Identity in Christ

“By the grace of God I am what I am”

1 Corinthians 15:10a

How secure is your identity?  Identity theft is a growing problem in our country.  It is important to be on guard and be protected from identity theft.

When we look at Jesus’ Baptism in Scripture, we also look to our Baptism and the identity we were given at our Baptism.  Our identity is with God, who came to identify Himself with us.  Baptism is at the heart of the Christian faith because it is God pursuing us for life - finding us in the midst of sin and death to give us life through His name.  We no longer bear our name, we bear the name of God’s beloved sons and daughters with whom God is well pleased.  God gives us a daily identity - so that no matter what temptation, burden, or challenge which tears at the very core of our being and identity - we hear those wonderful words from God, “You are Mine!”

Baptism is not merely a one-time affirmation that melts away over time.  It is an all-time affirmation that grows over time.  It changes our very being, not just our temporary self-image.  As a result of Baptism’s grace, we are empowered to do things we couldn’t do - forgiving, giving, interrupting our own schedule to help someone else, spending our energies on others rather than ourselves, healing through loving, loving despite not liking, being able to enjoy the blessings of God and being connected to His presence, now and for eternity.  With that affirmation, we know that who we are is really whose we are.

Like a professional scam-artist, the devil will try to steal away your identity as a child of God.  The devil will point to your sins and failures as evidence that you aren’t really a child of God.  He will point to illness and disasters that plague our lives and say, “you can’t really be a child of God!”

But thanks be to God – your identity as a child of God cannot be stolen or taken away from you!  The promises of forgiveness, life, and salvation that God gave you at your Baptism ring true each and every day for all eternity!

How secure is your identity?  Your identity as a child of God rests secure in the precious promises of your Baptism!

The Power of Forgiveness

A certain married couple had many sharp disagreements.  Yet somehow the wife always stayed calm and collected.  One day her husband commented on his wife’s restraint.  “When I get mad at you”, he said, “you never fight back.  How do you control your anger?”  The wife said, “I work it off by cleaning the toilet.”  The husband said, “How does that help?”  She said, “I use your toothbrush!”

It’s amazing what we’ll do when we take the bait of unforgiveness.  Someone has said that unforgiveness is like taking poison and waiting for the other guy to die.  We live in a litigious society in which we like to hold others responsible for things.  “Who is to blame?” we want to know.  “Someone has to pay” or so we have been taught.  In a world of debt, nobody gets away with anything.  When we say, “We can’t forgive,” we really mean, “We won’t forgive.  We’ve taken the bait.  We have made the clear choice to seek revenge, to hold the grudge, to get even or keep the wound open and unhealed.”

But God holds the cross before our eyes.  As Jesus hangs from that cross, the way of the world would expect Jesus to cry out with words like, “Who is responsible for this?  The Romans?  The Jews?  The Pharisees?  The disciples who betrayed and denied Me?  The people who stood by and did nothing?”   Could He not have cried out looking at each and every one of us saying, “It’s your fault – your sin put me here!”  Instead, we hear Jesus say, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

The mercy that God in Christ had for you when He passed over your sins and laid them on the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, is the same mercy that He had for that “brother” of yours who has sinned against you.  The patience the Lord had, and has, for you when He endured the scouraging that were due to you, is the same patience that Jesus had, and has, for the “brother” who hurt you.  The forgiveness that the Incarnate Son of God earned for you on Calvay’s cross and guaranteed in His Easter Resurrection, is the same forgiveness earned for your “brother” and which we are all called to share.

As sinful people, we’ll do some amazing things when we take the bait of unforgiveness.  But as healed, redeemed, and forgiven people, we have been granted the privilege of sharing some amazing blessings when we say and hear said, “You are forgiven.”

