'Remember who you are'

Through our faith in Christ we have been given the right to become children of God

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This was the word given to us last week. The first question that the instruction prompts is the old existential question, 'Who am I?'  After centuries of wise philosophers and religious gurus we are still no nearer to answering that question, unless of course we have found our identity in Christ, and therefore our place in God's creative order.

You may be either fascinated or bored by the many ancestral name lists in the Bible. Genealogy permeates the scriptures for a good reason, reminding the chosen people of God that belonging is important and ethnicity an advantage. Today's media also reveals a growing desire to discover personal pedigree and heritage, while we observe the ever increasing tragedy of people separated from their roots, through dysfunctional family, community breakdown or forced migration. It is probable that much of our modern obsession with mental health can be traced to a poor sense of belonging. Insecurity and instability lead to uncertainty and confusion, resulting in an identity crisis, the symptoms being anxiety, frustration, and altering character to suit circumstance.

The good news of the gospel means it doesn't have be be this way. Paul writes: 

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In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:5)

This was written in the time of the Roman empire under which adoption was a formal and legal process which gave full rights of succession and inheritance to the adoptee. A slave could become an emperor. The child gained new status, new rights and a new identity. Through Jesus Christ we have so much more - a glorious inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven for us. (1 Peter 1:4) a Predestination means that even before God made the world he made it possible for us to become part of his family.

God began his adoption policy with one nation, the chosen people. Moses was told to tell Pharaoh ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me." (Exodus 4:22) 

But now in Christ Jesus it is possible for any one of us to be brought near, with access to the Father, that we may become 'fellow citizens', 'being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit'. (see Ephesians 2)

Through our faith in Christ we have been given the right to become children of God. (John 1:12). Now we have a future guaranteed, and with this prospect we can live a victorious life in the present. Anyone in Christ is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17). Now our identity is to be a citizen of the new heaven and the new earth that the Lord will one day create. And we already have that identity.

If you struggle with your identity and have not yet yielded to Jesus I invite you to give your life to Him. Then you can know that you are adopted into this great family of the Father, finding the identity and purpose of who you are because of Him who is the great 'I AM'.

And if you are already a believer... Remember who you are!

Author: John Plumb

May God bless and enrich your life

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