Category: Identity

Not Offended

On By BrianIn Identity

Have you noticed that everyone seems to be offended?  Even outraged!  Several weeks ago a school decided not to have a Valentine’s party lest someone be offended.  But of course their decision offended other people.  Facebook is full of the rants and ravings of offended people.  What are we to make of this?  Here’s my theory.

Somehow we have come to base our identity on what others think and do.  So if someone thinks or does something that I like, it validates my thoughts and actions, and so validates my identity.  On the flip side, if someone disagrees with me about something or does something I don’t like, it opposes my thoughts and my actions, and so threatens my identity.  And I get offended, or even outraged.

And so suddenly having or not having a Valentine’s party threatens someone’s identity.  Opposing or supporting same-sex marriage, or gun-control, or abortion, or practically anything threatens someone’s identity.  We can no longer have a rational conversation about anything, because our identity is at stake.  And so we quickly get offended or even outraged.

Even many Christians, who should know better, seem to have based their identity on what the rest of world thinks and does.  The majority of our country used to agree with us on moral issues, but now it doesn’t, and so our identity is somehow threatened.  And so we act like the rest of the world – offended, outraged, ranting and raving.

But our identity as Christians is not based on the opinions or actions of others.  Our identity is found in Christ who loved us and died for us and made us children of God.  We are in Christ.  He is our identity.  And so we need not be so easily offended.  We need not be outraged at every little thing that happens.

Now let me be clear – we may not like what others think or do.  We may hate the sin that we see in our culture and the harm that it brings to people.  Sin should bother us.  Sin is offensive.  But we need not be offended or outraged by the thoughts and behaviors of others as if it somehow threatens our identity.  We ought not live in a constant state of offense and outrage.

Our identity is found in Christ and not in what others think or do.  So let’s live as Christians and not be so easily offended.

 

What We Were Made For

On By BrianIn Identity, PASSION Quotes

ForeverWe were not created for our own liberty, happiness, or fulfillment.  We were not created to find our own way and to discover our own joy.  We were not designed to define what our needs are and to give our lives to meet them.  We were not made to treat the world like an endless buffet of delights for our consumption.  We were made for God, made to live for his glory, and made to find the fullest expression of our humanity in loving, worshipful community with him….  Every day billions of us get up and ignore the love relationship with God for which we were created.  Because we do not love him as we should, we do not have the motivation to please him.  Because we are not motivated to please him, we find it easy, in small moments and big, to replace him with something else.  We replace love of God with a life-dominating love of self.  We replace concern for the glory of God with self-glory….  Inserting ourselves in the center of our world is the ultimate delusion.  Sin not only denies the structure of the world as God made it, but it also denies our very identity as human beings.  We are God’s image bearers.  We were made for him.
– Paul David Tripp in Forever

In Christ, I Am a New Creation, Part 2

On By BrianIn Identity1 Comment

Who am I? In Christ, I am a new creation. The old sinful distorted way of life is past. I have been made new with news desires and a new ability to be like God and reflect God. And yet while I am new, I am also being renewed. I have entered a process of becoming more and more like God, of reflecting God more and more. I am like a prisoner who has been set free. I am free, but I must learn to live out my new freedom. I must learn to live as a new creation. And Colossians 3 gives me very specific instructions on what this looks like:

• God made me to think, and as a new creation I am being renewed in knowledge (v10). No longer conformed to the thinking of this fallen world, I am being transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2). And this takes places as I immerse myself in God’s Word – as it dwells in me richly (v16).

• God made me to love, and as a new creation I must put on love in all its fullness. I must begin to practice compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, patience, bearing with others, and forgiving others (v12-14).

• God made me to work, and as a new creation I begin to work heartily as unto the Lord (v22-24). No longer simply trying to keep the boss happy, or thinking only of what I can get out of it, or being as lazy as I can get away with, now I am to work heartily in service to God. My work becomes an opportunity to serve God all week long.

• God made me to rest, and as a new creation I begin to learn what it means to rest. Colossians doesn’t address this, but Jesus does in Luke 10:38-42. While Martha is busy serving, Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet. There is a time to work and a time to rest. And one reason we rest is to simply sit at the feet of Jesus to learn and grow in him.

