Mistaken Identity
October 25, 2021
Let’s say it’s icebreaker time, and someone asks you to describe yourself, what would your answer be? I would probably say that I’m a wife to Chris and mom to Jack who, when not enjoying a rousing round of karaoke, can be found caring for my plant babies and reading: all with a cup of coffee and paleo cookie in hand. Yeah.. that feels like a pretty concise description of how I am, but I’m not sure that explains who I am (or what my identity is). In our western culture, we tend to confuse who we are with what we do. What pressure that puts on us to impress others and prove our worth.
But let me tell you a secret: it was never meant to be that way. Our worth doesn’t lie in what we do. Our worth is intrinsic - it exists in the fact that we are created in the image of God.
When we finally come to a realization of our brokenness due to our sin, and we accept Christ as Savior, we are re-born into Christ (or Redeemed). Our identity should shift. We no longer need to view ourselves under the paradigm of our past because we are washed clean and made new.
In the Garden of Eden, after Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s only rule, not to eat from the tree, sin was ushered into the world. God gave them consequences for their choices (which we are still dealing with today - thanks, guys). But he also offered his first humans a promise of hope. This moment in the garden, where God doles out consequences for disobedience, seems depressing on the surface, but it is so very hope-filled. Here in the 3rd chapter of the Bible, God gives them a first glimpse of the Gospel.
The Good News is that “One” was coming, a future offspring of Eve, who would crush Satan and ultimately bring an end to all evil. God is making a covenant (or promise) with Adam which is known as the Adamic Covenant. The “One” who was foretold long ago is Jesus, the Son of God - one person with two natures: fully God and fully man.
Jesus was the only person who didn’t follow that well-worn path of self-gratification you and I have been on. He lived a life perfectly submitted to the Father and gave his life as a payment for us, rising from the dead to crush sin and death. Such an incredible love story, and it was written for you.
What we saw with Adam and Eve in the garden and what we see in the lives of every. single. person. is this: We will make idols. Meaning, we will put people, things, or ourselves over the One whom our souls were created to worship. We will receive consequences when we make choices to be self-serving rather than God-serving.
When the word “Image” was used outside of Genesis 1, it was in reference to idols that the people made for worship. If we identify our image as anything besides His image, we are creating an idol in our lives. Under Adam, our importance is in what we do, but under Christ, our importance is in who we are: His child.
Our human minds are hardwired to put self-first. However, when our focus shifts from self to God, our view of identity needs to also shift.
Maybe we once identified as our race, our occupation, our sexuality, our personality type, our hobbies, or our gifting. Now, we are called to die to self. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me (Gal. 2:20). His desires become our desires. His desire for us is to conform more and more to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). We see the example set before us through the Gospels. Christ was deeply connected with the Father, he was outward focused - serving rather than preserving. Obedient, even in situations when he didn’t want to be.
But my friend, here is another piece of that good news I was talking about earlier: when you search for the Lord God, you will find Him, when you seek him with all of your heart and all of your soul. The narrative of the story doesn’t change. The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation is the story of a Creator God redeeming His people back to Himself and restoring everything back to the good it was designed to be.
We are in the redemption phase of this grand story. God has redeemed us- purchase us through Jesus’ blood on the cross. He took the penalty of our sins on his shoulders because of His great love for us. His resurrection is our hope for future restoration. Things aren’t the way they should be now. We know that, He knows that. One day, all will be made new, and the world will be perfected again.
Start looking for God’s redemption in the world around you. It’s easy to find rebellion and brokenness from the fall. But make it your aim to look for redemption everywhere. When our eyes and hearts are attuned to know that he is redeeming, we start to see how we can join in to that work. We are living out redemption right now because we have a hope eternally. We can all do what we can exactly where we are by living set-apart as new creations.
Reflection
This area is set aside for some personal reflection - grab a pen and notebook (or office supplies of choice) and spend some more time in Colossians 3:1-17. I’ll list some reflection questions for you to pray through. I’d love for you to comment with something you learned! And while you are at it, why not give us a description of how you are. If we’re going to be hanging in this little corner of the interwebs, I’d love to get to know you better!
The first step in going to the Word is prayer. Invite the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom which is a gift that he will give in abundance each time you ask! Spend a minute in prayer.
In verse 5, Paul adds in that greed is idolatry. Why do you think that is so? Examine your heart and find if there are any hidden corners where greed exists. Bring this to light. Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you hold your thoughts of greed captive whenever they come to light.
Put off the old self, and put on the new self. Be renewed according to the image of your Creator (v. 10). The theological word for this is “sanctification” which simply means that we should look more like Christ today than we did yesterday. Verses 8-9 give a list of things we are to put off. Which is a struggle for you? If you take that sin “off”, you need to put something “on” it its place. These virtues are found in verses 12-15. Which virtue do you need to be putting on?
Verse 11 goes on to flesh out that we are not citizens of the world any longer. Christ didn’t come for one “type” of person, he came for all who would receive Him (John 1:12). It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from, the duty and delight of every believer is to become more like Christ. We are no longer known under any other label. What identity do you give yourself? Do you put it above your identity in Christ? That is a form of idolatry. Take some time to ask forgiveness.
What is something you see about God in this passage? It can be something new he has illuminated or something you have previously known, but maybe you see it a little clearer. If you are feeling ambitious, why don’t you start a running list in your notebook, and add to it each time you read Scripture?
