Growing in our Identity

Introduction

            The theme we will be looking at today is Growing in our Identity. As Christians, the Bible invites us to consider different ways of thinking about our identity. 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people…" In this passage there are four statements about our identity. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and God's own people. 1 Corinthians 3:16 gives us another imagery of identity when it says, "Do you not know that you are God’s temple…" Ephesians 5:25-27 presents the imagery of marriage and invites us to consider that we, as a church, are the bride of Christ.

            I was very interested to hear that William and Kate named their baby after me. Well, not really named after me, but he has the same name as I do. I saw a digital image of his birth registry and on it he is identified as: His Royal Highness Prince George Alexander Louis duke of Cambridge. On that birth registry his father's occupation is stated as Prince of the United Kingdom and his mother's occupation as Princess of the United Kingdom. That is quite an identity! He is the child of a prince and princess and heir to the throne and who he is has some pretty major implications about how he will be brought up, what will be expected from him and what he will become.

            Another of the identities we have in Christ is that we are children of God and that has some pretty major implications about what is expected of us and what we are becoming.

            This morning, I would like to think with you about some of the implications of our identity as children of God. As children of God we need to grow in our understanding of what it means that we belong to God and each other. We need to grow in our understanding of what it means that we are called to be like God and to walk in holiness and we will also grow in our understanding of the hope that is ours because we are children of God and heirs of all that we will inherit from our eternal Father.

I.     Belonging

A.   Becoming Children of God

            To understand our identity as children of God we need to go way back in the history of God's people. God had chosen Israel as His people and redeemed them from Egypt and brought them into the Promised Land. But they rebelled against God and their sin was very serious. Later in their history, in the book of Hosea, God warned the people about their sin and rebellion and in Hosea 1:9, God said about them, "…you are not my people and I am not your God.”" In this text, Hosea prophesied that because of rebellion God was disowning them. Yet in the very next verse God promised, "in the place where it was said to them, 'You are not my people,' it shall be said to them, 'Children of the living God.'” God's promise was that they would be children of God.

            The New Testament picks up on this language. Our sin has also separated us from God. We do not know God, we disobey God and we are alienated from God. But Paul quotes Hosea 1:9 in Romans 9:26 to talk about God's grace in redemption. He says, “And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ there they shall be called children of the living God.” In spite of our sin, God has made a way for us to become His children.

            How does that happen? John 1:12 says, "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God…" The privilege given is "the power to become children of God." The word "power" is translated as "right" in some places and "authority" in others. When we consider these three words we probably get the appropriate idea. "Power" suggests the idea that we were given the ability to do something we were unable to do. Jesus has justified us so that we can be children of God. "Authority" gives us the idea of being in a place where we can be. We did not belong in God's presence, but because of Jesus we now do belong. The word used in most translations is the word "right," which gives the idea that being children of God was something completely foreign to us and to which we had no access, but because of Jesus, it is appropriate for us to be called God's children.

            This privilege is given to us by faith in Jesus. Two words are used in John 1:12, the word "received him" and "believed in his name." Both parts are necessary. Belief in His name is the affirmation of the understanding that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth and died for our sin, was raised so that we could be made right with God and is reigning as Lord of all. Receiving Him is the understanding that Jesus is not just a concept to be believed, but a person who comes to live within us.

            If we believe and if we receive Him, then the verse promises that we are children of God. Anyone who is in Christ has this identity. Another place that speaks so beautifully of this identity is I John 3:1 which says, "children of God…that is what we are" and I John 3:2 which says "we are God's children now." What is our identity? We are children of God.

B.   Being Children of God

            What is the meaning of this identity?

1.    Belonging to God

            I John 3:1, tells us that it is the love of God that has brought us into this privileged position. It says, "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God…"

            Because it is love that has brought us into this incredible identity and given us this awesome privilege, we are given the blessing of intimacy with the creator of the universe. Galatians 4:6 gives us a beautiful picture of that privilege and what it means when it says, "And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”" Because we are children of God, we are able to call God "daddy." There is no disrespect in this familiar term, but rather the promise of intimacy and the blessing of a relationship in which we know the one who has made us and who is the Lord of the entire universe.

2.    A Community of Belonging

            But the implications are not only for us personally. Belonging to God as His children also means being part of a community in which we belong to all the rest of God's children.

            When Lazarus had been raised from the dead, the Jewish religious leaders were discussing what they should do about Jesus. In the context of that discussion the chief priest declared that someone needed to die for the nation. His thinking was that if Jesus didn't die, the nation would be in jeopardy with the Roman occupation. Yet his prophecy was accurate in that Jesus did die for the nation and in that context, Caiaphas also said in John 11:52, "and not for the nation only, but to gather into one the dispersed children of God." Here we once again encounter the language of "children of God" but here our identity is coupled with the gathering "into one" of all those who are children of God. It refers to all those who follow Jesus, not only the Jews but also the Gentiles, becoming one body which is identified as "children of God." The power of this verse is that it reminds us of the blessing which accompanies being children of God. The blessing is that we are not only intimately related to God, but also a part of His family. Notice that the language is "children of God" not "child of God." When we become children of God, we become part of a family, we are members of a community of belonging and that is another part of what it means to be children of God.

