Identity Theft

Who are you? Probably the most important question we should ask ourselves (Right after Who is Jesus). This article might help you give a good and accurate answer to the question - Identity Theft: Losing Our Christian Self-Consciousness by Jim Elliff

When whimpering Gideon hid himself from the Midianites in the winepress while threshing his wheat, the angel of the Lord appeared to him with this striking greeting: “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”

Man of valor? In Gideon’s mind, nothing could be further from the truth. But the angel continued, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.”

Gideon squeaked out a lame response, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” But the angel, representing God, rebutted his view of himself by forcing the issue: “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”

Gideon had identity issues. He could not believe the truth about himself. A fleece or two later, he was finally fully convinced, and went on to valiantly do God’s business as the mighty man God described him to be. See his story in Judges 6-9.

God has created the identity of His church. It is far beyond what we claim of ourselves. In fact, we may have a harder time than Gideon believing we are who we are. But failure to believe what is true about ourselves will keep us from doing mighty deeds for God. Certainly what we are is entirely based upon God’s presence in us and His power bequeathed to us. We are nothing on our own. But in Christ, we are something beyond imagination. Consider who God declares we are:

We are God’s children.

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” (1 Jn 3:1 )

“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” Gal 3:26

We are God’s temple.

“For we are the temple of the living God . . .” (2 Cor 6:16)

“You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet 2:5)

We are God’s priests.

“. . . and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father . . .” (Rev 1:6)
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood . . .” (1 Pet 2:9)

We are God’s handiwork.

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Eph 2:10)

We are God’s heirs.

“. . . and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ . . .” (Rom 8:17)

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” (Gal 3:29)

We are God’s ambassadors.

“Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:20)

When we are asked who we are or face overwhelming odds against us, don’t give a blank stare. Realize who you are because of Christ. If possible, memorize these truths so that you will never forget!

(Image copied from original web page)

Bible Shaped Identities

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How Reading the Bible Shapes Our Identity byDavid Powlison from Crossway on Vimeo.

Rewiring Our Self-Understanding

We often talk about Scripture as God’s self-revelation. But if every revelation of God is a revelation of myself in relation to God, then all of Scripture is continually in the business of rewiring our self-understanding.

Here are two examples that are particularly stunning and lovely: the Psalms and Ephesians.
The Psalms are one sustained portrayal and expression of an identity that is small before a God whom I both need mercy and refuge from, and a God who is great and worthy of all praise, adoration, and love. The Psalms never explicitly say, “Here’s an identity rejig.” But the whole book of Psalms rejigs your identity—every psalm, every prayer, every hymn of worship.

But my favorite “identity” book is Ephesians. Depending on how you understand the nature of what each sentence says about who you are, there are about fifty different identity statements in Ephesians. Every single one of them connects you to God. If he is Father, I am son. If he is the Holy One, I am a saint. If he is the one who indwells the temple, then I am part of that temple. If he is the possessor who is giving an inheritance to his children, then I am an heir owned by the one whom I will inherit from.

Identity

Finding Your Identity in Christ by David Powlinson


Finding Your Identity in Christ from Crossway on Vimeo.

Who Do You Think You Are? 

When it comes to your identity, you must always start with this understanding: your identity is a gift of grace in Christ. It’s a gift that—in our new birth—God creates a new identity for you as a child of the living God, as a man who has been forgiven, as a man who has awakened to the fear of the Lord and knows that God is great and that he is small. God is the one who evaluates us; we are not the ones who get the last say with regard to who we are.

There is a progressive working throughout our entire lives in which the Holy Spirit instills, deepens, and impresses that new identity and its implications into our lives. To echo the identity statements that thread through Psalm 119, God is our master and we are his servants. It takes a lifetime to work out the implications of what it means that we are the servants of another’s will—that we belong to another and are bought with the blood of another.

