Identity in Christ

Today, too many people look at the world through the simple philosophy of “Be You” or “Me” and while it is good to look out for yourself, this mindset challenges God’s word as God wants it to be “us”. When we think about “One Nation Under God”, it does not say one person but rather, one nation. However, you cannot get to an entire nation unless each individual makes it about us or them and God.

A lot of this resistance has to do with pride as we do not like to think that someone else is in control or above us. While we as Americans have more freedoms than anyone else in the world, we have a tendency to forget about God which has caused many of us to lose our way. Unfortunately, many people say that it’s their life and they’re going to do what they want to do but it is God that gives all man the idea that we are all created equal but it is man that has lost our moral authority but because we are made in the image of God, we were created and emboldened to live for Him.

Jeremiah 1:5 reads “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” When our identity is found in Christ, we are set a part but more so, we are set apart for God’s own personal use. Romans 8:29 tells us “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” When we walk with God, what happens is we have desires within us that were not there before but because of pride and other attitudes and emotions of this world, we fall into confusion.

We fall into confusion because of manmade traditions and notions of certain issues and we think of things from a legalistic perspective rather than a Godly one. We have to remember that Satan controls this world and while Christ does allow for Satan to have his say, Christ, ultimately, has the final say. We know this because, in the end, Christ wins and His word tells us this but right now, we must stand in faith and continue our race but our hope and identity must be found in Him rather than within the world.

We are to live by faith as instructed in Romans 1:17, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20 ”I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” We must put all legalism and other manmade aspects and traditions aside as they have no bearing on our salvation but rather, it’s by grace that we are saved. Our works and our deeds do not get us to heaven.

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”

–Galatians 2:20