Your Identity in Christ

My Name Is Nobody - a personal reflectionMy Name Is Nobody - a personal reflection

I was searching for things in my past that were unhealthy—to see if anything had changed and had become instead, useful, or better qualities than my old self.

As I get older, I am more and more concerned with who I have become. I’m afraid my life reflects more

selfishness than caring for others

pride than humility

discord than peace

disappointment than contentment

control than relinquishment

sin than obedience

Paul’s conversion on the road to Damascus: A.D. 33-36

His letter to Titus: A.D. 62-64, about 26-30 years later

Before Paul’s conversion, he was disciplined, brilliant, proud, zealous, severe, violent, always certain he was right. He says he was “blameless” Philippians 3:5–6 “a Hebrew of the Hebrews; blameless and zealous”

1 Timothy 1:13 “a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious…

On the road to Damascus, God chose to transform the strengths that once made Paul dangerous into strengths that now made him useful.

Paul attributes that transformation as part of his identity. First a servant, then an apostle.Titus 1:1

Paul identifies himself both as a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ.

He is a slave to God ⇨ and sent out by Jesus, the Son of God.

A. Not everyone’s conversion is as dramatic as Paul’s, but our identity after conversion should be. If you have truly gone from being one kind of person to a another:

your new identity must point to something or someone as that source of newness

your identity must produce something that differs from your old self.

This identity isn’t something left to chance or grace.

“That’s just who I am,” or “who I was,” or “by God’s grace.”

If your new identity is in Christ, then yes, you have grace, but your new self must produce something within that grace.

What must it produce?

Godliness.

We’ve touched on the mystery of Godliness. Not a list of things we can do to obtain it, not actions to stay the course, but intentional practice of seeking the truth through knowledge of the word.

Train: repetitive, disciplined effort in reading the word

Pursue: run after, eagerly seek righteousness and godliness through the reading of the word

Abide: stay connected to the vine, by reading the word.

Paul begins his letter to Titus on leadership, elderly men and woman…

Paul’s ministry was aimed at both the salvation and sanctification of God’s people, but he couldn’t achieve this without the intimate knowledge of who he was in God, and in Christ.

Is there a difference?

Understanding your identity God and in Christ.