On the last day—the day when we see Christ face-to-face—we will not only know God as he is, but we'll also know ourselves as we actually are. All of those partial senses of our true identity will come into their fullness. We will know that we are the beloved children of a loving Father. We will know that we are servants. We will know that the hopes that we have placed in him have come true. Our identity and self-understanding will come to fruition.

As in everything else about the Christian life, there’s always this from-to dynamic. The from—all of our old, misplaced identities—needs to be recognized and understood. In what ways are you prone to incorrectly define who you are? Is it your career? Is it being liked? Is it pleasure? The first battle is correctly defining how you currently see yourself; the second part is taking hold of the appropriate counterweights to those false identities.

Let’s say I place my identity in always needing to be in control. That’s a great example of a false identity because it assumes that I am the Lord. If there is another person who is the Lord and he is in control, then I must learn what it means to trust him and to repent of the anger, anxiety, bullying, aggression, and withdrawal that comes from trying to assert my own control. I must learn to live in a world in which I am not in control—a world in which I’m fragile, dependent, vulnerable, and mortal, recognizing that there is a God who is in control who is a God of life.

The from-to dynamic is central and threads throughout the whole of the Christian life.

What You Already Are

HT: Christine Caine

Identity In Achievement

From Identity in Achievement by Paul David Trip

....Because we're human beings with souls, we naturally need to find identity somewhere, in something, or in someone. So, when we forget that our identity is found "in Christ", we're going to default to a substitute identity.

Today I want to write about a very common replacement: identity in achievement.
God calls us to be effective and productive, so we ought to be concerned about our harvest and the return on our investments. Success is a biblical concept, and God wants us to do great things for his kingdom. But, the minute we take on our achievements as an identity, dangerous things happen.

In my experience pastoring and counseling, there are three types of people who fall victim to finding identity in their achievement:

1. Over Achiever

Do you get a deep sense of personal fulfillment when you get the next "notch" in your belt at work? Do you find it hard to slow down and say no to opportunities where you know you'll impress? Do you get irritated and angered when someone or something interferes with what you're trying to accomplish?

It's a God-honoring thing to work hard, but because of our wandering hearts, it's easy to lose sight of God and biblical priorities in the midst of our pursuit of personal achievement and success. Your identity in life is found in what Christ did for you on Calvary, not in what you can do for yourself or for God.

2. Under Achiever

Do feel as if you haven't accomplished what you want to accomplish in life? Are younger people taking on more responsibility at work? Are you aware of how much success your friends and peers are having while you seem to enjoy very little?
When we put our identity in achievement, and then fail to have success, we become discouraged, depressed, and bitter, not only towards others, but often towards God as well. Your identity in life is found in what Christ accomplished on the Cross, not in how much you can accomplish on earth.

3. Regretful Achiever

Do you look back on your life with great remorse, seeing how much achievement and success drove you? Do you see evidence of broken relationships as a result of your pursuit and wish you could rewind the clock and do it all over again?

Listen: your identity is found in the perfect life of Christ, not in the mistake-riddled life you look back on with grief. Christ, without regret, went to the Cross to cover all the regrets you would have in the future. And, God's timing is always perfect. Instead of dwelling on the past, allow God to redeem however much of your future you have left on this earth, for his glory and your good.

So, if I haven't said it enough, achievement is a very dangerous place to find identity. You will disappoint yourself, others will disappoint you, and your list of successes won't satisfy the craving of your soul. Only the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ will.

Our Identity Foundation

"The Christian life is built upon the foundation of (1) facing who you really are and (2) trusting who Christ truly is. Everything you do will be shaped by the degree to which you act on the blessings that are yours in Christ.

