Romans 8 - Identity

Hey Journey, it is good to be back with you today. I had the opportunity to get some well needed rest and relaxation with Karlee for a few weeks, first time in 10 years. I am excited to dive into the halfway point of Romans. Open up your bibles to Romans 8. This series has been challenging not just for our communicators, as they try to get through a chapter a week but it has been challenging in my soul and spirit as we are brought face to face in the first 7 chapters of Romans with the sinfulness of our beings and the law of God. In fact, if we are left with only the first few chapters of Romans we would have a bleak outlook on our spiritual life, we would feel lost in our sin trying to figure out what it means and how to be made righteous before God.

You see in Romans 7, just last week Paul towards the end lays out the condition of my heart, and of your heart, isn’t it incredible that 2,000 years ago this was written and its relativity still hits double bull. He says essentially, that because of my sinful nature, that which lives inside of us and that which lives in the earth, he does things he doesn’t want to do, in fact he does things he knows he shouldn’t do, and he wishes he could stop doing it, but he can’t. He knows what he ought to do, but he still doesn’t do it. Why? Because of sin. This is what he says in Romans 7:21-25 - “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

If you are a follower of Jesus, if you are in Christ, you understand the struggle that is the tension between following the law or decrees of God and still being affected by sin. You are a follower of Jesus and yet still have an addiction, unwise in your finances, have bitterness in your heart, steal, cheat, gossip, lie, hurt others, cheer for the Rangers, the list can go on and if you're anything like me at times in my life, I tend to identify myself more with who I am as a sinner than identity that God has given me. The church and Christian culture as a whole does this to us also and honestly, I as a pastor, have been a perpetrator of this also. It's hard for people to live in the freedom and the identity of the Spirit if the church and pastors are always so focused on your sinful nature, and sprinkle grace on top of it all and call it good and have a great week. So week in and week out we point out sins, tell stories of how to avoid it, and then how to apply what was taught, but in the process, I fear, not all the time, but a lot of the times, we can create a culture were people begin to identify themselves spiritually, by the sins they perform, or the ones they know they should avoid. Then we get out a tally board, or an abacus, starting on Monday and throughout the week we determine how “good” we will feel on Sunday depending on how we handled our sin that week. Are you tracking me? Why do we do this? Well, culture tells us that WHAT you do is WHO you are. But Jesus tells us WHO you are determines WHAT you do. It boils down to our identity.

My wife and I have a friend who after years of being a “Christian” has decided to no longer identity as an “evangelical Christian” meaning shes deconstructing from her faith, she says she still believes in a god, but one major factor was she couldn’t see past that idea that people are naturally sinful and for her that idea that she wasn't good wasn't working.  There are several layers before that, but from my limited understanding of her whole situation, and based on what I know it came down to identity. Who do you believe you are in Christ Jesus? Friends, I want to challenge you today, for those of you in Christ Jesus, to stop identifying yourself with your sinful nature, and start living in the identity that heaven, and more importantly your Heavenly Father calls you, a Saint.

The word Saint can carry a lot of different meanings especially in the Catholic tradition, but scripturally Saint means “Holy One” Paul will use this phrase when addressing believers in his letters. Most famously when he’s speaking to the Corinth church, who at the time we’re dealing with moral, sexual and theological problems. Yet still saints, why? Because in Christ your identity is rooted in who God says you are, not what you do, how you feel, or what culture tells you, you are. And when you live in the true identity that God has for you it changes everything you do. True Identity is this, Knowing, Receiving, Believing and Displaying who God says you are. You know it and I know it, in our world today, people are confused when it comes to identity, in the church we see this confusion, people are nationalists, they identify as their main political party, you can identify with the job you have the money you make a mistake you've made 20 years ago that still haunts you, a widow or widower, great students, people believe they can choose who they are, what they are, how they live, gender transgenders, sex, sexual orientation and even now trans-species wanting to be a dog, cat, bird and whatever else they want. As Jesus followers, you do not have to question your identity, God has already given it to you. Firstly, for all people when you were born you were created in God's image and by design, your gender, race, ethnicity, etc was already predetermined and pre established by God. But once you have come to faith in Jesus, you inherit and receive a complete new identity. An identity that isn't based on where you live, your political party, or even what you do. But one that is based in the Kingdom of Heaven and on what Chrsit has already done for you. It's completely New. This is what 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” You are made new by Jesus Christ and his finished work on the cross.

