Identity

1. Your Identity in Christ is the Foundation for Spiritual Growth

We cannot consistently behave in ways that are different from what we believe about ourselves.

Spiritual adolescence. Many Christians find themselves "stuck" in spiritual adolescence, much like the author's experience of getting lost in Oahu and returning to the same starting point daily. This stagnation often stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of who they truly are in Christ, leading to frustration and a sense of boredom with their faith journey. The apostle Paul urged believers to "press on" towards maturity, taking responsibility for their spiritual growth.

Searching for identity. Social psychologist Erik Erikson noted that teenagers experience "role confusion versus identity," frantically searching for who they are, often through external means like dress, music, or reputation. Similarly, adults often seek identity in earthly successes:

• Career: Working eighty hours a week because the job is their identity.
• Relationships: Staying in unhealthy relationships to avoid being alone.
• Possessions: A new car or prized possession defining who they are.
• Hobbies: Obsessive fandom becoming a trademark.
  This quest for identity outside of God is ultimately frustrating and unfulfilling.

True identity in Christ. The Bible clearly defines our identity as followers of Christ, offering a new and incredible sense of self. Understanding this divine identity is crucial for moving beyond spiritual adolescence. It liberates us from performance-based Christianity and legalism, transforming "have to's" into "get to's." Ultimately, grasping our identity in Christ is not about self-esteem, but about glorifying God, as Peter reminds us: "that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light." Satan's scheme is to distort this reality, making us live defeated lives.

2. You Are God's Beloved Child

God is not the reflection of your earthly father. He is the perfection of your earthly Father.

The perfect Father. Humanity shares a deep, God-given longing for a father's love, often unmet by earthly dads. This void points to our innate desire for God, the ultimate and perfect Father. Jesus consistently referred to God as "Father" (Abba, or "Daddy"), emphasizing His encompassing attributes:

• Holiness: Demanding respect and authentic worship.
• Love & Generosity: Lavishing great love and providing for all needs.
• Kindness: A gentle and involved Daddy.
• Sovereignty & Wisdom: Authority over all things.
• Justice: Disciplining His children out of love.
  Regardless of our earthly father's example, God is the perfect Father, and we are His beloved children.

God's great love. John wrote, "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!" This love is:

• Eternal: Fixed on us before creation, never to be separated.
• Personal: He likes, enjoys, and delights in us, proving His love by dying for us.
• Intentional: We are adopted, not accidental, chosen by grace like Mephibosheth, whom David sought out and invited to his table despite his brokenness.
• Unconditional: Like the prodigal son's father, He offers mercy and forgiveness every time we return, restoring intimacy.
• Generous: He provides for all our needs and has given us an eternal, unfading inheritance as co-heirs with Christ.
• Purifying: His "tough love" disciplines us for our good, conforming us to Christ's image and sharing in His holiness.

Response to His love. As His child, our response should be:

• Trust: Like children, we must trust Him completely, releasing control and allowing Him to pilot our lives.
• Obey: Obedience flows from a pure heart, not burden, but gratitude for His wisdom.
• Reflect: We reflect His nature (born again with His DNA) and character (imitating Christ's holiness, forgiveness, mercy, love, and light).

3. You Are a Royal Priest with Direct Access to God

You have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place.

The privilege of a priest. In the Old Testament, the high priest held the exclusive privilege of entering the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle or temple—the sacred space where God met with man. This inner room, veiled by a thick curtain, was off-limits to everyone else, including kings like Uzziah, who was struck with leprosy for attempting to burn incense there. The people longed to enter, but only the high priest, once a year on the Day of Atonement, could approach God's presence with sacrificial blood.

Christ changed everything. The writer of Hebrews reveals that through Jesus, we now have direct access to this "Most Holy Place." Christ's sacrificial death on the cross, the ultimate "Lamb of God," was a once-for-all atonement for our sins. At the moment of His death, the temple curtain was torn from top to bottom, symbolizing that the barrier between God and humanity was removed. Just as the owner's son granted access to the Miami Heat locker room, God's Son grants us access to His presence.

Meeting God anywhere. The earthly tabernacle and temple were mere "photocopies" of the true, heavenly temple. God's throne is in heaven, and we can now spiritually approach it directly, "wherever you are." This means:

• No sacred buildings: God doesn't exclusively reside in church buildings; viewing them as such can lead to hypocrisy, where different standards apply inside versus outside.
• Constant connection: We are invited to meet with God "right now," not just at scheduled times. This calls for us to "slow down" and "stay connected," like having a "spiritual BlackBerry" to remain in constant communication.
• Confidence, not fear: We can draw near to God with a "sincere heart in full assurance of faith," not with fear or insecurity, because we are welcome in His presence.