The Good Samaritan Gospel

We all know the Good Samaritan law – but do you know the Good Samaritan Gospel?  The lawyer who spoke to Jesus knew the law inside and out.  He knew it so well, that his question to Jesus wasn’t for an answer to learn something he didn’t know, but rather to test Jesus to see if Jesus knew as much as he did.  Can you imagine?  The lawyer quoted directly from Deuteronomy 6 “You shall love the Lord your God with all of your heart and mind and strength and you shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  It was a part of the Shema, a confession recited twice a day by every faithful Jew.  And the lawyer would be quick to see everyone he met in reference to this law.  We know this because he tried to justify himself to Jesus.  Yes, to stand before Jesus, the Son of God, and justify himself!

Our culture certainly hasn’t changed a bit.  We, too, know the law – especially when we can apply it to others.  “I may not be perfect, but nobody is.  Therefore, I have the so-called cultural right to say – ‘they get what they deserve because of their lifestyle, their choices, their thoughtless acts, their failure to follow the proper steps, their negligence.”  You name it – we can justify it!

           

When we get caught doing something we ought not to do or not doing something we ought to do – we EXPECT mercy.  But for everyone else – LAW.  Most people hearing Jesus’ parable hear law, not Gospel.  We can’t make the same mistake!

           

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is Gospel.  How do we know?  Because Jesus is speaking about eternal life.  Even if we can recite the law word for word, not one of us can fulfill it perfectly.  And perfection is the requirement of the law for eternal life.  If we received what we deserve for our sin, both inherited and thought, word, and deed – we could only receive condemnation.

           

The point of Jesus’ parable is the answer to His question “Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?”  It is the ONE who showed him mercy.  Jesus is THE ONE.  He demonstrates mercy by taking what we deserve so that we don’t receive it – eternal death!

           

The lawyer didn’t search for a loophole in the Law that commanded him to “love God” because he didn’t think he needed one.  He thinks that he does love God with his whole heart, mind, strength, and soul – and he could probably prove it by pointing to such evidence as worship attendance, giving, devotional time and prayer.

           

But notice, when it comes to “love your neighbor as yourself”, he need a little help.  SO he starts by asking, “Who is my neighbor?”  If he can define “neighbor” minutely enough, narrow enough, then he can justify himself – pronounce himself to be a righteous man.  But just like the lawyer, none of us can justify ourselves before God.

           

Jesus’ parable reveals the sin of omission.  We have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed by what we have done and by what we have left undone.  WE are the ones who pass by.  The Law in the Good Samaritan underscores our sin of omission – our unwillingness to get involved to do what God has called us to do – to be His representatives of mercy to a world in need.

           

The Lord’s parable drives us to our knees in repentance for all the times we have looked at the world around us in judgment, limiting our love and concern to those whom we judge to be worthy to be our neighbor.  But in the revelation of Christ for us – a Savior who did not pass us by but gave us the full measure of His love and mercy to the point of dying on the cross – we live our lives in response to the unconditional love, grace, and mercy of God.  By this very same unlimited mercy that has been and continues to be poured out on us – we have the joy of looking at the whole world as our neighbor – for by God’s mercy and grace, that’s who we are.

           

Sometimes we can hear Scripture a thousand times and never “get it”.  The Holy Spirit helps us “get it” by revealing the only ONE who showed mercy.  Jesus tells this parable to us because there is no one we will ever see who does not need the mercy of God.  The Gospel is clear: Jesus is the one who shows mercy.

           

The Bible tells us that God responded immediately to sin with mercy.  He clothed Adam and Eve who fell into sin and promised a Savior – His own Son to shed the blood that needed to be shed to pay the price for sin.  The Good Samaritan became involved and stayed involved.  Regardless of our pitiful condition, Jesus Christ became involved in a very personal way in our lives as Lord and Savior – and remains involved every day!  We have the Gospel message to share with the world in which we live – God does not pass us by – NEVER – not for any reason!  Talk about a message that’s needed today! 

           
Jesus, our Good Neighbor, answers our question, “What must I do” with the Gospel answer, “It’s already been done!”  Jesus, the Good Samaritan, sees our plight, has mercy, stops and binds our wounds.  He reveals what He has done and continues to do:  He doesn’t meet out sin with what we deserve – but with His mercy!