So what does this have to do with Romans 8? Well I’ve heard it say that if the Bible was a golden ring, Romans is the diamond, and Romans 8 is the sparkle. It is one of the most important and theologically rich pieces of scripture we have. When we started planning this series we asked the question, who's preaching Romans 8? I am sure there are better men to preach on this rich topic, but yall got me today.  And in Romans 8 under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Paul helps us walk and live in our true identity. That if fully believed and accepted would change the way you live your life today, Monday, Tuesday and beyond. Romans 8 outlines points of our identity that you need to know, that you need to receive, that you need to believe is true about you and that you need to display to the world. You are a saint, so you should have the mindset of a saint.

1: You are not condemned for your Sin: v.1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. If you are a follower of Jesus, your sin has been paid for by the blood of Jesus. You are forgiven of your sin and transgressions against God. That means that when God looks at you he does not see your sin, he sees Christ’s payment for your sin. You are covered in Christ, Paul in Colossians would say that believers are hidden in Jesus. It is no longer you who live but Christ who lives in you. Because of this you are not condemned for your sin, you will not one day be condemned, in fact you cannot be condemned for your sin if you are in Jesus. But, listen, inversely if you are not in Jesus, then you stand condemned.

What does this mean, since we are not condemned, that means that we are free from sin? No, in fact, many of you know this, you can be in Christ and not be condemned by God for your sin, but you still have to face the consequences of your sin here on earth. How does not being commended change our identity? 1: You are free from the Guilt of Sin. Just last week I was reading my bible and I couldn’t get over the guilt I felt from the last mistake I made. I felt so bad I couldn’t even finish reading my bible. But then I remembered that there is no condemnation, now that didn't change how I felt in a moment, but it helped me change my mindset, and over a little time I was able to return thankful for God's grace. That does not mean that you can therefore go and do whatever you want, but it does mean that when you are a saint, who still struggles with sin. That changes how we relate to God. If you believe God is this all-powerful father in heaven who we are constantly guilty towards, who is constantly disappointed in us, we will never have a free relationship with him. But in Christ, there is no condemnation. We will see later that that should lead us to repentance because we understand the sacrifice Jesus made on our behalf and we want to follow his way of life. But repentance isn’t the same as a guilty verdict. Going to God feeling Guilty is like saying “I messed up, my dad is going to kill me.” Going to God in repentance is saying “I messed up, I need to call my dad.”

So verse 1 tells us there is no guilt from sin eternally, but verse 2 says, “because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. In Christ, 2: You are free from the power of sin. This sin here isn’t just referring to sinful actions but also the sinful, or broken world we live in. We as Jesus followers do not have to default ourselves to our sinful nature because we have the Holy Spirit living in us who is more powerful than our sinful nature. Though we will still struggle with sin, we do not have to carry habitual sins with us thinking it will never change. The generational sin you carry can be broken by the Holy Spirit and the prayer and help of other believers, mental illnesses that harm you and your family can be healed by Jesus, relationships can be restored, cancers and physical illnesses can be miraculously healed. We are free from the power of sin because we walk in the power of the one who defeated it. When you live in this identity you have a completely different outlook on life which changes how you live your life.

2: You live by the Spirit: v.9 - You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of Righteousness. As previously stated, when you become a believer in Jesus, you are a new creation, the old is Gone the new has come. An analogy to this is that God doesn’t put new wine in an only wine skin, instead he places new wine in new winskins. Meaning, God transforms you, makes you new, makes you different, and you now live in the spirit, or the ways of God. But the issue arises when we think we can live in our flesh and the spirit at the same time. As if, God and Jesus is simply a supplement to make our life better instead of giving us an entirely new life.

