Bible Truth for Today about IDENTITY
( Who am I ?)
( Who am I ?)
If someone were to ask, "Who are you?", how would you respond?
You would likely respond by giving your name - our name says who we are.
If you were inclined to answer a bit more deeply, you might respond with some reference to your vocation or some major accomplishment in your life, such as: I am an Olympic marathon runner", or, " I am a mechanic", or a doctor, or a secretary, etc.
In many cases we define who we are by our relationships - who we work for, or who we are related to. In fact, these are two of the relationships which the Bible uses to help us define who we really are!
WHO WE WORK FOR: The Bible tells us that no matter whether we are a pauper, a servant, a slave, a boss, an executive, or even a king! - we serve someone else. The real question then is not "AM I serving someone?", but rather "WHO am I serving?"
Matthew 4:10 commands: "You shall worship the Lord, your God, and Him only shall you serve!"
Deut. 8:19 warns: "And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord, thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish"
Whom are YOU serving?
WHO WE ARE RELATED TO: The Bible is very clear that our identity is best defined by our relationships. Perhaps the question "Who are you?" is not quite as good a question as "Whose are you?" To whom you belong really shows who you are. The most important relationship in life is our relationship to God! The Bible tells us that we MUST be properly related to God.
When we are born, we do not choose our parents. We are by nature the children of those who bore us. The Bible tells us that when we are born, we are not in a proper relationship to God, but we are "by nature the sons of wrath" (Ephesians 2:3) Speaking to some of the religious leaders of His day, Jesus said, "You are of your father, the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do." (John 8:44)
But the message of the Gospel is that God sent His Son, Jesus, to this earth to die for our sins in order that we might have a right relationship with Him!
Please consider the following verses from the Bible:
"But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He gave power [authority] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." (John 1:12)
"Whoever denies the Son [Jesus], the same has not the Father: he that acknowledges the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:23)
"And this is the record: that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life. These things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life; and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:11-13)
As you can hopefully see, the way to be in proper relationship to God is to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
The next question is: Why Am I Here?