And You Are?

Who do you think you are? Who are you?

Did you know the two answers typically are unrelated if not different in every way?

My friend Neil T. Anderson has something to say about that. Take a look:

Many Christians are not living free and productive lives because they don't

understand who they are and why they are here. Who they are is rooted

in their identity and position in Christ. If they don't see themselves the way 

God sees them, to that degree they suffer from false identity and poor

sense of worth. They don't fully understand the gospel and the dramatic

change that occurred in them the moment they trusted Christ¹.

This is an excerpt taken from Victory Over the Darkness by, as stated previously, Neil T. Anderson. I’m only to chapter two, but the book has been so good thus far I’ve declared it worthy of a blog post. I strongly suggest you read it. On my personal list, it’s right up there with Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis—a.k.a. the top.

Let’s think about those two questions again.

Who do you think you are?

Let’s be real, who you think you are has a dramatic impact on the life you live. I’ll start out. If asked at random who I think I am, while at first I would be caught off guard (because let’s face it, it can be difficult to give an honest evaluation of yourself), I would eventually start formulating some sort of list in my mind. It would probably look something like this:

·         I’m Ryleigh Puckett.

·         I’m 5’ 7”.

·         I’m a freshman in college.

·         I’m a straight A (and one B) student.

·         I live in Texas with my five family members and six dogs.

·         I paint.

·         I go to church.

·         etc… etc..

 Got a picture of who I am? No? Me either. The truth is that these “facts” about me are just that: facts. They aren’t who I am. They are what I think I am. If someone took all of this away from me, I would still be me—even if I don’t know what exactly that means. Anderson, however, points something vital out.

We tend to identify ourselves and each other primarily by what we look like (tall, short, stocky, slender) or what we do (plumber, carpenter, nurse, engineer, clerk). Furthermore, when we as Christians are asked to identify ourselves in relation to our faith, we usually talk about our doctrinal position (Protestant, evangelical, Calvinist, charismatic), our denominational preference (Baptist, Presbyterian, Methodist, Independent) or our role in the church (Sunday School teacher, choir member, deacon, usher). Is who you are determined by what you do, or is what you do determined by who you are? That is an important question, especially as it relates to Christian maturity¹.

Frankly, many Christians struggle with who they are, I being one of them. By reading Victory Over the Darkness, though, I’m beginning to understand why. Keep in mind that I am only on chapter two currently, but I plan to write new posts with each additional chapter for a total of twelve posts. I can’t do the impactful and perspective-changing qualities of each chapter in a summary post justice, so once again I highly recommend grabbing a copy for yourself.

Why do we have a misconception or disconnect when it comes to who we are?

This question is one that definitely needs an answer. To find a solution, you must understand the root of the problem. Come on, somebody reminisce with me about that awful rumor weed on VeggieTales²!

Neil T. Anderson notes that Christians are both physically alive and spiritually alive¹. At least, we are now because we are Christians. Before that though, as Ephesians 2:1 reminds us, we were once very dead in our sins³. Once we commit our lives to Christ, however, this changes. But like I said, before-hand, we were dead. This is what we inherited from Adam: death—and unless one is reborn, they will remain dead. Here is the interesting part: it would seem that Christians, even after they are born again, continue to go on living as though they are still dead; as though they are still children of the world and Adam instead of Christ. To clarify, once you have been adopted as a Child of God, there is nothing that you can do—no sin so great—that can alter that new identity and reality. Just as a parent will never stop loving their child, God never will stop loving us. But are we thinking and living like He loves us?

I really appreciated the analogy my dad gave about this. He asked my sisters and me how we think President Obama’s daughters view themselves. We answered that they most likely viewed themselves as pretty important or special—at least good in some ways because of their position. Then he proceeded to ask how we think the child of a lazy drunkard would feel about themselves? We all agreed: not very well. Fittingly, from the world’s standards, the daughters of President Obama are pretty high up there. But guess what? You and I are their heirs and inheritors of Christ!—i.e. the Creator of the entire universe including space, time, universals, and everything in between. Does that make us special? Dang straight. Not in the prideful sense, but in the valuable, worthy of all the love of the Father because of his Son sense of special.

To come to a close for this part, I’ll list the truth about who we are as Christians as written in Victory over the Darkness.

Who Am I?

I am the salt of the earth (Matt. 5:13).

I am the light of the world (Matt. 5:14).

I am a child of God (John 1:12).

I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ’s life (John 15:1, 5).

I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15).

I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 15:16).

I am a slave of righteousness (Rom. 6:18).

I am a son of God; God is spiritually my Father (Rom. 8:14, 15; Gal. 3:26; 4:6).

I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him (Rom. 8:17).

I am a temple—a dwelling place—of God. His spirit and His life dwell in me (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19).

I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him (1 Cor. 6:17).

I am a member of Christ’s Body (1 Cor. 12:27; Eph. 5:30).

I am a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).

I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18-19).

I am a son of God and one in Christ (Gal. 3:26, 28).

I am an heir of God since I am a son of God (Gal. 4:6-7).

I am a saint (1 Cor. 1:2; Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2).

I am God’s workmanship—His handiwork—born anew in Christ to do His work (Eph. 2:10).

I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God’s family (Eph. 2:19).

I am a prisoner of Christ (Eph. 3:1; 4:1).

I am righteous and holy (Eph. 4:24).

I am a citizen of heaven, seated in heaven right now (Eph. 2:6; Phil. 3:20).

I am hidden with Christ in God (Col. 3:3).

I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life (Col. 3:4).

I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4).

I am a son of light and not darkness (1 Thess. 5:5).

I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling (Heb. 3:1).

I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life (Heb. 3:14).

I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (1 Pet. 2:5).

I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (1 Pet. 2:9-10).

I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live (1 Pet. 2:11).

I am an enemy of the devil (1 Pet. 5:8).

I am a child of God and I will resemble Christ when He returns (1 John 3:1-2).

I am born of God, and the evil one—the devil—cannot touch me (1 John 5:18).

I am not the great “I am” (Exod. 3:14; John 8:24, 28, 58), but by the grace of God, I am what I am (1 Cor. 15:10).

I’ll take a moment to specify that Victory Through the Darkness is very clear to uphold that Christians still sin. Anderson goes on to say, “As believers, we are not trying to become saints; we are saints who are becoming like Christ. In no way does this deny the continuous struggle with sin, but it does give the believer some hope for the future”¹. You will need to read chapter two to understand the full extent of this topic.

The point is that we are Children of God! Our identity now lies in Christ. It is who we are. If it became what we believe we are, then we can truly live it out¹!

Blessings,

Miss Ryleigh

1. Anderson, Neil T. Victory Over the Darkness. Ventura: Regal Books, 2013. Print.

2. Larry-Boy and the Rumor Weed. Dir. Phil Vischer. Perf. Mike Nawrocki, Phil Vischer, and G.

Bock. Big Idea, 1999. Film.

3. The Holy Bible. Wheaton: Crossway, 2007. Print.