Who am I?

Part of my Christian experience involved studying and teaching the topic of biblical self-image. We who are Christian need to view ourselves as both sinners and saints, worthy of wrath yet objects of mercy. It isn’t one or the other but both at the same time, a view that requires faith and the Spirit of God to pull off.

The problem with such a topic is the focus — obviously it is on self, but whenever I put it there, I’m walking into dangerous territory. The Bible says I cannot serve God and money — but I also cannot serve God and self.

Tozer lists some of the self-centered dangers: self-love, self-confidence, self-righteousness, self-admiration, self-aggrandizement and self-pity. Many of the activities of life can be done for these reasons rather than doing them in obedience to the Holy Spirit and for the glory of God.

How to get past this stuff is important, but the actual doing of it is not easy. Self-effort obviously cannot be the means. How do Christians think differently about themselves when self it is the most natural object of our affection? I’ve prayed about this, and God always surprises me with His answers even though they come right out of Scripture that I’ve read and reread, passages like this one:

“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 6:5–11)

The bottom line is that I’m to consider myself dead to sin and alive to God. I’ve known that, but this past couple of weeks I’ve a vivid illustration that makes the doing of it a little easier. That is, I can think more easily about being dead to sin now that I am totally depending on a little computer with a battery to keep me alive!

God has given me a perfect verse for right now . . .

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26)

My body and heart are not my source of life — God is. The heart may not work as it once did, but He gives me what I need, not only now but forever. This makes it much easier to think of myself as crucified with Christ yet alive to God in Christ Jesus.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

I’d never have guessed that to think rightly about myself would involve a pacemaker and the destruction of a vital part of my heart, but God knew how to answer my prayer. He always does.

^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, today is a new day. I’m listening for Your instruction and encouragement. Being crucified with You is a good thing because it means deadness to sin. Satan has his ways of trying to convince me that it is okay to listen to and live by that old sinful self, but Your life in me is all that matters and is all that is real! Old things will not last, but in You, I will live forever.