“What is my true identity?” We all struggle with this universal question. We all want to know who we are: our purpose, our destiny, our meaning, our value, our reason for existence. Clearly there are many competing voices out there that want to tell us who we are: our world, our culture, our own pride, our peers, our parents, even our faith. However, only you can decide which voice to follow. I want to encourage you to think about where the voice that you are listening to will eventually lead you; does it lead you to your true identity? “Instead of being the person you don’t want to be, instead of being the person you think you should be, instead of being the person other people want you to be, instead of being the person you are afraid God wants you to be, instead of being the person that fails to be, be the person you are meant to be!” John Ortberg Backdrop As most of you know we are going through a series on relationships. Last week we looked at our most vital relationship of all, our relationship w/ Jesus Christ. We noticed how Paul was willing to give up everything for the sake of Christ, & hopefully we are inspired to do the same. Tonight, I want us to notice that by entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ, Paul was given a new identity. I want us to look at this identity and see what God’s Word has to teach us about our role within relationships... 2 Corinthians 5:17 In his second letter to the church at Corinth, Paul writes to rekindle his affection for the Corinthians and to help guide the struggling community through some difficult issues... In our particular context Paul is giving a summary of his message and ministry. It is here that he address the results and the foundation of the gospel; and within the results of the gospel we’re all able to find out how our true identity can finally be discovered! But, in order to personally understand and discover this new identity that Paul speaks of we must first answer two questions. Fortunately, the Bible doesn’t leave us hanging. What does it mean to be in Christ? Our verse begins with, “If anyone is in Christ…” So, in order to understand or grasp anything past this point we must first understand and grasp this phrase. As David Garland points out, this phrase, “in Christ,” can mean several things that are mutually compatible: that one belongs to Christ, that one lives in the sphere of Christ’s power, that one is united in faith with Christ, or that one is part of the body of Christ, the believing community. Ultimately, Paul’s assumption is that being in Christ should bring about a radical change in a person’s life. Those in JC have a new order, a new reality, a new world- view, a new lifestyle, a new prospective and a new identity. Plus... Those in Christ are… children of God/ sons and daughters/ born again/ alive/ eternal/ free/one/ imperishable/ loved/ one body/ holy/ participants of God’s grace/ forgiven/ chosen/ included/ crucified in Christ/ hidden in Christ/ found in Christ/ given the fullness of Christ/ justified/ reconciled/ sanctified/ brought near to God/ blessed/birthed into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil, or fade/ God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do/ A chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that they may declare the praises of him who called them out of darkness into his wonderful light. Lastly, as we see in our current verse, to be in Christ means that one is a new creation. This is why the second part of our passage says, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…” But, what exactly does this phrase mean? Well, this leads us to the second question that is needed in order for us to discover our true identity. Which is… What does it mean to be a new creation? Those who encounter Christ by grace through faith are being transformed, as Paul has already mentioned in this letter, so much so that the believer becomes a new creation.. Considering the dramatic change that takes place in the individuals life when they truly encounter Christ (think Paul on the road to Damascus) it’s not surprising Paul uses this phrase, new creation, to describe the result caused by the gospel. In fact it is probably one of the few phrases that can convey “life in Christ” to any godless society. Now, the new heaven and new earth and the complete transformation of believers remain a future hope, but for Christians they are so certain to be fulfilled that their lives are controlled by this new reality that is awaiting full completion. However, for individuals to become a part of this new creation they still must choose to be in Christ! ILL—Think about it this way... In numerous situations, when a country or a people group are freed from oppression there is often still opposition that exists, sometimes even warfare. The new order and rule hasn’t been fully established, the leader hasn’t come and brought about full unity. However, there is still freedom, a new order, a new reality, and a new way of living. The same is true with the KOG! And, the new creation, like the kingdom of God, is already here, but not yet here in all its glory. Which means we can experience freedom in the Spirit now, despite opposition, while we await its full consummation…. The text goes on to say, “the old has gone” the old order and everything that controlled the individual’s pre-Christ existence is passing away. The individual’s whole being, value system, and behavior are also changed through this renewing experience. We are dead to sin but alive to God in Christ. One theologian writes of Paul: “The past was dead to him, as dead as Christ on his cross, all its ideas, all its hopes, all its ambitions were dead in Christ.” His old life had been crucified w/ Christ. Let’s stop, I think you should know that the NIV omits the word “behold,” here in our verse, probably b/c it sounded to old-school to them or something, instead they put an exclamation mark. Now, the reason I am telling you this is b/c this word that has been changed to a punctuation is ordinarily used by biblical writers to mark an unusual moment or deed. Which means, what Paul says next is of utmost importance, behold! The new has come! Paul believes that the “new thing” that Isaiah foretold God would do, has come to pass in Christ. It is greater than the exodus from Egypt and greater than the deliverance from Babylon captivity. God has now delivered us from the bondage of sin and led us back from the exile of our withdrawal from God to a new reconciled relationship; what was once shattered in the garden is now being made new. Now, it is true, of course, that for the time being the old still persists and the new has not yet fully come; as Galatians 5:15– 26 clearly states! However, in our present passage it is the newness of life in Christ now that is being stressed, rather than the tension involved in participating in the new creation while still living as part of the old When we enter into an authentic relationship with Jesus Christ we don’t just get in, we are born again; so that, we can grow and live within this ultimate unity with God and his people. Are you united in faith to the risen Christ? Are you a new creation in JC? “Our new identity must give rise to a new way of thinking about ourselves, which in turn gives rise to a new way of behaving. Notice that Paul doesn’t command us to behave a certain way in order to become something we’re not. Rather, he commands us to remember who we already are in Christ and to think and live accordingly. Paul is not giving people a new set of ethical rules; he is calling people to live out a new identity.” Greg Boyd Are you living out your intended identity as a new creation in Christ? Isaiah 43:14-19 Prayer Father, thank you for you grace and mercy. Thank you for making all things new, for making beauty out of ashes! We desire to be found in you. We desire to find our identity, purpose, meaning, and value you in your Son Jesus Christ! Forgive us for attempting to establish an identity on our own and in our own power. Allow us to die to our selfish identities, bury our past and previous false selfs, and resurrect our lives into a newness of life! Grant us your Spirit and power so that we might walk in your ways. We surrender to you. May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven! “If you were the victim of a dysfunctional home (who isn’t, to one degree or another?) your victim- identity did not remain intact after meeting Christ. It was shredded at the Cross. You may still struggle in your flesh with the effects of your home life. But your true identity has nothing to do with past dysfunction and everything to do with present Christ- oneness. In Christ you actually have a new past, a new family (the body of Christ), and a new Father. Whatever the reality of your own past, it’s no longer the deepest part of your present. Your background is buried with Christ.”
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 07:56:10 +0000
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