Identity Theft pt. 2

Have you ever been denied for something? Perhaps you been turned down for a loan or perhaps you got cut from a team, picked over for promotion or rejected for a date. Because so many things in our life are viewed through the lens of qualifications, we begin to view all aspects of our life in this way. Below I want to share part two in our series IDENTITY THEFT and focus on the truth that we have been made qualified by God.

Colossians 1:11-14 makes many truth statements about the condition of believers in Christ. When we fail to believe and apply these truths to our lives we end up believing lies that will rob us of who we are in Christ.

For part 1 of this series click here.

LIE #2
"I need to do better"
"I don’t measure up"
"I’m not good enough"
"I’m not smart enough"
"I’m not skilled enough"
"I’m not significant"


The Bible instructs that we ought to give "thanks to the Father who has qualified us." What does this qualification look like, what does it mean? How were we qualified? Well, we weren't qualified by our works. Weren't qualified by our good deeds. We weren't qualified by our religiosity. We were qualified when God had mercy on us and justified us--declared us righteous--not because of the things we did, but because of what Jesus did. So we became qualified because God credited to us the perfect qualifications of Jesus Christ.

It is as if we went into a job interview, not with our resume, but with Jesus', but with our name on the top instead of his.  We did not measure up, we did not have the qualifications of perfection and holiness. We were sorely inadequate, but God made us qualified, in Christ.

Here's how Scripture describes this qualification:

• Spiritually Dead to Spiritually Alive
• Strangers/Aliens to fellow citizens of God’s household
• Enemies of God to Children of God
• Far off to Brought near
• Slave to Free
• Cursed to Blessed
• Guilty before God to Righteous before God
• Identified with Adam to Identified with Christ

This is the transformation, the qualification that takes place when a person trusts in Jesus for forgiveness.  Yet for many, many people this is apparently not enough, because I see scores of people constantly trying to qualify themselves before God and others.

I see people striving to be special, with an impulse to be important, aiming for acceptance, a drive for distinction, an ambition toward accomplishment, in pursuit of possessions. In short, it is a constant search for significance.

• People search for significance (qualification) by bragging about what they know, who they know, what they can do, or what they have experienced.
• People search for significance by belittling others.  This usually begins with "Oh yeah..." then continues to describe how their own experience, knowledge, idea, possession, etc. is better.
• People search for significance through experiences: career, vacation, golf score, crafts on Pinterest, and vicariously though professional or college sports teams, their children, or celebrities.
• People search for significance through acquiring possessions: cars make them feel important, clothes make them feel valuable, collections make them feel special, houses make them feel rich, and toys make them feel happy. 

But we fail to realize that only IN CHRIST and THROUGH CHRIST can we be truly important, valuable, special, truly rich, and happy. The truth is, there is no more significance to be gained outside of being qualified by Christ.

there is no more significance to be gained 

outside of being qualified by Christ.

Oh what would churches be like if each person would truly grasp this truth and let go of attempts to qualify themselves and make themselves more significant?  

   No more bragging

   No more one-upping

   No need to belittle others

   No desire to have to impress people

   No over valuing possessions

   No looking down on failures

   We would have energy to think about others, care for others, listen to others.

   We would no longer be inhibited by what others thought of us or by the possibility of failure

   We would no longer be focused on our own needs, or recognition, or accomplishments, but on that of others’.

   We would have a Christ-centered assurance that regardless of accomplishments or differences in income, possessions, gender, race, age, or background we have all been EQUALLY qualified in Christ and that is the most important thing.

Colossians 3:11

Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian (European), Scythian (Arabian), slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

If you know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have been made qualified to share in the inheritance of His kingdom.  That makes you significant.   No amount of accomplishments, jobs, possessions, knowledge, or experiences can ever or will ever make you more significant than you already are in Christ.

Mickey Mouse theology

For many years we have intentionally and purposefully trained our boys to be on the lookout for theology within movies and TV shows. Arguably one of the most prominent themes, especially within the Disney franchise, is the idea that the greatest thing we can do is believe in ourselves and follow our hearts. We have taught our boys to reject this idea outright and as Christian parents, you should too.

Now before anyone gets defensive, let me clarify what I mean. I'm not saying that I don't want my boys to have any confidence. Nor am I saying that I don't want my sons to follow their passions. While the above statements could be interpreted to mean simply that, I'm afraid that their meanings go far deeper and have far greater implications.