• God made me to live uprightly, and as a new creation I begin to put off sin and put on what is right. I clothe myself with love (v12-14), which Jesus said is the sum of righteousness (Matthew 22:37-40). And I put off sexual immorality and all that goes with it, anger and all its sisters, and wrong ways of speaking: slander, obscenity, and lying (v5-9).

• Finally, God made me to reflect him, and as a new creation I seek to do just that. In whatever I do, I am to do it in the name of Jesus (v17) – as his ambassador, as his representative. Every word and every deed to reflect him.

In Christ, I am a new creation. May we grow in living out this wonderful new identity.

Also in this series:

In Christ, I Am a New Creation

On By BrianIn Identity

Who am I? God made me in his image – to be like him, to reflect him. But I have become a distorted image-bearer. I am not like God as he made me to be. I don’t reflect him, but rather seek to be my own god. And if this was the end, a miserable end it would be. But God didn’t leave us this way. He made a way for us to become a new creation in Christ.

The promise is given in Ezekiel 36:25-27. God would give us a new heart and spirit – giving us new desires to once again be like him and reflect him. God would give us his own Spirit – giving us a new ability to once again be like him and reflect him.

In the fullness of time, Jesus came – fully God and fully man, God and perfect image-bearer of God. And he died that we might die to sin – our old distorted way of life. And he rose that we might rise to a new way of life, that we might live for righteousness, that we might again live as image-bearers of God (I Peter 2:24, Romans 6:3-4).

So now, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (II Corinthians 5:17). In Christ, I have a new identity. No longer am I a distorted image-bearer, but now I am a new creation in Christ. The old distorted way of life is past. Now I have been made new. I have new desires to love again. I have a new mind to think again. I have a new ability through the Spirit to live uprightly again. In Christ, I am a new creation.

Colossians 3:9-10 puts it this way. I have put off the old self with its practices – the old distorted way of living. And I have put on the new self. I am a new creation. But the verse goes on to say that I have put on the new self “which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” I am new, but I am also being renewed. I am a new creation, but I am not yet perfect. Becoming a new creation means I have entered into a process in which I become more and more like God, in which I begin to reflect God more and more.

I was a prisoner caught in a distorted way of life, but now I have been set free, and must learn to live as a free person. I must learn to live as a new creation. And Colossians 3 tells us how. We are to put to death that which belongs to the old distorted way of life (v5-10), and put on that which agrees with our new identity as a new creation in Christ (v12-17). Tomorrow we will look at some specific ways that we are to do this.

I Am a Distorted Image-Bearer, Part 2

On By BrianIn Identity

Who am I? God made us in his image. God made us to reflect him. Like the moon reflects the light of the sun, so we are to reflect the glory of God. But then came the Fall. Adam and Eve sinned. And we all became distorted image-bearers.

We seek to reflect not God, but ourselves. We try to cover up the reflection of God as we seek to be our own gods. We live for ourselves. Learning, relationships, work, and rest become all about me. And I will determine right and wrong for myself apart from God – just like the devil tempted Eve so many years ago. We all do what is right in our own eyes. We were made to reflect God’s glory, but we all fall short as we seek to be our own gods.  The reflection of God within us has become distorted, twisted, covered.

Not only do we seek to be our own gods, but we follow after other gods – idols. This is inevitable, because if I don’t find my identity in God as his image-bearer, I will have to look elsewhere for meaning, purpose, significance. Since I can’t find it in myself (I make a lousy god), I’ll chase after created things to give me meaning, an identity. And so people seek their identity in all kinds of places. Some look for their identity in their career, their job, their business. Others find their identity in their busyness (I must be significant if I am this busy!). Some seek their identity in their successes. Others identify themselves with their failures, or their suffering. For some, their identity is found in what others think, or in a relationship – a spouse, a child, a friend. Many look for their identity in things – all the stuff they own. Others seek their identity in their looks, their health, their sexuality, or their good behavior. Yet none of these idols can give us the significance we crave, the identity we seek.