If you only look at yourself and carry around a load of guilt, you will hide, excuse, blame, rationalize, and cover up your shame rather than enjoy the freedom of confession and the joy of forgiveness. You will not enjoy the lasting fruit that comes from following the wisdom that is already yours in Christ! Instead, you will reduce the Christian life to a simplistic list of rules and behaviors that never touch the real problems, and you will be blind to the gaps in your relationship to Christ. "

— Timothy S. Lane and Paul David Tripp, How People Change,, page 65

Hat Tip: Of First Importance

Basis for Identity

"The gospel changes what I fundamentally boast in - it changes the whole basis for my identity. Nothing in the whole world has any power over me - I am free at last to enjoy the world, for I do not need the world. I feel neither inferior to anyone or superior to anyone, and I am being made all over into someone and something entirely new.:

      - Timothy Keller, Galatians For You, page 184

Where to Boast

"..if you understand the gospel, you 'boast' exclusively and only in the cross. Our identity, our self-image, is based on what gives us a sense of dignity and significance - what we boast in. Religion leads us to boast in something about us. the gospel leads us t boast in the cross of Jesus. that means our identity in Jesus is confident and secure-  we do 'boast' ! - yet humbly, based on a profound sense of our flaws and neediness."

        - Timothy Keller, Galatians For You, page 182

Distinct Identity

"The gospel liberates you from having to be distinct. Your identity is secure because of Christ's contribution to you, not your contribution."

            -Tullian Tchvidjian (RT @PastorTullian)
  

Identity & Idolatry - Reviewing Driscoll's Newest Book

Back on January 26 I promised a review of Mark Driscoll's newest book,  Who Do You Think You Are: Finding Your True Identity in Christ. In the interest of full disclosure, and in conformity to my book review policy, I' informing you that I received a free pre-publication copy of the book from the publisher as part of their program for bloggers. However, I would review it the same had I paid full price for it.

This book is a study of identity, based on Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians. I have read Ephesians countless times, and have read many commentaries and studies on the book. But until now, I have never read or heard anyone point out something Driscoll does. Every commentator points out that the Book of Ephesians has too parts: Chapters 1-3 are theological in nature, and chapters 4-6 are more practical. Driscoll adds a unique (to me anyway) insight that chapters 1-3 are about identity in Christ, and chapters 4-6 attack the idols in his readers lives based on that understanding of their true identity. That makes perfect sense to me. 

Those two themes have come up over and over in my recent reading of books and of Scripture. I think God is trying to tell me, and tell us, something important. I've published a lot of quotes from the book on this issue over the past month to emphasize this point. Getting identity right- knowing who you are in Christ, is foundational to Christian living. Once that is settled, you can then reject the competing idols of other sources of meaning and identity.

I have read several (but not all) of Driscoll's previous books. I have not found anything in the ones I have read that I seriously disagree with. Pastor Driscoll is controversial, and I certainly am not going to blanket endorse everything he has written or done. However, anyone who has built a church as large as his in one of the most unchurched cities in America deserves at least some benefit of the doubt.

There is nothing flashy or unique about his treatment of Ephesians, other than the insight mentioned above. It's just good solid Bible teaching on two themes that are sorely needed by Christians today. I got a lot of of it - could you tell by all the quotes I published? 

I recommend the book.
   

Your Hurts Are Not Your Identity

"When we suffer, we can easily allow our hurt to become our identity. Our pain can become all-consuming and overwhelming. Admittedly, it's hard to tell a cancer patient, divorcee, or rape victim that his or her pain isn't the defining aspect of who that individual is. But if we truly love those who suffer, we must humbly, graciously, and patiently explain that to be a Christian is not to live a life free from suffering, but rather, suffering should lead us to identify with Jesus, who suffered more than anyone in history on our behalf."

  - Mark Driscoll, Who Do You Think You Are?: Finding Your True Identity in Christ, page 13

Not Our Identity

I am a firm believer that Martin Luther got it right when he said that Christians are "simul justus et peccator" (Latin for "simultaneously righteous and sinners") I believe that so much, I wish I had a T-Shirt with those Latin words blazoned upon it. However, it is important to remember that this statement describes our present walk in the "now and not yet," but not our identity before the presence of God. I like this clarification by Jono Linebaugh at Liberate:

...In light of this, it’s important to clarify that simul iustus et peccator is NOT a description of our Christian identity; it is NOT a description of who we are before God. What it is, however, is a description of the both/and that characterizes the Christian life as lived.

