A disclaimer is great in as much as it does its job well, but what do you make of one that actually betrays the one who offers it? So for example, someone self identifies as a Christian, and then quickly goes on to add ‘not the over-spiritual type… but I love God’. Sounds almost like a lady who is, but not really, pregnant. Interesting, isn’t it?
I guess such statements beg bigger questions. In the above case, one wonders ‘what does it really mean to be a Christian?’ or better still, ‘what identifies a Christian?’
The heart of the matter
If you get your idea of the Christian faith from anywhere else outside of the Bible, chances are you’ve got hold of the wrong end of the stick. So for example, the media may portray Christians as obsessed with matters of human sexuality, or even doing good works to earn brownie points.
In life, hoaxes and lies abound, and so does reality. It is therefore very important to be able to carefully work out what is trustworthy and what is not. As much as they seem to appear so, illusions are not real; and the illusionist knows this too well, so (s)he jealously guards the secret of the trade.
At the centre of the Christian faith lays, not a hoax, but a reality – the person of Jesus. The history of the world has not produced a greater victory than Jesus being buried and raised from the dead. On the back of that spectacular victory, we are offered life in exchange for death, and that as a gift, not a reward for any good we have ever done or would ever do. How’s that for some good news!
A Christ-given identity
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, we read that if anyone is in Christ, (s)he is a new creation.
The believer has an identity in Christ that cannot be tampered with, something more and better than an image.
Sammy Rhodes, distinguishing between image and identity, affirms thus:
“Identity is something given, fundamental to the way you see yourself. Image on the other hand, is something you create; fundamentally about the way you want others to see you. The sin of our age is to live for our image instead of from our identity….”
A Christian therefore is one who lives from that Christ-given, Christ-centred identity. It is a turn from going one’s way to going God’s way. Additional good news is that God himself gives us the power to live for Him. It’s either we’re in or out; so when it comes to who we are, we need not be quick to offer a disclaimer, our identity is self-defining!
The question today is “are you living from that identity or for an image?”
Thanks for reading!
Sike Osinuga