Sunday, December 12, 2010

(Pt.1) Our Identity As Born Again Christians In Christ ~ Our Own Personal Quest For Our Identity

Who We Are "In Christ"                                    
In Search Of Our Identity (Part 1)
Questions Answered

The issue of identity is inescapable and central to our lives. "Who am I?" we all ask. "Where did I come from? Where am I going?" Every person wrestles with these questions, and the answers we adopt determine the direction of our lives.


Would you like to see what Jesus 
actually did for you to make it possible 
that you be a brand new creation?

Today, this search for identity falls under the concept of "self-image". Every person has a "self-image" of himself. It could be a healthy, positive image, or it could be a poor, negative one. Regardless, a person's self-image determines his self-worth in this life, whether he/she is a success or failure. Self-image is what affects, for better or worse, a persons attitude and behavior toward others and life's circumstances. With all that is at stake, it is easy to see why people are in search of a good self-image.

However, there is much debate concerning how to develop a good self-image. Many psychologists, counselors, and even some church leaders believe that to develop a good self-image a person needs to start loving himself more. As we will see, this philosophy is contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:2 that in the last days men will be lovers of themselves. According to this verse, our problem is that we love ourselves too much. So it would appear that we cannot develop a good self-image based on learning to love ourselves more. As a matter of fact, we do not need to develop a good self-image at all. We need to develop a realistic view of ourselves, what is called a "proper self-image". We need to learn who we are from God's perspective.

Romans 12:3 says: "3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you."

This passage is very revealing in a couple of different areas. Paul warns us of a couple of different things that can be detrimental to our ability to live the "Newness Of Life" of which the bible so frequently speaks. He warns us against arrogance, pride and vanity. As you'll find, there is nothing about these things God finds appealing... As a matter of fact, God specifically says He "hates" them!

Paul also reveals the motivation for his warning, and I believe from examining everything Paul ever said, I think this motivation was the same motivation that gave him the drive, will power and great desire/love that was necessary for him to complete all the God-given tasks in his life... It was revealed in the very first part of this passage: It was the "Motivation of Grace" that gave Paul his desire, stamina and the ability to be totally content with his life despite the many hardships he encountered. And there were many hardships in Pauls life.


How big a role does pride play in our education 
by the world and ourselves? Probably much 
more than what you realize. It is one of saTan's 
most valued tools, made possible 
through simple ignorance.

Pride is what caused satan to be cast from heaven. Pride is what caused Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And pride is what motivates us to think too highly of ourselves. How should we think of ourselves to counteract this attitude of pride? We can look at who we really are and have the guts to recognize what we see.

Truth is, we are a being that is "spiritually dead" without Christ in our hearts, and nothing we could ever do would produce nothing more than a stench in God's nostrils... For ALL have fallen short of the Glory of God... That's the plain Truth. There is nothing within us in the flesh only that could ever be considered "good"... No matter how pretty, no matter how smart, no matter how educated, no matter how gifted in any area, no matter WHAT!

When we think of ourselves with "sober judgment" (the ability to see the reality of who we are), we are thinking in accordance to what? God's Word, of course. You have to look no further than the scripture above to confirm that."Sober judgment", in comparison to the "modern-day philosophy" that says we should love ourselves more, we find a clear contradiction. Scripture is Truth, so, the "modern-day philosophy" loses out as a clever, but false teaching that does nothing more than lead an individual down a path of failure, as someday, the individual will find there nothing to sustain true "happiness" in false assumptions of their identity.


Godlessness in the Last Days


2 Timothy 3:1-5  ~ "1But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God 5having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them."

In this passage, Paul plainly states the various conditions of man in the last days. I think we can all agree that none of these characteristics could be deemed as things we should have in our own lives. Right? So, is the problem that we hate ourselves or that we love ourselves too much? It would seem, by the scripture above, that we tend to love ourselves too much. In light of these verses, will "loving ourselves" more enable us to develop a "proper self-image"? Absolutely not!

So how do we develop a "proper" self-image? That's coming next in 
"How To Develop A Proper Self-Image".

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9 comments:

Julia Howard said...

PS-
I am working on using the YouVersion sight to reach out to the community with a message of wellness and what the Word has to say about taking care of our 'temple.' I'ill be having my first event on January 13--a one hour Biblical nutrition workshop. Have you ever hosted an event here on YouVersion and if so, how did it go? Thanks for any input and God bless you both!

Matt Thompson said...

PLEASE take notice anew of all this, my Brothers. The words in this writ have not changed... but they hold NEW purpose for you.

I love you All...
Matt

Jimmy said...

Amen, Matthew. Amen!! As I read it originally, it served one purpose, or so I thought. Now, in my new situation, I read it again and it perfectly serves me in an entirely different way, shining light to my path that I might not fall and grope around in the darkness.

When you don't know who you are and you haven't the Light of life, read this. When you know Christ but you've been blinded in every way, read this. When you've been cheated and robbed and beaten and you have no desire but to die, read this. When you're confused who is who and what is what, read this. When the enemy keeps you captive and you wonder if there is any freedom in store, read this. When you're finally free and you don't know where to go, read this. I could go on for 8 pages lol. I keep your book with me at all times, and I refer to it in all situations, as it constantly pertains to a different era of my life. Thank you, Brother.

Jimmy, Mahesh, and Mac

Natanel, IDF, Golan Heights, Israel said...

I see ur words in israelmilitary.net in PTSD. I see link to here when click your name in post. Thank you. This truth of Christ is hard truth for Jews, one we must embrace.I will embrace. I do embrace. Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. All my base will know this truth.All my base will fine freeness from PTSD also.

Netanel-IDF-Golan Heights

Matt Thompson said...

Netanel? PLEASE email me:

MattThompson1@hushmail.com

FresnoJoe said...

Praying For The IDF
And For The Salvation Of Israel

Matt Thompson said...

Thank you so very much, Joe!

Unknown said...

Help

Anonymous said...

Rannbo

I may have missed something in your post, but how do I see myself from God's perspective?
Where do I start in terms of bible verses

Last time I checked, I seem to hate myself more than love myself. I may have a pride issue where I hate myself for getting into credit card debt, and a never ending obsession of paying it off... If's that's a pride issue, (bruised pride...) please tell me.

voyager144@protonmail.com