            What is the importance of knowing our identity as children of God? This week someone told me a story about someone who "went backpacking to Europe to find themselves." We all sometimes ask, "Who am I." Well knowing our identity as children of God settles that issue. We don't need to find ourselves, we know exactly who we are.

            It is also important because it settles the issue of what God thinks of us. He does not see us as horrible sinners who need to be carefully watched and condemned if we fail. He sees us as His children.

            When we know our identity as children of God, our primary relationship is also settled. We know that there is at least one person who loves us and is always there for us!

            In addition it is important to help us understand who we are in relationship to others. It isn't us and a bunch of strangers, but we are in a relationship with all the other children of God who are our brothers and sisters.

            These are the implications of being children of God.

II.  Being

            Because of who we are, there are also implications for how we will live. We are God's children, therefore we are called to live in a God-like way. Who we are has a bearing on who we must be.

A.   Call to Holiness

            We have made reference to I John 3 several times because of the language of being children of God which is used there. Verse 3 spells out the implications of that relationship when it says, "…all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure." In that same verse we also are reminded that we don't know what the future will be for us, but we know that it will include likeness to our heavenly Father. The implications of being His children are that we need to bring our lives into full alignment with His being. We need to live in holiness.

            II Corinthians 6:14-18 is another passage which spells out the implications of who we must be because of who we are. The discussion in which Paul is engaged in this passage has to do with whether or not it is OK to eat meat that has been sacrificed to idols. Although Paul himself had no problem eating such meat, he cautioned them. He affirmed that if they ate the meat just as meat there was no problem. But, he also pointed out that if in their heart there was any acknowledgement of the reality of the idols or the gods behind them, then there was a problem. He warned them and us that there must be no "partnership, fellowship, agreement" with "lawlessness, darkness, Beliar, unbelievers." In verse 18, he once again uses the imagery of being children of God to support the call to holy living when he says, "I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty." Walking in holiness is the expected lifestyle for anyone who is a son or daughter of God.

B.   God Leads Us To Holiness

            But we know that it is not easy for us to live holy lives as God's holy children and so Scripture also promises God's help.

            The language of being children of God is used in Hebrews 12:5-9 where we are promised that our Father treats us the same way as parents treat their children. The text speaks of "the exhortation that addresses you as children…" Then in verses 7-8 we read, "Endure trials for the sake of discipline. God is treating you as children; for what child is there whom a parent does not discipline?" What a powerful verse which helps us understand the trials that come into our life. Because we are children of God, we can see trials as God's way of guiding our lives into His holiness. Thus we are called to accept difficulties in life as part of our identity as children of God and a blessing which helps us become more like our heavenly Father.

            What is the importance of knowing that as children of God we are called to holy living? It is important because it sets the direction of our behavior. Being children of God helps defines our values. It allows us to live with struggle knowing it is leading us towards holiness. It gives reason to help one another by being accountable to one another.

III.          Becoming

            Scripture also speaks about what our future will be as children of God?

A.   Likeness

            I would like to take us back to I John 3 once more because it also speaks of who we will become. After declaring clearly that we have an identity as children of God, the writer declares with certainty that "we will be like him, for we will see Him as He is."

            We are already becoming like Jesus now as we follow God in holiness and as we submit to His discipline. When we see Him, all will be completely clear and we will be exactly like Him. So we rejoice in the knowledge that we are becoming and will be like Jesus. Because we are God's children, that is our future.

B.   Inheritance

            The other blessing of what is coming because of our identity as children of God is that we will receive an inheritance.

            Many Scriptures speak about this hope. Romans 8:14 says, "all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God." Then verse 17 says, "if children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ." We may be tempted to focus on the good things that we hope to experience with this inheritance. We may think about our mansion. I suspect mine will be on a lake with many trees around it and mountains in the background. We may think of the trees which bear fruit every month instead of only for two months of the summer. But the language of this verse brings us back to the true glory of our inheritance when we read that we are heirs "of God" and "joint heirs with Christ." It is God Himself who is our inheritance and we share in that relationship with Jesus. This speaks of a wonder of belonging and an intimacy of relationship. We will see Him face to face and recognize that face and rejoice to once again begin the kind of conversation which was lost to Adam and Eve when they sinned in the garden. What a blessed inheritance!

            Revelation 21:1-7 expands on these ideas. Although that passage promises "a new heaven and a new earth" the true glory of our inheritance is that "the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them." On top of that, the presence of God will bring with it wonderful blessings as we read on when it says, "He will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more." The wonderful thing is that all these will be inherited by those who conquer and the promise of verse 7 is "I will be their God and they will be my children." So we see that being children of God leaves us with a pretty impressive inheritance.

            What is the importance of understanding that because of our identity as children of God we will become like Jesus and we are heirs of God? It gives us hope for the future and allows us to live towards that future and not just for the present.

Conclusion

            It is important for us to know who we are. Knowing who we are is important in life and work. If a police officer isn't clear about his duty to uphold the law, there is trouble. If a teacher isn't clear that they are in the classroom to instruct their students, there is trouble. If a parent doesn't put the care of his or her children above their own desires, there is trouble. If a child of God doesn't know what that identity means, there is trouble.

            As you study the theme "Growing in our Identity" over the next week in your small groups, I invite you to rejoice in your identity and also to think carefully about the challenging and wonderful implications of that identity.