Here is why I teach my children to reject this type of Mickey Mouse theology:

FOLLOW YOUR HEART:  
The Bible says "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9).  Left to ourselves and uninfluenced by the grace of God, our hearts will eventually take us down a path of selfishness and destruction.  "Out of the human heart come thoughts of hatred, murder, envy, pride and lust." I'm not saying that all people act this way or that my sons act this way, but if left unchecked our hearts can certainly take us to that place.

You may be thinking, "What about when our hearts lead us to do good things?"  The reality is our heart is a vessel. While our physical heart is full of blood for our body, our spiritual "heart" is full of whatever we fill it with. The Bible reminds us that from "out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." So when we find ourselves doing "good" things (showing kindness, helping, giving, being compassionate, etc.) it is because we are responding to the grace of God that is overflowing in our hearts.

So it is a dangerous thing to simply say "follow your heart", because at any given moment it is impossible to know what someone's heart is full of. It would be better to tell them to follow God, or follow the Holy Spirit, or follow Jesus. When God the Father through Jesus by the Holy Spirit has filled a person's heart and they can follow one by following the other, it's a beautiful thing.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
In a previous blog article here I shared about believing a lie that says that we don't need anything, but the truth is we need God for strength and for salvation. When this lie is believed to its fullest extent it is concluded that we don't need God, we just need ourselves. We don't need to trust in God or believe in God, we just need to believe in ourselves.

Listen, I want my boys to have confidence, but I don't want them to have an unfounded confidence.  I don't want them to have a "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" [see explanation here] kind of confidence.  I want my boys to be the most confident kids in their class.  I don't want them to be afraid of failure. I don't want them to be afraid to try new things. I want them to be confident enough to step up and do what's right. But that doesn't come from you just being you. It comes from a Christ centered understanding of who God has made you to be. It is a confidence founded on the truth that "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3).  It is a confidence that comes from knowing that God "has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light and delivered you from the domain of darkness and transferred you to the Kingdom of the Son He loves." It is a confidence that comes from knowing "that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

I have to be honest, at times I have second-guessed myself for being so "technical" with my boys and teaching them the difference between having a "Christ centered confidence in who God has made them to be" and "believing in themselves". I've thought, "maybe I'm just splitting hairs, maybe I making too big of a deal out of this." My concerns were quickly put to rest when I came across this:

and this:

That is certainly not what I want to be teaching or reinforcing to my kids. So I think I'll continue to be on the lookout for Mickey Mouse theology.

Identity Theft pt. 1

Who we are, or rather who we understand ourselves to be, is of paramount importance to our entire lives.  Our identity shapes our behavior, our understanding of God, our relationships with others, and our view of salvation.  If we accept a false identity we will not be able to experience the life that God has for us--the life that Christ purchased for us--and we will miss out on the glorious truths of the Gospel.

In the beginning of 2015 I began a sermon series entitled "Identity Theft: Lies that Rob us of Who We are in Christ."  As I have been sharing these messages I have become increasingly convinced of the importance of an accurate understanding of our identity in Christ.  So much so, I want to share it here too.

The identity statements or truths that we are examining come from Colossians 1:11-14

From this truth-packed paragraph come 6 lies that we tell ourselves that, if believed, will rob us of who we are in Christ.  The first lie is:

LIE #1

   "I have everything I need!"

This also comes in the form of:

   "I can handle this"

   "I can manage on my own"

   "I got this"

   "I just need to believe in myself"

But the truth is, we need to be strengthened.

Not unlike the church in Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22), we tend to think we "don't need a thing".  The truth is we are "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked"  We need the strength that comes from Christ.

Not only do we think this lie but, we get told this lie, and even have this lie preached to us from church pulpits.  I bet at one time or another you've heard it said that "God never gives us more than we can handle".  Maybe you've even comforted yourself with that phrase in a difficult time. 

One problem... it's not true.

Wait a minute!  What about that verse that says so?  

1 Corinthians 10:13

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

Firstly, this text is talking about temptation. Second, it is clear who provides the "way out"  it is God.  Even this scripture confirms that it is God who provides the help, not ourselves.

This has huge implications!   Because if God never gives me more than I can handle, why do I need God? If life is never going to be so hard as to go beyond my own abilities, then I don't need any help, I don't need to be strengthened, I don't need God, I just need myself.

But the truth is we do need God.  Take a look at the world around us. Depression, Divorce, Suicide, Debt (from chasing pleasures that won't satisfy) are all at or near their highest rates.  Sounds to me like "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked."

Paul said it plainly and best in 2 Corinthians 1:8-9 that we do need God.

