Administrator
This is one of those life altering
questions that everyone asks at one time or another. It is
particularly prevalent among our youth today. Unfortunately, they
look for answers to that question on Facebook, Twitter and other
social media, by seeking to be accepted and “liked” by both
friend and stranger. The image they have of themselves is the image
that others see of them and, many times, this image is not even close
to accurate. Fortunately, the Bible has much to say in answer to
this question and that is what the spiritual theme at Faith Christian
School is focused on this year.
Since much of what the Bible has to say
about who we are is dependent upon our relationship with Christ, no
Biblical discussion of who we are can be had without beginning with a
frank discussion of the gospel.
Fashioned
The first and most important thing the
Bible tells us is that we are fashioned by a Creator God. The
scriptures are clear about this and there is no ambiguity. We were
created (fashioned) in His image (Gen. 1:26). What all this means
exactly is a matter of much theological debate, but there is
consensus that it includes an eternal soul, a conscience of knowing
good from evil, and the ability to have dominion over all the rest of
creation. When God created Adam and Eve, he concluded that it was
“very good” (Gen. 1:31). Man was the capstone of all that God
created and he was made carefully, with intentional purpose. The
Psalmist has said that his Creator fashioned him “fearfully and
wonderfully” (Ps 139:14). Thus we can affirm for every human being
that God has created them exactly as He desired them to be. There
are no mistakes from the Creator’s hands. The abilities each one
has, the characteristics that make up each individual are just
exactly what God, the Creator, wants them to be. This is a very
comforting and encouraging thought. So many people struggle with who
they are because they think they are insufficient, lacking in some
skill or ability, and long to be someone else. God created you to be
you. There is nothing wrong with you as you came from the Creator’s
hand and He has declared you to be not just good, but very good.
Fallen
If only we could stop at the part where
God has made us fearfully and wonderfully. But we cannot because in
just two chapters from the creation of man, the Bible tells us
something else very important about who we are. We are fallen. Adam
and Eve, in all their created glory, were put in a place where their
every need would be met. God gave them one stipulation, to not eat
of a particular tree in the garden. This would be a critical test,
not just for Adam, but for all mankind. You see, God had established
a covenant with Adam and he was to be a representative for all who
were to come after him. If he was faithful to the covenant, all
would receive the blessings of the covenant. If he broke the
covenant, all would receive the consequences and curses of the
covenant. One of the most difficult things that we have to come to
grips with as human beings is that what Adam did in the garden
affects all of us. We are counted as sinners as a result of what
Adam did and we come into the world with a nature affected by sin so
that we continue his practice in our own lives. This fallen nature
affects all of creation, including the fearful and wonderful creation
of man mentioned in the previous paragraph. As a result, we are
enemies of God and we are at war with Him. More importantly, God is
at war with us and it is a war we cannot win. This leaves us in a
situation of helplessness and hopelessness. Yet God has made a way.
But before we move on to that glorious
message of good news, it is important to note that the first two
things I have said about who we are apply to every human being.
There is no one who is given a special dispensation. All are
fashioned. All are fallen. All are made by God. All are war with
God. All will lose that war to a God who is over all. What the
Bible says further about who we are only applies to those who have
embraced the solution for the problem of our sin and its nature. Not
all will claim the truth of what I am about to say and they will
remain in their fallen state. This is a very somber point to grasp.
Some of you are currently in this state and will remain in it unless
you embrace the truth that follows. The Bible has nothing more to
say about you in a positive way.
Forgiven
God in His grace, has provided a way
for sinful man to deal with not only sin and its nature, but its
consequence. This is nothing short of the greatest news we can ever
hear! Because of God’s righteousness, He cannot simply forgive or
overlook the sin of man; the penalty must be paid. That penalty is
death, physical and spiritual. No one can pay that penalty for
someone else unless they themselves are without sin. If they have
sinned, the best they can do is to pay their own penalty. Yet God
sent His own Son, who was in every regard God, and thus perfect, to
pay that penalty for all who would trust Him. It is really a simple
plan, yet profound. Jesus, the perfect spotless Lamb of God, was put
to death on the cross so that He could assume the penalty of sin for
those who belong to Him. Those who belong to Him, who hear His
voice, are those who trust that what He did is sufficient to deal
with the sin problem in their lives. This simple matter of trust is
all that is necessary to bring a person, who at one time was at war
with God, destined for destruction, to a position of peace and
blessing. Instead of being enemies, God now calls believers friends
and children (Jn. 15:14, I Jn 3:1).
Forever
Not only are we forgiven, but it is an
eternal relationship that has begun. In 2 Cor. 5:17 we are told that
“if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” There is a
transformation that takes place in the life of a believer. What they
once were, they no longer are. God is re-forming them into what Adam
and Eve were prior to the fall. That doesn’t mean that we
immediately look and act differently. Unfortunately, the effect of
sin and its nature on us persists even though we are being made new.
But a process has begun in us that will culminate in our being
re-created in the likeness of God.
His divine power
has given us everything we need for life and godliness though our
knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises,
so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and
escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this
very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to
goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to
self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to
godliness, brotherly kindness and to brotherly kindness, love. For
if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep
you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 1:3-9
There is also a great sense of security
in this relationship with God in that there is none who can snatch us
out of His hand (Jn 10:29). The benefit of what Christ has done for
the believer can never be lost or discarded.
So who are you? We know that you are
fashion and fallen. That is true of every man and woman. But are
you also forgiven forever? Only those who put their complete trust
in the provision God has made for our sin problem can make this
claim. Are you trusting Christ? Or are you trusting your good deeds
and accomplishments? Or maybe your wealth and position? There is
only one way to be forgiven forever. “Believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).
There is much more the scriptures have
to say about those who are in Christ. But we will pick some of these
up in a later blog.
If you would like to speak with someone
further about the message of the gospel and how it applies to you,
please don’t hesitate to contact me. My email is
dbuckingham@faith-christian.org.
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