The pastoral payoff here is that it enables us to affirm (without crossing our fingers) that in Christ—at the level of identity—the Christian is 100% righteous before God while at the same time recognizing the persistence of sin. If we don’t speak in terms of two total states (100% righteous in Christ and 100% sinful in ourselves) corresponding to the co-existence of two times (the old age and the new creation) then the undeniable reality of ongoing sin leads to the qualification of our identity in Christ: the existence of some sin must mean that one is not totally righteous. This is acid at the very foundation of the peace we have with God on the other side of justification. To say simul iustus et peccator is therefore not to say that “sinner” is our identity; it is to say that while we remain sinful in ourselves we are, in Christ, totally righteous.

That's what it means. That's how we live. That's what He has done.

Fighting From Acceptance

More quotes from Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan Dodson:

"God does not accept us as we are. He accepts us as we are in Christ....As recipients of God's grace, we are compelled to follow Jesus in all of life." (Page 127)

"Fight your sin means a habitual weakening of hte flesh through constant fighting and contending in the Spirit for sweet victory over sin. It should be regular and progressive, not occasional and instant. Fighting is not an end in itself or a way to make us more presentable in Christ. We fight for belief in his gospel, the truest and best news on earth..." (Page 128, italics in original)

"We don't fight for acceptance; we fight from our acceptance. We don't contend against sin to forge an identity but because we have received a new identity in Christ. Perfection is not the goal; persevering faith is." (Page 129)

I'm Not the Center

Read an interesting post from Tim Chester this morning about the danger of Facebook narcissism, how Facebook (and other social media) allow us "to recreate my image and my world through my words to gain approval." But buried in the discussion of that problem was this gem about finding true identity in Christ.

Am I trying to do self-identity or am I finding identity in Christ? Or, Am I looking for approval from others through my words or approval from God through his gospel word?

The gospel of Jesus says that Jesus recreates me in the image of God and Jesus is recreating the world. God’s kingdom is extended as his word is proclaimed.

•      Jesus recreates me – not me
•      Jesus recreate me in God’s image – not my image
•      Jesus recreates the world – not me
•      Jesus recreates God’s world – not my world
•      Jesus creates God’s world with God at the centre – not me at the centre
•      What creates and recreates are God’s word – not my words

It is these truths that enable me to be truly human, fit for the purpose for which I was created. And this is what liberates me from self-obsession to enjoy the goodness and grace of God. Knowing the real God is better than Facebook.

Tim used the British spelling "centre", but I still get his point.  I'm not the center, Jesus is the center. It's less about bringing God down into my story; It's about bringing me up into His story. Amen to all that!

Your New Name - Defined by Grace

Who are you?  Are you simply and only the sum of your own actions, decisions, mistakes and failures? Or are you defined by His actions, His decisions, His victories and His grace.

‘To get a name’ in the Bible is to get what we call an identity. God, of course, constantly names people in the Bible. When he names Adam, Abraham, Israel, and even Jesus, he refers to what he has already done or what he is going to do in their lives. When God tells someone ‘what I have done/will do is your name,’ he means that his grace in their lives should be the defining factor.

Our security, our priorities, our sense of worth and uniqueness – all the things we call identity – should be based on what God has done for us and in us. This means that if we do not have a name, if we are insecure and have to ‘find who we are,’ we have either no grasp or an inadequate grasp of what God has done."

                        - Tim Keller

Let us find our identity in Him, not in ourselves!

Knots of Nots

Found this on Facebook Sunday night. Don't know who the originator or writer is, or I would give them credit.  I needed to hear this.

Back Off

Okay, this cute picture has been all over Facebook recently, but, over-exposed or not, It is still totally true.