Your Identity
Who Do You Think You Are?
It's easy to get lost in the crowd. Sometimes it can be hard to see how you fit in, what you are here for, if you make any difference in the world at all. Sometimes we have an idea of who we are, but is it just what others think we should be? Is it what friends, parents, or culture have told us we should be?
There is something remarkable about who you are. And it's not because of what job you have, or how many friends you have or any great achievement. You are remarkable because God thought of you before He ever created the planet. He fell in love with you before anything you see around you was created. He wanted you to be part of His family. He waited for just the right time and placed you into existence in just the right place. You are not an accident, your entry to the world was not random; you were born for a time like this.
You have an identity, and it's the most amazing thing. You are the pinnacle of God's creation. The stars and planets may be awesome, the wonders of the earth may be breathtaking, but you eclipse them all. Made in the image of God to be one of His children, you are more important than anything thing else in all of creation.
Sons of God
For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God through faith. (Gal 3:26)
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery leading again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself bears witness to our spirit that we are God's children.(Rom 8:14-16)
When the religious rulers heard that Jesus was saying God was his Father, they were offended. They could hardly believe their ears, that someone would dare put themselves on equal footing with God by calling Him Father. To their understanding it was blasphemy and such a serious offence as to warrant death. That same religious spirit continues to be offended today when we agree with the word of God that describes us as ‘sons of God’. But that is what we are. We are sons of God, and co-heirs with Jesus.
Sonship is closely linked to inheritance, and it is this aspect of inheritance that we will focus on as an integral part of our identity. Consider the following words from Paul to the Galatians, “But when the appropriate time had come, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we may be adopted as sons with full rights. And because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, who calls "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if you are a son, then you are also an heir through God” (Gal 4:4-7). As sons, we receive an inheritance simply because of who we are, not because we have worked hard for it. Granted a good son will work hard for his father and the family estate, but he is in line for the inheritance by his position not his labour.
Brothers of Jesus
Here is a most amazing aspect of our salvation – we are brothers of Jesus. We are in the same family, born after our big brother Jesus who has led the way.
For it was fitting for him, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For indeed he who makes holy and those being made holy all have the same origin, and so he is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters, saying, "I will proclaim your name to my brothers; in the midst of the assembly I will praise you."
Again he says, "I will be confident in him," and again, "Here I am, with the children God has given me." (Heb 2:10-13)
So Jesus leads the way for his brothers and sisters to come into the glory and honour that was intended for us from the very beginning. In Isaiah 60:1 the prophet proclaims "Arise! Shine! For your light arrives! The splendor of the LORD shines on you!” This word ‘splendor’ is ‘kabod kabod’ which means weighty, and is used to describe the glory of God. The prophet is saying ‘Stand up! For now you are crowned with glory!”
Jesus calls us brothers and sisters because we have ‘the same origin’; we are of the same family. The writer of Hebrews goes on to describe how Jesus had to be just like us in our humanity to destroy the power of death and set us free. In his humanity he also showed us, as our big brother, what it was to display the glory of the Father on the earth. For our glory and honour is to display the nature of the Father on the earth.
We look to Jesus – his is the one we set our eyes on – we follow in his footsteps – we imitate him – he has gone before us as a demonstration of how to manifest the glory of the Father on the earth.
Bride of Christ
We are not only Jesus brother but collectively we are the “Bride of Christ”. Now the phrase ‘the Bride of Christ’ is not found in the scriptures, it’s a metaphor to describe the intimate relationship between Jesus and the Church.
For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. (2Co 11:2)
Paul in his letter to the Corinthians is warning them not to be deceived from their devotion to Christ, like Eve was deceived by Satan, because they have been promised to one husband, namely Jesus.
John the Baptist describes himself as the friend of the Bridegroom who has done his job and the Bridegroom is now coming to take His Bride:
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom's voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete. (John 3:29)
Paul opens up the whole subject in his letter to the Ephesians in this way:
Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious — not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless. In the same way husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one has ever hated his own body but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ also does the church, for we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great — but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church. (Eph 5:25-32)
The new covenant Jesus cut with us by his own body and blood is in essence a marriage contract. In a traditional Jewish wedding the contract is called a “Ketubah”, a binding document that details the husband’s obligations to his bride. It is read out in Aramaic as part of the wedding service as the husband pledges his strength and support to their marriage. In ancient times this Ketubah was drawn up to engage a girl for marriage. This covenant was presented to the bride and her father and it included the price the young man was going to pay for the bride. The payment was compensation to the bride’s parents and an expression of love toward the bride. If the covenant was accepted by the father, the young man would offer wine to them all and in drinking the cup the girl showed her acceptance and they would be considered husband and wife. The bridal price is paid to the father. But this stage is still ‘betrothal’ as the marriage is yet to be consummated. The young man would tell his bride he would be going to make a place for her and would return when it is ready. He would leave a gift and then depart. While he is gone she prepares herself for the wedding and stays on the lookout for her returning bridegroom. The bridegroom, meanwhile, is making a place for them under the watchful eye and approval of his father. This place is the chamber, or honeymoon bed, in his father’s house where the marriage will be consummated. Only when the father considers all is ready does he let his son go back to get his bride. So essentially only the father knows when the wedding will take place.
We are in that place where the covenant has been accepted by us. We have said ‘yes’ to Jesus and we have taken the cup and drunk the wine and entered into the contract. We are in a time of waiting as Jesus prepares a place for us and then comes back for us. Just like the ancient Jewish tradition, we are his bride and He is not going to divorce us - He had paid the ultimate bride price for us. He has shown His love for us and desire to have the closest intimacy with us. Yet there remains the consummation and this will be the time when we receive our glorified bodies and rule and reign in complete union with Him.
As compelling as this picture is of bride and bridegroom, it isn’t exhaustive in describing who we are and what we are called to. To complete the picture we need to know we are also son’s, and brothers of Jesus, and we have inherited all things, and we rule and reign on the earth like a mighty prince with His Spirit dwelling in us. We are not just a betrothed woman sitting at home looking out the window waiting for Him to come back. Our identity is much more dynamic than that! We are in the midst of a war and need to understand that there is nothing passive about our stance on this side of the cross.
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