Our Identity as a Christin

Our Identity as a Christian

Sunbury GMC 1/20/2021

Sunbury GMC 5/26/2024

Tonight, I have two questions to ask. I like to leave us something to think about. To think about it myself. I know that we have preached several holiness messages over the past bit. I know that some of mine have been tedious theological commentaries. I hope that tonight is not that. I really want us to think about two questions and really focus in on one. Before we get there lets read our scripture. Again in this message there will be much scripture. If you would like to follow along keep your Bible’s open.

Text:” Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. [1]

I. Am I dead?

The first question I have for us tonight is this Am I dead? Now this question is not the main question I wish to focus on tonight, but it is important preamble. This is the message of scriptural Holiness. Sanctification involves death. Now some don’t like that terminology. It is offensive to the milder senses. Well, what does the Bible say?

Rom 6:2 “How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therin?”

Rom 6:11 says we are “Dead indeed unto sin”

I peter 2:24 says “being dead to sins”

Are you dead? It is abundantly clear that the sanctified Christian must in fact be dead to sin. But it does go deeper. Not only are we dead to sin, but we must also be dead to ourselves. My text for tonight is Galatians 2:20.

Galations 2:20 I am crucified with Christ

It is clear that we must be dead to sin and also dead to self. Dead to our own will and desires. Some other passages expand on this.

Ephesians 4:22 “That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; [1]” put off the former lifestyle of the old man. The sinful and selfish lifestyle must be done away with.

Colosians 3:5 “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: [1]”

Put to death therefore your members, that former lifestyle of sinfulness and selfish desires for that is idolatry. How is it so, how is this the same as idolatry? What is idolatry? It is placing anything above God in your priority list. To live unto self and make selfish choices and decision is to place yourself above God, making yourself an idol, serving yourself over God which is idolatry.

Galatians 5:24 “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.”

It is abundantly clear from scripture then that we are to be dead to sin, dead to self, dead to our desires, dead to our own will. This is something that we all know that most of us have heard many times. Some may be sick of hearing it because they have heard it over and over again, for others it may be a newer theme. But this is often the focus of a sanctification message. And it should be! But my focus tonight is not to bring seekers, though if you desire to pray of course we will pray with you. Nor am I trying to bring an extensive theological discussion of sanctification, set apartness, death to self etc.. Rather I want us to focus on this second question I have tonight.

Am I Alive?

My text does not stop with I am crucified with Christ, it goes and says,

Galatians 2:20 : nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

We are crucified in the likeness of His crucifixion, but not quite the same, for our bodies do not die. Rather it is our corrupted will which is crucified. In baptism we are buried together with Christ in a sense. Like Christ rose we too rise. He rose and ascended to Heaven to be our intercessor at the right hand of the Father. We rise in newness of life here on earth. Baptism is vivid symbol of a real transformation, a true new beginning of life in Christ. Like I focused on so much thus far that burial that baptism symbolizes must be a break, a complete destruction of the old lifestyle. It is not the same person who rises from the water but a new creation, remade into what God intended for us. The Baptism of body in water is a justifying cleaning experience. The old life has been washed away with its guilt and sin. The baptism of the Spirit is a cleansing baptism of fire applied to the corruption of the heart. It is a complete cleansing, not just of the outward guilt but of the inward nature. Romans 6 has much more to say on this topic.

Romans 6:3 “Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?

4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

7 For he that is dead is freed from sin.

8 Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.

10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Whenever death is mentioned it is death to sin and self, immediately followed by life with, and in Christ

I peter 2:24 “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

This is not intended to be a theological message. But I can’t just skip right on past the glorious theology of these passages. Commenting on Romans 6:7 Adam Clarke comments on the dangerous ideology that had begun to exist in the day that he wrote and now dominates the theological landscape. That idea that sin has not been destroyed, but rather dealt a death blow. Not a blow that has caused the death of sin, but a blow that has weakened sin to point that with our physical death sin too dies and our spirit may finally be free at the moment of our death. He notices first the problem that this is some way makes us the finisher of our faith in the sense that the destruction which God has promised of the sin nature is completed by us. He comments that “The divinity and philosophy of this sentiment are equally absurd. It is the blood of Christ alone that cleanses from all unrighteousness; and the sanctification of a believer is no more dependent on death than his justification. If it be said. “that believers do not cease from sin till they die;” I have only to say, they are such believers as do not make a proper use of their faith; and what can be said more of the whole herd of transgressors and infidels? They cease to sin, when they cease to breathe. If the Christian religion bring no other privileges than this to its upright followers, well may we ask, wherein doth the wise man differ from the fool, for they have both one end? But the whole Gospel teaches a contrary doctrine.” No indeed this death to sin occurs here that way we may be alive in Christ. This life in Christ is not postponed to the next life but it is enjoyed now, it accomplished today! What then does it mean then to be alive?

