Jesus said, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Luke 23:34 

Turn your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look and look at him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him – Lilias Trotter

People do some pretty destructive things—even self-destructive things. If we’re watching, we shake our head and wonder what ever caused such unkind behaviors. It doesn’t make any sense. This is especially mystifying when it’s Christians who are behaving so destructively.

For weeks we’ve been talking about how kind people do what they do out of the identity that is theirs in Jesus. And it’s worth mentioning that people do unkind things out of their lack of identity. People do destructive and self-destructive things, even in the church, because their identity is in a muddle, or perhaps it’s in something other than Jesus.

If Jesus went through all sorts of trauma—by the spiritual leaders of his day; His flesh ripped apart, His beard torn out, spit on, hung on a cross, and He could look upon these people and say, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do,” that’s radical forgiveness. (more…)

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. Romans 8:29

God’s purpose in creation and redemption is to have spiritual children conformed to the image of His Son. I’ve been saying for weeks that practicing kindness, for example, is greatly dependent on how we perceive ourselves (our identity). But how does that happen in us?

Our identities are essential to making us conformed to His image. When our identities are in Jesus, we’re going to live life differently than if our identities are in something else, even things like church, positions, our leaders; or other things like our political affiliation, the color of our skin, our gender, ancestry, profession, etc. What is it about how we see ourselves that makes it so important?

1.  Our identity controls our vision. When our identity is in Jesus and all that He is for us and is doing in us, we see possibilities that other people cannot appreciate. While others stumble around in spiritual confusion/sluggishness, we see where we’re going (1 Jn 1:7), and have clarity of purpose because we are called according to His purpose (Rom 8:28). (more…)

And you are complete in Him, who has all authority over all principality and power. Colossians 2:10

It may seem strange, but believers, we need to be taught who we are—that we are the righteousness of God in Jesus (2 Cor 5:21); we are walking miracles. We were dead in trespasses and sins…But God made us alive in Jesus (Eph 2:1,5). You and I may not feel like walking resurrections, but we are (Rom 6:5).

The fact that many believers do not know their identity in Jesus, and do not feel as if it were true, isn’t new and isn’t surprising. Paul prayed for believers that we “may know the immeasurable greatness of (God’s) power toward us who believe” (Eph 1:18,19). Apparently, he thought the Ephesian believers needed God to teach them the wonders of who they were. He was praying for God to show them their identity.

Christian virtues like kindness, joy, peace and power are not just gifts that Jesus bestows upon us. They are the new nature He has recreated us with when we became Christians. They are the very kindness, joy, peace and power of Jesus Himself. (more…)

…being found in (Jesus), not having a righteousness of my own that comes from keeping a list of rules (religious characteristics), but that which comes through faith in Christ. Philippians 3:9

Last time we looked at 2 questions establishing the healthy identity that is needed for kindness to fill our lives. 1. ‘Am I loved by God?’ 2. ‘Am I loved by others’. Today we’ll look at a 3rd question ‘Who am I?’ Apart from roles I play; apart from titles people call me, apart from things I do, who am I really?

‘Who am I?’ is a question usually associated with kids in their teens trying to figure out the imponderables of life; the question is dismissed as an adolescent heart-palpitation. But our identity is important to God and it’s an area that virtually all advertisers, all employers/schools, all churches/clubs attempt to engineer and exploit. They know something we don’t: If they can define our identity, you and I will belong to them and they will control us.

What do they drive us to look for our identity in? What we wear; What we buy; Who we associate with; How we use our time (that’s a biggie); What we see in the mirror. What other people will think (as if everyone is thinking about us in the first place!).

Even as Christians who walk in the Spirit, our identity is often about religious characteristics. I travel a lot and I meet a lot of wonderful Christians. I can tell you the first questions Christians always ask: Where we go to church; what denomination/non denomination are we; What’s our political stance on a social issue (including Israel); What about school… Do you see where this is going? We identify each other by our religious characteristics instead of being in Christ. (more…)