What God Says About Who You Are

In recent years, western culture has conditioned us to see and respect each other’s differences. We sure love our sense of individuality. It’s become such a focus that we have come to think of our very identity as being wrapped up in how we act, look, or appear, on the outside.

The thing is, fads come and go, beauty fades, and eventually our bodies wear out and die. Surely, then, it’s important to also think about something that goes deeper and lasts longer – even as long as eternity!

That “something” is your soul. At that root level, we have much more in common with one another. We’re all born with souls that are very much the same. That’s because we are all born with a sin nature. It’s in our very DNA as humans. It all began with the first humans, Adam and Eve, who chose to rebel against God, to disobey Him and go their own way. They thought they would find autonomy, but they only found a life full of difficulty, physical death, and eventually the eternal death of their souls. This is because apart from God, we have no life; He is the source of life!

“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).

“… he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else … For in him we live and move and have our being…” (Acts 17:25, 28).

So, apart from God, Scripture speaks of all humans being “dead” in sin, causing us to act in sinful ways in the world, “gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts” and making us enemies of God, who is perfectly holy and righteous (see Ephesians 2:1-3).

God Loves Us

And so, we are all very much in the same boat – we are all lost in sin and our spirits are headed for eternal death. We’re all in need of rescue! And, we are also very much the same in that God loves every one of us far too much to leave us there without a way to be saved.

This is why He sent Jesus Christ to earth. Jesus was the physical manifestation of God on earth – He was, uniquely, both fully God and fully man. He is called God’s Son because He was born into the world through God’s Holy Spirit (see Matthew 1:18-20 and Luke 1:35). Through His humanity, He became the representative for all of us before God, taking our sin upon Himself and dying in our place. And not only that, He rose from the grave – showing that He was eternally able to overcome that eternal penalty for sin and make a way for us to be in God’s holy presence forever.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

God Wants Us to Know Him and Turn to Him

God did not wait for us to make ourselves more righteous, before He offered us forgiveness. He knew that we couldn’t!

“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

If God did not love us and did not want us to know Him, He would have left us in our sin and in eternal hopelessness without Him. Instead, He offered us a way to be rescued, and He gave us the choice to accept that rescue.

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:17-18).

Jesus Himself prayed, while on this earth: “ Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

Knowing and believing implies action on our part. Receiving forgiveness and the promise of eternal life means more than just intellectually agreeing with something; it means taking hold of these great gifts by wholeheartedly recognizing our sinful state, turning from it, and trusting fully in Jesus Christ for salvation.

In that salvation, you will also find that not only were you once like everyone else, in need of saving, you will actually become more like Jesus Christ. He will send His Holy Spirit to live in you, to renew your spirit, to teach you, to give you the power to overcome sin’s temptations, and to give you the sure hope of eternal life.

“… when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:21-24).

In this new life, you will stand out in the crowd, because you will become a light in the darkness and point others to the One who saves:

“For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8).

“…so that you may become blameless and pure, ‘children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.’ Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky” (Philippians 2:15).

“ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

Are you ready to stand out? Turn to Jesus for forgiveness and eternal life!