our identity comes with citizenship in heaven as we are changed to be in the world and not of the world (John 17:14-16; Romans 12:2).

Our identity does not depend

On us or material things of this world,

But solely on Christ.

In Christ alone.

We are united with Christ

And

Are His ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).

So … if you have admitted to yourself and God that  you are a sinner and cannot save yourself; seen and are depending upon, what Jesus did on the cross and through the empty tomb, have turned from  your sin and accepted Christ’ substitutionary death for you, and asked Him to be your Savior and Lord …   the next time someone asks who you are, answer them with “in Christ.”

When they look at you strangely, begin a Gospel proclamation.

This is God’s Word For Today … This Is Grace For The Journey

Rest and Rejoice in this eternal truth!

Pastor Terry

Ephesians 4:7 – “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.”

Hebrews 4:16 – “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”