4. You Are Christ's Pure and Forgiven Bride

As His bride, you are completely forgiven by Him because His death cleansed you wholly.

Freedom from spiritual prison. Many Christians live as if they are still in a "spiritual mock prison," burdened by guilt and believing Satan's accusations. Satan, the "accuser," constantly bombards us with lies: "God can't forgive you," "Your past is too dark," "You're nothing more than a sinner." However, God's Word declares the truth:

• No condemnation: "There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
• New creation: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"
• Righteousness: We have received His righteousness and are no longer slaves to sin.
  We are actually forgiven and free, and God compels us to remember this reality.

United with Christ. God uses the profound mystery of marriage to describe our relationship with Christ: we are His body and His bride. When we become Christians, we are completely united with Him, and He cares for us as His own. This union means we are "completely forgiven" because His death cleansed us wholly, erasing every spot and blemish. Theologically, this is the "Great Exchange": Christ took our sin, and in return, we received His righteousness, like a million dollars credited to our account.

Hosea's radical love. The Old Testament story of Hosea and Gomer powerfully illustrates God's intentional and unconditional love for His bride. God commanded Hosea to marry Gomer, a prostitute, to symbolize Israel's spiritual adultery. Despite Gomer's unfaithfulness and eventual enslavement, Hosea pursued her, bought her back at a slave auction, and restored her as his wife. This mirrors Christ's love:

• We were slaves to sin, spiritually unfaithful.
• Christ was humiliated, paying with His own life to purchase us back.
• He adorns us in a "robe of righteousness," seeing us as His perfect bride.
  Our response:
• Remember identity: Live as His pure bride, putting on new clothes of righteousness and leaving the old self behind.
• View sin as adultery: Recognize that seeking satisfaction outside of God is spiritual adultery, leading to emptiness and pain, like "cracked cisterns that cannot hold water."
• Consistently confess: Confession restores intimacy with God, not because He doesn't know, but because it removes our guilt and deepens our connection, just as David's confession restored his joy.

5. You Are a Willing Servant, Finding Greatness in Service

Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all.

The "doulos" identity. While the world chases prestigious titles, early Christian leaders like Paul and Timothy proudly identified themselves as "doulos"—a willing slave or bondservant of Jesus Christ. In Jewish culture, a bondservant chose to remain with a beloved master after six years of service, marked by a pierced earlobe as a sign of love and gratitude. Similarly, Christ purchased us with His blood, marked us with His Spirit, and we choose to serve Him out of love, not obligation.

Greatness in serving. Jesus taught that true greatness in God's "upside-down kingdom" comes from serving, not being served. He exemplified this by washing His disciples' feet, including Judas', demonstrating the "full extent of His love." This act, reserved for the lowest slave, showed that serving is fundamentally Christian. A non-serving Christian is an "oxymoron." Just as playing a game brings a greater "high" than watching, serving God brings a unique blessing and fulfillment that sitting on the sidelines (like Michal watching David dance) cannot.

Living as a servant. To live out our identity as a servant, we must:

• Serve the Master's family: Our service to Christ is often manifested in serving His church (God's people). Loving Jesus but not His church is like loving a man but despising his wife. Our spiritual gifts are given to benefit God's family.
• Manage God's grace: We are stewards of God's resources, including His grace. Serving is administering God's grace to others, dispensing His love and compassion through our actions.
• Enjoy your unique contribution: God's grace is administered in "various forms" through our unique callings, personalities, and spiritual gifts. Whether we are a "sprinkler," "watering pot," "pitcher," "pressure cleaner," or "dropper," each contribution is essential and uniquely ours.

6. You Are God's Intimate Friend

Best of all God is with us.

God with us. Jesus is Immanuel, meaning "God with us." This is the core reality of our relationship with Him. We are not just doing things for God or trying to get to God; we are invited to be with God in deep friendship. Mary, sitting at Jesus' feet, chose the "better" portion—being with Him—while Martha was distracted by doing things for Him. If we're not hungry for friendship with God, we're likely filling up on life's "cheap stuff."

