Romans 3:23 (NLT)
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?
It happens.
No, not that.
An identity crisis.
Usually more than once.
Attempting to figure out your identity in the world is difficult enough. Not even going there. But what happens when an identity crisis arises as a Christ-follower?
Like me, you may have come across seemingly conflicting views of our identity in Christ. I embarked on one study which related (and Biblically backed up) that I’m a saint who still happens to sin. I went through another that told me (and Biblically reinforced) that I’m still a wretched, flesh-driven sinner who can’t stop sinning. Period. And, finally, I came across studies in recovery which labeled me everything from “an alcoholic” to a “new creation,” from a “sinner saved by grace” to “an addict.” All rooted in the Bible.
With all these thoughts and their Scriptural foundations floating around, what can we say about our actual identity in Jesus?
I humbly offer this: it's both. It's all. It’s a paradox. It’s a dichotomy. We are saints. We are sinners. We are unconditionally loved and accepted despite our depraved sin-addicted flesh. We are saved by grace through faith and become a new creation. Although not wanting to, we sin anyway. We are an eternal soul precariously wrapped in corporeal flesh.
In the midst of all our future identity crises, simply say, “I’m Jesus’” And be at peace with that.