So here are some important questions for us:

  • In what ways am I living as though I was god?
  • Where am I seeking my identity? What are my idols?

Also in this series:

I Am a Distorted Image-Bearer

On By BrianIn Identity

Who am I? God made us in his image, after his likeness. God made us like him to think, to love, to work, to rest, to live morally upright. But then came the Fall. Adam and Eve sinned. And we all became distorted image-bearers. The likeness became distorted.

  • God made us rational beings to think like him, but now we don’t think rightly. The devil promised Eve that the fruit would make her wise, but it made her and all of us fools. Our think has become futile; our understanding has become darkened (Romans 1:21-22, Ephesians 4:17-18). Our thinking is distorted by sin.
  • God made us relational beings to love like him, but now we don’t love rightly. Instead of taking responsibility for his sin, Adam blames God and Eve – hardly the height of love. Jesus says that if we love him, we will obey his commands. Adam failed to love by disobeying God, and so it continues in each of us to this day. Not only do we fail to love, but our relationships are broken. We are alienated from God by our sin (Colossians 1:21). And our human relationships are often characterized by strife. We see broken relationships all around us. Our love has been distorted by sin.
  • God made us occupational beings to work like him, but now we don’t work rightly. Not only has our work been frustrated by the Fall, but we also have become lazy. It may show itself in our jobs, or are chores around the home, or in our relationships, or in our church ministry, or in any number of other places. We struggle with sloth. Our work has been distorted by sin.
  • God made us recreational beings to rest like him, but now we either refuse to rest or live to rest. The proper balance of work and rest has been distorted. Some are workaholics. Others live for the weekend. Either way, we have fallen from what God intended. Our rest has been distorted by sin.
  • God made us moral beings to live uprightly like him, but now we live in sin. We miss the mark of righteousness. Our attitudes, our thoughts, our desires, our words, our actions are all marked by sin.

We are not like God as he made us to be. We have become distorted image-bearers. Tomorrow, we will explore this further before considering God’s incredible plan of rescue.

Also in this series:

Designed to Image God

On By BrianIn Identity, PASSION Quotes

DiscipleHumans are designed to image or reflect God their Creator (Gen. 1:26-27).  Don’t let the subtlety of this escape you.  Our design as humans inherently requires something to image – God….  And when we don’t image him, by default we image ourselves and elevate ourselves as god.  This is the height of idolatry….  We humans fail to grasp that we are most human when we image God.  We vainly seek an image of our own to bear, hoping to project a self-image so captivating that others will love and accept us.
– Bill Clem in Disciple

I Am an Image-Bearer, Part 3

On By BrianIn Identity

Who am I? In the last two posts (Part 1 and Part 2), we said that we are image-bearers of God – made in his likeness, we are like God is several ways. Here are three more implications of being image-bearers of God:

First, I am a reflection of God. I am made in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27). An image is a reflection, a representation. I look in a mirror, and I see my image – it is a reflection of me. I take a picture of myself, and that picture is a reflection of me. In the same way, we are created to be pictures, representations, reflections of God. We are created to reflect God to others. In my thinking, I am to reflect God to others. In my relationships, I am to reflect God to others. In my work, I am to reflect God to others. In my rest, I am to reflect God to others. In my behavior, I am to reflect God to others. I am to point not to myself but to God. I am to live for his glory, not my own. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, so I am to reflect the glory of God.

Second, I am accountable to God. God commanded Adam not to eat of a certain tree, and if Adam disobeyed there would be dire consequences (Genesis 2:16-17). He was accountable to God. And so are we. All of us will one day have to answer to God. How well did I use my mind? How well did I love God and people? How well did I work? How well did I rest? How well did I live uprightly? How well did I reflect God in my everyday life, instead of creating my own image for people to see?

Third, I am valuable to God. Yes, I am a creature made from the dust, but I am also made in God’s image which gives me great value, great dignity. I bear the Creator’s image. As one poster I remember from childhood said, “God don’t make no junk.” This is where I find my identity – not in what others think of me, not in my circumstances, not in my accomplishments or failures – but in what God thinks of me. He made me in his image, and so I have value. He made you in his image, so you have value. And so we ought to respect one another.

