WHO ARE YOU?
PASTOR ERIC J. HANSON
Preface:
This is written to people who are already believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. The answer to the question “Who Are You?” depends entirely upon whether (or not) you have turned your life over to God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This message is not aimed at non-believers. It is a dose of truth for believers, designed to bring clarity, freedom from lies, and great freedom to become all God intends you to be in Him.
Introduction:
I have observed through the decades that most believers in the Lord Jesus Christ go through life with a diminished view of who they now are, after having become believers. I’ll cut right to the heart of this matter. Most believers, when asked about their identity as a follower of Jesus Christ give something along the lines of the following answer: “I am a sinner saved by grace.”, or “I’m just a sinner who has been forgiven.” They mean well by giving this type of answer. They may even be exercising care to be humble by speaking this way. However, there are two major problems with this as the primary self-identity for born-again believers who are seeking to walk with the Lord.
Problem 1 The Bible does not identify the believers this way, but in quite a different way.
Problem 2 This view of self, as “just a sinner saved (from Hell) by grace” holds believers back from becoming the effective, powerful, purposeful, and joyous being God intends for each of us to become.
Who You Really Are:
Let’s consider the greetings Paul and Timothy used when addressing the believers in their letters. Read Ephesians 1:1, Philippians 1:1, and Colossians 1:1-2.
Here it is in plain and clear language! Who you really are, if Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior is this: You are a Saint. Now what does that mean?
Many of us have a Roman Catholic background, or we have culturally absorbed the word “Saint”, as used in the Roman Catholic understanding of its meaning. This creates a problem with people’s inner ability to grasp the Bible’s teaching on this word. This problem is because the Roman Catholic Church uses this word “Saint” in a restrictive and very un-biblical sense. They use it in connection with people who are already dead, and whose life work has been reviewed by an official panel convened by the Roman Church. If that panel deems their life work worthy of the exalted word “Saint”, then that word is assigned to the individual under review.
These Roman theologians and clerics must have a major problem with the Bible then; because the Bible consistently calls living people Saints. It calls lots and lots of them by this powerful term! Remember what you just read in Ephesians, Colossians, and Philippians! The believers in each of those cities are called “the Saints” by the apostles writing these books.
What does “Saint” mean?
“Saints”, which occurs nearly 100 times in the New Testament, is the Greek word “hagios”. (hag’-ee-os) The shades of meaning within this Greek term are as follow: sacred, blameless, consecrated, holy ones.
Never once did any of the apostles approach a church group in any city by greeting them as the “sinners saved by grace” in this city. They consistently and overwhelmingly used this term “Saints” to identify the believers.
Ladies and gentlemen, I have good news for you today! If you have sincerely given your life to Jesus Christ; if He is your Savior and Lord today; here is who you are: You are a sacred person: blameless in God’s sight, consecrated (set apart) for Him to use. You are a holy one.
What does this mean for you?
You, believer in Jesus Christ, should not look down at yourself as “unqualified” for meaningful service to God. If you are hidden in Jesus Christ, then you have the highest of qualifications to be effective and powerful in impacting your World on behalf of the Kingdom of Heaven, and on behalf of the King!
Neil Anderson has compiled a wonderful list in his book Victory over the Darkness. It beautifully answers the question “Who Am I?” That list is reproduced on the next page
Who I Am In Christ
I Am Accepted
I am God’s Child. John 1:12
I am Jesus’ Friend. John 15:15
I am justified. Romans 5:1
I am united with the Lord and am made to be one spirit with Him. I Corinthians 6:17
I belong to God I Corinthians 6:20
I am a member (a part) of the Body of Christ. I Corinthians 12:27
I am a Saint. Ephesians 1:1
I have been adopted into God’s family (household) Ephesians 1:5
I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit Ephesians 2:18
I am fully forgiven of my sins. Colossians 1:14
I am complete (nothing more to add) in Christ. Colossians 2:10
There are more things which could be said, but this is plenty to chew on for today.
What will you do with this?
Will you see yourself as fully qualified to hear God and to be His agent here on Earth, representing His Kingdom wherever you are? Will you see yourself as a carrier of the glory of God; the power of God, and the message of God?
I challenge you today to let these concepts re-program you thinking, if you, like most believers, have had a diminished view of who you are in the Lord Jesus: the Christ. (Give a call.)