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

And again in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 

We are our strongest when we realize that we're not.

How do we become strengthened?

Well, first, this is for believers in Jesus.  This is for Christians--those who have placed their faith in Jesus for salvation.  This isn't a self-help instruction. This is tapping into the identity that we have in Christ from being saved by Him.

How does one become strengthened?

• Recognize your Need - admitting we need help is an act of humility and with humility comes the grace of God.  That grace carries with it the strength of God.

• Rely upon God - draw close to him though His Word, through prayer

• Repeat - if we don't continue in this perspective, pride will creep in and, again, convince us that we don’t need God.

The Gospel (Part 5 of 5)

GOD chose to rescue MAN out of his sinful rebellion through JESUS, and offers him the GRACE of forgiveness and new life.

That is the description of the Gospel that the first four parts of this blog series looked at.  And you might be thinking, why is there a need for a fifth?  My purpose for writing these blogs was to address the widespread misunderstanding of what the gospel is.  However, I believe there is also widespread misunderstanding about the way a person accepts the gospel.  What I hope to accomplish in this fifth and final entry about the gospel is to clearly state how a person Biblically responds and accepts the gospel. But first we will look at some of the misconceptions.

Misconception #1
Ask Jesus in your heart... 
I have heard this taught and preached to both kids and adults from Sunday School teachers to pastors.  I have read this in books and gospel tracts, I have heard parents and grandparents say this to their children. But do you know where I've never seen or read this?  In the Bible.  It's not there.  No where in Scripture are we instructed to "ask Jesus into our heart".   This is not a Scriptural means of receiving the gospel. Does Christ dwell in our hearts?  Isn't "Christ in us" our "hope of glory"?  Yes, but asking Jesus into our hearts in not the way in which he comes to dwell there.

Misconception #2
Pray a (usually a repeat-after-me) prayer
Praying is how we communicate with God, how we articulate what it is we believe about him and what Jesus has done for us, but there are no "magic" words that we can say that will save us.  Just because a person prays a prayer doesn't mean they are saved. It is not words that save us.

Misconception #3
Walked the aisle/raised a hand
Many people, in a moment of emotional intensity, have raised their hands in response to an invitation, and even left their seat and walked down the aisle of the church and met the pastor down front. While physical and public responses are good, they must be coupled with correct understanding.  It is not the church that saves, nor the pastor. When a person looks back to their point of salvation, it must be founded upon an understanding of and response to the gospel, not a ceremonial or ritual expression of response.

So how does a person accept the gospel?  I find three parts in Scripture:

1. RESPOND in faith

Through JESUS, GOD offers us the GRACE of forgiveness and new life.  When someone offers you something the polite thing to do is respond. Over and over in Scripture we see the Apostles asking, pleading, begging for hearers to respond to the gospel.  It is clear that the way in which we are to respond is by faith. Ephesians 2:8 says "we are saved by GRACE through FAITH."

Faith is believing, trusting, depending, relying upon, or accepting as true.  When we come to the understanding of what God has done for us through Jesus, our first step is to RESPOND to it by believing it as true.  Trusting in it. Having faith in it.

Romans 10:9-11 instructs that we are to confess (RESPOND) with our mouth and believe (faith) in our hearts about Jesus. Again, I want to make a clear distinction--through prayer we are communicating to God what we believe about Him and what He has done for us.  So we do pray or confess to God our faith, but the prayer doesn't save us. Words don't save, Jesus does, and we use words to communicate our faith in Him.

2. RECEIVE forgiveness and new life

Once we RESPOND by faith, God forgives us and makes us new. Titus 3:5 says that we are washed and renewed!  We RECEIVE forgiveness for past (and present and future) sins. Jesus has taken the punishment for our sins--He served our sentence.  Therefore we receive a pardon.  In addition, Jesus gives us His righteousness.  We also RECEIVE new life. This life is a new identity. We are "no longer enslaved to sin" (Romans 6:6), through Jesus Christ we are free. We now share Christ's identity.  This is eternal life, this is the new creation, this is the abundant life, this is the life in Christ that Scripture speaks so often about.

To RECEIVE this forgiveness and new life is to also accept it as true.  Many people struggle with the idea that God could forgive them.  They fail to understand the depth of God's love and mercy.  God is "rich in mercy" (Ephesians 2:4). There is no depth out of which the Gospel of Jesus can not bring you and make you completely whole.

There is no depth out of which the Gospel of Jesus cannot bring you and make you completely whole.