Sharing His thoughts and greatness. As God's friends, He shares His thoughts and plans with us. Abraham was called God's friend because God disclosed His intentions regarding Sodom and Gomorrah. Jesus told His disciples, "I no longer call you servants... Instead I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." This friendship is even deeper for us, as the Holy Spirit (the "Spirit of truth") lives within us, constantly guiding us and making God's thoughts known. To hear Him, we must:

• Listen: Stop talking and listen, ensuring what we hear aligns with Scripture.
• Ask for His glory: Like Moses and Elijah, we should pray "God, show me Your glory," asking for His greatness to be displayed in situations where only He can intervene.

Included in His plans. God delights in including His friends in His work, not because He needs us, but because He wants to partner with us. From Adam naming animals to the disciples distributing food to 5,000, God invites us into His extraordinary plans. Our response to this profound friendship is simply to "enjoy being with God." View your spiritual journey as living with God, not just for Him, integrating Him into every aspect of your daily life.

7. You Are an Alien in This World, Called to Live Differently

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

Not of this world. Our identity as "aliens and strangers" means we don't truly belong to this world; our citizenship is in heaven. This calls for a distinct way of living, especially when the world is watching and accusing, as it did the early Christians blamed for Rome's fire. Peter urged them to "abstain from sinful desires" and "live such good lives among the pagans" so that their good deeds would glorify God. This differentiation is crucial, as inconsistencies in Christian lives can hinder the gospel's advance, as Gandhi observed: "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians."

Different leader, law, and language. As aliens, we are distinct in several ways:

• Different Leader: Our ultimate allegiance is to Christ, our King, not the desires of this world. Following Him means laying down our "nets" (old ways of life) and embracing transformation, not just information.
• Different Law: We obey the "law of the Spirit," not a complicated list of man-made rules or legalism (like the Pharisees). The Spirit's guidance eliminates the need for external regulations, requiring discipline, sensitivity, and faith.
• Different Language: We hear God's voice and sense His conviction internally, making us feel "out of place" in worldly settings that contradict His kingdom. This internal "tug" is a constant reminder of our true belonging.

Abstain from sin, live well among people. To live out this alien identity, we must:

• Hold back from sin: Sin is temptation + desire. We must address both:
  • Temptation: Be wise and avoid situations that strongly match our struggles.
  • Desire: "Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." This is an internal war, won by "feeding the God dog" (Holy Spirit through Scripture, prayer, fasting) and starving the sinful flesh.
• Live well among people: We are called to live righteously attractive lives among pagans, not isolated from them. This means being a "transformer of culture," not "Christ above culture" (isolation), "Christ of culture" (compromise), or "Christ against culture" (hatred). Our lives should be a "walking billboard of God's transforming power," drawing people to Him through our love, integrity, and joy.

8. You Are Christ's Ambassador, Sent to Reconcile the World

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

Beyond salesman or hunter. Our role in sharing faith is not that of a "Jesus salesman" trying to close a deal, nor a "heathen hunter" seeking notches on a spiritual belt. These approaches cheapen the gospel and dehumanize people. Instead, God calls us "Christ's ambassadors"—high-ranking dignitaries representing our King and His kingdom in a foreign land for a specific period. Our mission is reconciliation: God making His appeal to the world through us.

Your sacred assignment. Jesus' final command was, "You will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." This is our assignment, empowered by the "dunamis" (dynamite) power of the Holy Spirit. Our "Jerusalem" is our immediate sphere:

• Neighborhood: Consistent friendliness and good deeds.
• Workplace: Bringing our best, displaying integrity, and engaging relationally.
• Community: Being a transforming presence in daily interactions.
  Every ordinary moment becomes sacred because we represent Christ. We are the "aroma of Christ," the "salt of the earth," and the "light of the world," shining brightly and preserving the environments God has placed us in.

In the culture, not isolated. Jesus Himself was called a "friend of sinners" because He actively engaged with people far from God, like Matthew the tax collector. He went to parties with them, not to compromise, but to transform lives. Our Christian subculture, with its Christian radio, bookstores, and theme parks, can be dangerous if it leads to isolation from the very people God has called us to reach. We must avoid becoming "Bible study junkies" who gain knowledge but neglect relationships with "sinners and tax collectors."

Urgency of the mission. An ambassador's mission is for a "specific period of time." Our life on this planet is our one opportunity to represent Christ. This brevity should create urgency, like the four friends who "unroofed the roof" to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. Our love for others should compel us to overcome obstacles and bring them to Christ. We are here for a purpose, and every moment counts.