I want to talk about the problem I am try to deal with here. Throughout my life I have always wondered why are we so ineffective? Why is the church world failing so badly at transforming the world? Why is that instead of spreading the gospel to a sinful world, the sinful world has mingled its sin in with the gospel. Even in our churches, though our decline has not been as dramatic as those who have changed the truth of God into a lie, it must be admitted that we are failing. I have come to a potential conclusion. Sanctification is about death, but it is just as much or even more about a new life in Christ. We in our modern church have often neglected the message of sanctification and scriptural holiness altogether. And when we preach it, it is a message of death. Which is true, which is good. Which is scriptural, but a message that is also incomplete. We have churches full of saints who cannot seem to win one soul for Christ, much less maintain those they have already. Churches who are slowly dying off and when the last old saint dies that is the end and the doors are closed. What is the problem? Is it uncommitted Christians, unwilling to die? Most assuredly we have this problem, but what of those who are sanctified, who are dead to sin and self? We have churches full of people living sinless lives, blameless lives, living the life that we are called to, almost. I believe we have churches full of dead people, who have not yet learned to live in Christ. What am I talking about, what am I saying? Another question to illustrate this.

If asked, who are you what is your reply? Obviously your name, but when pressed further, what is your reply. How do we Identify ourselves? I’ll use myself as an example. I could respond “well I am an American, a substitute teacher, a college graduate, a seminary graduate, or even say that I am an assistant Pastor. But those should not be my identity. Those should not be how I view myself, or how others view me. The answer should be “I am a Christian.” Most the other things I said are ways I live that out, but not who I am. My identity should not be in where I was born or what I do, but in who I live for and do my best to live like.

This is mindset change for many. Instead of being a construction worker, a handyman, retired, an electrician, a student, a healthcare worker, a mother, a father, or even a pastor we are first, and above all else a Christian. This means we live like Christ. We love God above all, and we love others above ourselves. We do not seek our own gain, but we seek out opportunities to share Christ. To build the Kingdom of God. Everything we do as a Christian is to be done first for Christ’s sake, before our own considerations. Not only is our duty as a Christian to provide for our families, but it is also our job as a Christian to show Christ to our coworkers, to win them to Christ if it be possible. When we view ourselves as absolutely nothing more or less than a member of the body of Christ, these opportunities that we often pass up, that I too am guilty of passing up, will become more visible to us.

I believe that every Christian has the desire to win people to Christ, but we miss so many opportunities for lack of identity. We take our identity from what we are doing in the moment rather than who we are living for. When I play basketball I view myself as a basketball player, my identity is one who plays basketball, my value is based on how good at basketball I am. That is wrong. Even in the midst of a game of basketball my first thought and action should be that of emulating the example of Christ. I should be first a Christian, looking for ways to show Christ to the others on the court. My value should not be determined by how many shots I make, but by whether or not Christ is pleased with me on this court. Am I showing off Christ in a positive manner? Am I detracting from His name by my actions or adding to His glory? Do I take the opportunities at the gym to live out Christ, whether silently or openly, when they come my way? When people talk of church, do I change the topic knowing I’m the odd man out, or do I seek to bring God into conversations whenever I can?

I hope you have understood what I am trying to say tonight. I wanted to remind us once again that being dead indeed unto Christ is good and necessary, but I wanted to make sure that we know that death to self is not the end goal. The end goal is a life in Christ. An ever growing relationship with the creator, an ever drawing nearer to the one who redeemed us. That’s the goal. The death to self, that’s the beginning. That’s where it starts. Then it is time to grow in grace. To help us remember this remember the question What is my Identity, Am I living like I am Alive in Christ?