3. REFLECT our new identity in Christ 

James 2:14-26 provides a crucial connection between our life and our faith. The way we live can reveal to us if our faith is genuine.  Our life can show us if we have truly RESPONDED by faith and RECEIVED forgiveness and new life, or if we have just gone through the motions (prayed a prayer, raised a hand, etc.). Again an important distinction is needed.  It is not our works or actions that save us. Salvation is not turning over a new leaf. It is not behavioral change.  However, once we are saved by GRACE through FAITH, and we have RECEIVED forgiveness and new life, our goal from then on is to live out that new life--that new identity.

Upon salvation we are adopted into the Royal family of God.  We have gone from being enemies of the King to being children of the King. We ought to begin to live like it. When our identity changes our behavior will REFLECT that change (Col. 1:21-22, Romans 6, Eph 2:11-22).  

4. REPENT
The way in which we go about REFLECTing our new identity is Christ is through REPENTance.  REPENTance is a changing of the mind that leads to a changing of behavior. It is not my buckling down and trying harder. We REFLECT our new identity by first believing that it is true, second focusing our minds upon its truth, and living according to our newly changed minds. REPENTance is not an afterthought, the Bible regularly combines salvation and repentance.

So, in closing
The Gospel is 
GOD chose to rescue
MAN out of his sinful rebellion though
JESUS and offers us the 
GRACE of forgiveness and new life

We accept this offer of GRACE by
RESPONDING in faith
RECEIVING forgiveness and new life,
REFLECTING our new identity in Christ through
REPENTANCE.

The Gospel (Part 4 of 5)

GOD

MAN

JESUS

GRACE

GOD chose to rescue MAN out of our sinful rebellion though the work of JESUS, and offers us the
GRACE of forgiveness and new life.

In the 3 previous blog entries I have shared in greater detail about GOD, MAN, and JESUS and the relationships between them and how they fit together in an understanding of the Gospel. You can read them here, here and here.

In this entry I want to look at GRACE.  Grace is unmerited favor, or and undeserved act of kindness. Let's focus on the first bit, unmerited or undeserved.  When we looked at MAN we saw that we had rebelled against God--we were guilty.  With the noose around our neck, there was not a thing that we could do, we had nothing to barter with, nothing but our guilt.   We are undeserving of His grace. Not only are we undeserving, we are ill-deserving. The only thing we deserve is God's judgement against sin and rebellion.

Yet in His grace (undeserved kindness toward us) He chose to rescue us through the sacrifice of Jesus and give us forgiveness and new life. 

The Freedom of Forgiveness
Forgiveness means to no longer hold a person morally responsible. It is releasing a person from moral guilt.  In His grace, God declares us "not guilty".  What this means is all of the running, rebellion, sin and selfishness has been erased.  Through Jesus, God gives us a clear past. Furthermore, the sacrifice of Jesus also atones (covers) present and future sins. Once the Grace of God through Jesus has been applied to your "account" there is not a thing you can do to disqualify yourself from being always forgiven. John 8:36 "So if the Son sets you free, you are free indeed." 

Some may think that you can use up the forgiving power of Jesus.  That somehow if you do too much sin, or too "big" of a sin you will be disqualified, or rejected.  This is not so.  For those in Christ, wherever there is sin, there is more and more grace to forgive.  Nothing can disqualify you.  Ephesians tells us that we are sealed (marked with a mark of ownership) and that seal is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance (1:13-14).  Nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39).

You might be thinking, "Well if I'm forgiven and nothing can change that, why should I strive to avoid sinning and obey God?"  This is a perfectly good question, in fact, it is one that Paul asked himself.  In Romans 6:1 he asked, "Should we go on sinning so grace may increase?"

   it's not who we are anymore.   

The Motivation of New Life
"No way!" Paul answers his own question. His reasons follow in the next verses.  Simply put, it's not who we are anymore.  This grace is not just forgiveness, but new life.  Our old life of sin and rebellion died with Jesus. In the same way that Jesus resurrected, so did we, but to a new life in Him. Jesus has taken our sin and forgiven it AND he has imputed (given or assigned) to us His righteousness.  Our identity is no longer rotten sinner, but Righteous Son. 

Over and over in the opening chapters of Ephesians Paul uses the phrase "in Christ" or "in Him" to describe our new condition.  This is our new identity.  The old self has been done away with and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Now, there will be times that we still slip back into behaviors of our old self, not unlike a recently married woman signs her maiden name instead of her new married name. And when we do, there is grace to forgive.   That's why it has been called Amazing Grace.

#5 coming soon!