How often do we as followers of Christ use this statement, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace." In my opinion, this is one of the most unscriptural slogans that Christians use to identify themselves, and very unfortunate at that.
Three Wednesdays ago, during WNL, we started a series focusing on our identity as a follower of Jesus Christ. We took this statement, slogan, clique, whatever you want to call it and pulled it apart to expose the lie that it is. BEFORE YOU STOP READING...HEAR ME OUT SO YOU UNDERSTAND WHERE I'M COMING FROM!
This saying has been passed down through songs, the pulpit, and Sunday school classes for decades. I am not sure who said it first or where it came from. All I know is that I can recall from an early age of growing up in church hearing this and allowing this statement, which i have not found in scripture yet, form how I saw myself as a believer in Jesus. Stay with me...
As a believer in Jesus, it is VITAL that we understand and see ourselves as God has made us. If we don't we allow lies to creep in and change our God given identity for an identity that will in no way bring Glory to God. In short here is the foundation that we are understanding what our identity is as a born again, believer in the Lord Jesus.
Colossians 1:13 "For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves."
This is a picture of salvation, what happened when a person receives the gift of grace that God desires to give all men. It is not a matter of being a better person, a better Christian, a more moral human being, or anything like that. It is about having a radical change at the core of who you are! The word "rescue" is also translated as "transferred". You have a new identity!
We understand our old identity as being a person found in "the kingdom of darkness". We are found here because of the sin of Adam, the fall of man. When this happened back in Genesis 3, all humanity are identified as sinners. Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." No exceptions, EVERYONE! Because of this sin that we are born into and we have in us as a born human, we are spiritually DEAD. Not just a bad person...DEAD. Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death..."
The Gospel, or good news is this..."...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." God made a way for us to not survive, exist, reside, live, or have our identity rest in the dead kingdom of darkness! (PRAISE GOD!) When we receive the gift of God He transfers/rescues us, and places us into the kingdom of the Son that He loves. Notice above, the Bible uses the word "IN". That is it...the gift is that God puts us IN Christ...that is our identity.
Colossians 1:27 gives us more incite to this truth. "To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." So now we see that we, as a followers of Jesus, have Christ IN us, and we have been placed IN Christ. No longer is sinner anywhere apart of our new identity. We still are able to sin, just as a firefighter is still able to start a fire, but that is not who we are. It is Blasphemy to say that a person that has Christ IN them and has been placed IN Christ, so Christ is covering them too, is a sinner as an identity. That gives us as believers a crutch, excuse, justification, or freedom to sin because that is who we are. On the contrary, scripture never calls a person that has been truly saved by God a SINNER...we are called saints, beloved, children of God, redeemed, set free, we have a new identity!
That identity is not about us. That identity is us having Christ IN us, us IN Christ, and all that Hidden in God. Colossians 3:3 "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." That is who we are as a follower of Jesus Christ.
I AM are NOT just a sinner saved by grace...
I was a sinner that has been saved by the grace of God...and I AM identified as a person scattered, covered, ans smothered IN Christ and hidden in God!
Let us believe who God has made us into and let us not believe the subtle lies of the ruler of the dominion of darkness. So that we can live an empowered life that will bring Glory to God in all we do and say.
Penny for your thoughts...
(sorry so long...trying to catch you up)
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