We live in the spirit, which means that when we become in Christ, there are certain things right away that we know are going to change, but over time, we start choosing the things of God because we know through the power of the Holy Spirit we can live Godly lives. We know we are going to fall short, but God is going to pick us back up, we know we can be all that God has called us to be because we are not doing it in our power we are doing it by his spirit and he will carry out to completion the good work he has started in you. The spirit is the compass that points us true north, we get our wisdom, or worship, or direction from Him, our conviction, and he guides us in our weakness. Look at that Paul says in verse 26. “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit Himself intercedes for us through our wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God people in accordance with the will of God.” Have you ever been at a point of weakness or pain where you don’t know what to say? It seems like the words escape and will not return, the spirit knows your needs even then. What does living in the Holy Spirit lead us to? He leads us to repentance, he leads us to make Jesus famous, he leads us to humility, he leads us to God's truth, he leads us to God's love, he leads us into holiness and he leads us into usefulness. Live in the spirit.

3: You are Adopted into and heirs of Gods kingdom. : “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the Children of God. The Spirit you received doesn't make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry “Abba'' father” The spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heard- heis of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his suffering in order that we may also share in his glory.” One of the biggest misconceptions in the Bible, said by preachers, and believed by people, is that everyone is God's children. That just isn’t true. (PAUSE) We are all created in God's image, but we are not considered sons and daughters of God until we are forgiven of our sin and are in Christ Jesus. At this point we are grafted into the vine, we are adopted into the kingdom and we can go to God and call him the intimate name of father. What did Paul mean by adoption here?

In the Roman world in the first century an Adopted son was a son deliberately chosen by his adoptive father to perpetrate his name and inherit his estate; he was not inferior in status to a son born in the ordinary course of nature. Under Roman adoption, the life and standing of the adopted child changed completely. The adopted son lost all rights in his old family and gained all new rights in his new family; the old life of the adopted son was completely wiped out, with all the debts being canceled, with nothing from his past counting against him anymore. Sound Familiar?

When you are in Christ, you receive the inheritance of the kingdom of God, you have Son and Daughter as a title and yet many of us still walk around like we are unwanted pets of God's Kingdom. Listen friend, verse 29, “For those God foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters, and those he predestined he also called; that’s he called he justified, those he justified he also glorified.” You were not accidentally chosen into God's family, you didn’t stumble into it, you didn’t escape his attention, before the foundations of the earth were set you were predestined to be in Christ Jesus, saved from your sin and called to live Alive in the spirit, to be named a heir in the Kingdom of Heaven. So I live as a son and daughter now.

Next: 4: You are More than Conquerors: If God is for us, who can be against us…No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Paul discusses our suffering here on this earth, as it pales in comparison to that which is to come in the future Kingdom, on the other side of this life. Because of this truth we can be and we are more than conquerors because we cannot be defeated by sin, and we shall not be overcome by suffering. Listen friend, One person plus God makes an unconquerable majority. In Christ Jesus you have the sustainability to overcome anything this life throws at you.

Lastly, though there is so much more I will leave you with this. 5: You can Never Be Separated from God's Love. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. The beginning of Romans 8 tells us that there is no Condemnation and it ends with there is no separation from God's love. Which means that your sin, your situations, your pain and suffering in this life isn’t degrees of separation from God's love. So many followers of Jesus think “We’ll God must be punishing me, or I’m lost, I’ve screwed up, I can’t go back” but listen friend in Christ there is NO SEPARATION from God's love. Living in this truth should lead us closer to holiness because we are overwhelmed with what God has done, is doing and will do in our life and that God's love is not contingent on our actions. He already displayed the lengths he would go to for you when he sent Jesus to the cross.

How long have you been tired of living in a false identity? How long have you been exhausted trying to live up to a standard that God never placed, how long have you been running trying to learn what God has already given you in Christ Jesus. You in Christ are a SAINT who isn't perfect, never will be, but you are one who not condemned for your sin, you live in the spirit, you are adopted as a son or daughter in God's kingdom, you are more than a conqueror and you can never be separated from God's love.

What then is holding you back from living in this identity, what is keeping you from living God’s way? Examples. Do you stand condemned? Live free in Christ.

Prayer