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.

Baptism

In the early church, new believers were baptized immediately upon their confession of faith. However, these days some are not baptized until years after their conversion. Perhaps this is the reason there are many extremes of how baptism is interpreted.

Another reason is taking a verse like this one as the only verse for understanding baptism: “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16) These words sound as if baptism is essential for salvation.

Others spiritualize this practice by saying it is a mere symbol and not at all necessary. For this interpretation, they might rely on this passage:

“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 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.” (Romans 6:1–5)

As today’s devotional reading says, we tend to extremes. Some consider baptism a means of salvation and others make baptism an insignificant thing, even neglecting it entirely. The problem is that both extremes are not taking into consideration all that the Scriptures say about this matter.

I agree with Fortner that baptism does not save anyone. Salvation is through the blood of Christ shed for our sin; forgiveness is a gift by grace through faith, not because of anything we do or any ritual we perform. I also agree that baptism is important. It demonstrates that I am obeying Jesus and have yielded my life to Him. It also proclaims to the world that I have died with Christ, have been buried with Him, and have risen to newness of life. It is a public confession of faith and “the answer of a good conscience toward God.”

Baptism is a good thing to ponder and remember as well. When I was baptized, I not only declared my faith in Jesus, but also that I had turned from a life of sin and self, from living in the world and from the devil’s hold on me. Baptism declared that I would now be living as a forgiven person with a life made new by the presence of the Living Christ in my heart. From that time on, I would live in the power of His righteousness, rejecting my old life, the ways of the world, and the lies of my enemy. In that declaration, I also knew that this new life was possible only because of the One who died to save me. Because of Jesus Christ, the old had passed away and all things became new.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I was baptized many years ago. However, this devotional reading reminded me of that day and of Your amazing grace. I AM a new creation because of You. Thinking about it and what You have done eases the stresses of each day and strengthens me for the challenges of both the tasks and the temptations that will be thrown at me. Thank You. I bless Your holy name!

Crucified with Christ

As a new Christian, I was surprised and confused by an elderly man who insisted that he no longer sinned. He said that would be an insult against the salvation of God. Even as a newby, I realized that Christians do sin. In fact, John wrote this:

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:7–10)

God forgives and cleanses, yet I still sin. It would be a lie to say otherwise. Instead, I must be quick to confess it and ask God to forgive me and remove that from my life. Otherwise I will be guilty of spiritual pride and be as blind as a doorknob.

In the above verses, John focuses on the need to confess sin as part of the way I can overcome it. However, in the following verses Paul wrote about the need of Christians to overcome sin by recognizing what Christ has done and how I am identified with Him in redemption:

But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 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. I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (Galatians 2:17–21)

Yes, Jesus gives new life, yet a major part of that incredible reality is death to the old life. While most of us think of death as physical, this death is a different king of separation. Spiritual death is separation from God because of sin. The Law of God plays a part in that it spells out the sin that I am guilty of and thus declares me a sinner.

But Christ came into my life and redeemed me. God now identifies my by the relationship I have with His Son. That is, in Christ I have been crucified and raised to new life. In that new life, the old me still rattles around and tries to rule things, but is actually dead, forever separated from God.

On the other hand, the gift of new life is a life of faith and the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This new life is His life and is not from anything I have done or could do.

The elderly man who said he didn’t sin was right but only in that new life of Christ. The old life, even though crucified with Christ is still there.

I’m always excited by the realities of Galatians 2:20. My new life in Christ, the life lived by faith, is set free from sin, but the old life of the flesh is like the devil’s tool; it continues to pull at me, trying to convince me that it is worth listening to. I cannot deny that. As Paul says, what I can do is remember that I am now separated from that life; I have died to it. The life I now live is a life of faith, of trusting Jesus Christ who has saved me from that dead thing.

To be practical about this reality, I am responsible to read of it, memorize it, meditate on it, hear about it, sing the songs of it — and at the same time realize that I cannot save myself by these activities; my Savior is always and has always been Jesus Christ.