As I am to respect God, so I am to respect people made in God’s image. James 3 warns us about blessing God and then turning around and cursing people made in his image. When I curse, insult, belittle, and make fun of people, I do the same to God. How often have we cursed God? We must respect one another as image-bearers of God – regardless of behavior, political leanings, sexual orientation, color of skin, economic status, or whatever tempts you to belittle another person. Everyone is an image-bearer of God, and so we must respect one another. That doesn’t mean we will always approve of what others do – often we won’t. But we must treat people with respect because they are made in God’s image.

I Am an Image-Bearer, Part 2

On By BrianIn Identity1 Comment

Who am I? Yesterday, we said that we are image-bearers of God. We are made in his likeness. We are like God – made in his likeness as rational, relational, occupational, recreational, moral beings. That is who we are. And we ought to live like it. But we need to make an important clarification:

I am a rational being, but I am not the sum of my learning.
I am a relational being, but I am not the sum of my relationships.
I am an occupational being, but I am not the sum of my work.
I am a recreational being, but I am not the sum of my vacations and holidays.
I am a moral being, but I am not the sum of my good behavior.

My identity is found in being an image-bearer of God. My identity is found in God, not in my learning, relationships, work, rest, or behavior. Those are all applications or out-workings of my identity, but they are not my identity.

If I look for my identity in these out-workings, and these out-workings are good – I have a lot of degrees, and good family with good friends, and a good job, and some killer vacations, and really good behavior – I am tempted toward pride. I begin to think I am better than others. But no, I am a creature made from the dust. I am an image-bearer of God.

If I look for my identity in these out-workings, and these out-workings are bad – I am not well-educated, and my relationships are a wreck, and I a have a dead-end job (or just lost my job), and I’ve never had a real vacation, and my past is a wreckage of poor choices – I am tempted to despair or depression. I feel like a loser. I must be worthless compared to those who have succeeded in these areas. But no, I am a creature made from the dust to be an image-bearer of God. That is who I am.

My identity is found in God as an image-bearer, not in my circumstances, accomplishments, or failures.

I Am an Image-Bearer of God

On By BrianIn Identity

Who am I? Last week we said that we are creatures made by God and dependent upon God. We are also image-bearers of God. God made us in his image after his likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). That means that I am like God in certain ways:

• I am a rational being – God made me like him to think. Consider the thought that went into creating the world. And then God gives Adam and Eve the task of having dominion over it (Genesis 1:26). In one day, Adam names the animals (Genesis 2:19). Consider the thought required to do all of that. God made us to think like he does. And so we ought to think! We ought to use the minds God gave us. We ought to learn. We ought to think through our actions. We ought to think.

• I am a relational being – God made me like him to love. God is three persons in an eternal loving relationship with each other. God shows his love for Adam and Eve as he provides for their needs and enters into a relationship with them. And God made us to love as he does. The two great commands are to love God and love people. We are to live in a relationship with God and the people around us. And those relationships are to be governed by love.

• I am an occupational being – God made me like him to work. Again consider the work that went into creating the world. And then God gives Adam and Eve the job of having dominion over it (Genesis 1:26). He creates a garden and tells Adam to take care of it (Genesis 2:15). God made us to work like he does. Whether it is a job, the raising of our families, or the chores around the house, God made us to work.

• I am a recreational being – God made me like him to rest. After 6 days of creating, God rested on the seventh day. He looked at his creation, and proclaimed it good. He enjoyed the results of his work. And we too are called to rest, to enjoy the work of our hands, the work of our minds. Rest from our labors is a good thing. God created us to rest like he did.

• I am a moral being – God created me like him to live uprightly. God is righteous, holy, pure, good – without any taint of evil. And we are to be holy as he is holy (I Peter 1:15-16). God commanded Adam not to eat of a certain tree, and Adam was to obey (Genesis 2:16-17). And God has given us commands that we are to obey. God made us to live uprightly.

I am like God – made in his likeness as a rational, relational, occupational, recreational, moral being. That is who I am. And I ought to live like it.