Who's Who

The Gospel Coalition posted this brief video on the subject of identity. Although the title ties it to sex and gender, it really applies all discussions of identity. It reminded me of a quote from Brennan Manning: “Be who you is, ‘cause if you ain’t who you is, you is who you ain’t.” The problem is that who we think we are often does not align with who God has made us to be. He is our Creator and He has absolute ownership rights over us, so He is the one who defines us. If that is true then:

I am not my temptations.

I am not my sins.

I am not my history.

I am not my wounds.

I am not my failures.

I am not my successes.

I am not my relationships.

I am not my academic degrees.

I am not my career.

I am not my abilities.

I am not my nationality.

I am not who I once was.

Who am I?

I am adopted as a child of God (Rom. 8:16).

I am chosen by God (1 Thess. 1:4).

I am a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17, Eph. 4:23).

I am clean (1 Cor. 6:11).

I am justified (Rom. 5:1, 1 Cor. 6:11).

I am sanctified (1 Cor. 6:11, Heb. 10:10).

I am free from condemnation (Rom. 8:1).

I am a member of the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27).

I am God’s workmanship (Eph. 2:10).

I have been set free from sin (Rom 6:18).

I am loved by God (1 John 4:9-10).

I am His worker and ambassador (Eph. 2:10, 2 Cor. 5:20).

We all need to be reminded of the truth frequently—perhaps multiple times per day. The experiences of this life often seem more real than the truths of God’s Word. The old self seems all too lively in spite of having been crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6). As Sam Allberry said in the video above, “the old self hasn’t left the building yet, and I feel his presence daily.” Scripture is full of the reminders we need, if we’ll just take the time to read it, pray through it, and believe it.

“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture (Psalm 100:3 NJKV).

Here are a few songs I’ve found helpful as well:

  “You Are More” -Tenth Avenue North

  “I Belong” -The Digital Age

  “Remind Me Who I Am” -Jason Gray

© 2020 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated all images are copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.