#257 Who Am I?

I hear a lot of talk about identity and identifying these days. I don't know that this is necessarily a new trend; it's just something that I've noticed. In discussions related to gender and sexuality, identity comes up a lot. In political reporting people are identified as a supporter of this politician or that position. We identify ourselves lots of different ways—by our ethnicity, our hometown, our job, our interests.

I bring this up because the Bible talks about identity as well. For those of us who belong to Jesus, who believe in Him as our Savior and Lord, we have a new identity. We are in Christ. Or to use more everyday language, we are Christians. But here's the thing: God teaches us that being in Christ is not just another piece of the puzzle of our identity. Being in Christ is our primary identity. For God's people, being in Christ is the driving factor in how we live our lives.

Now being in Christ doesn't totally erase the other parts of our identities. I don't stop being, say, an American because I'm a Christian. But being in Christ takes precedence. When it comes to things I don't choose, being in Christ shapes how I live. So, for example, I must think about how God wants to me live as a Christian male. When it comes to things I can choose, I need to consider if they're compatible with being in Christ. Can I live as a Christian and also support this political party or take this job?

Maybe this sounds like pretty basic stuff. But I worry that we Christians are losing this. We're defining ourselves more by things like our generation or nationality or gender than by being in Christ. We're using these other identities to separate ourselves from other people when Christ breaks down the dividing walls between different groups of people. We're worrying about fitting in with these groups we identify with instead of focusing on following Jesus. I see these trends and temptations in myself, not just others. I don't want us to lose our way.

Let me conclude with some questions that I need to think about and that I wonder if we Christians in general need to think about. What do I use to define or identify myself? In what parts of my life am I hiding or ignoring my identity in Christ? What I can do to remind myself that I belong to Christ? How can I live more fully for Jesus? I pray that Jesus, who has saved us and chosen us to be His own will help us embrace and live into the new identity He gives us.

Grace and peace,

BMH