Who Are You?

By Bill Glover

Self-perception. Who do you think you are? It is an important question you know. The Scripture goes so far as to say that we are what we think! (Proverbs 23: 7) Few of us have a healthy self-esteem. Often we harbor thoughts like "I'm just not good enough" or "I just don't measure up". Have you ever thought this before? "If anybody really knew all about me they could never really like me". I know I have! Many Christians are plagued with negative thinking and low self-esteem. We may even begin to feel that we are predisposed to behave as we do because of the way we were raised and the environment we grew up in. We may grow discouraged as we are condemned for behaviors that seem beyond our control. How can we escape our self-perception that causes us to define ourselves in terms of our past and the behaviors that may dominate our life?

As a born again Christian, I have discovered that a healthy self-esteem starts with an accurate self-perception of who I am in Christ. Living in a fallen world filled with other fallen and sinful creatures, is a hard place for us Christians to discover our true identity. Most of us tend to define our identity by what we do, by what we perceive significant others in our lives think of us, and how they treated us in our past and present. However, this is neither an accurate - nor a healthy - way to define a true self-image. We are not without accurate information though, if we know where to look, who to ask and who to believe! We can go to God for the truth about who we are. And, as Christians, we can develop a healthy Christ-like self-esteem by renewing our minds to what God thinks about us in His Word. (Romans 12:2) Let's take a look in the Bible and see who we are as Christians, "in Christ".

Ephesians is a great place to start. In chapter 2, verse 10, it says, "We are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago." Did you know that when you trusted Christ to be your Lord and Savior you became a new creature? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, " Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore, for the old life is gone. A new life has begun".

God doesn't just erase or hide our sins by covering over them with His Blood. When we learn to identify ourselves with Christ, we learn that He has literally given us a new identity! The persons we used to be died with Christ on the cross! We find our true identity in the crucified and risen Christ! We have been raised with Him to newness of life! (Colossians 3:1 and Galatians 2: 19&20) We have become one with Him! (1 Corinthians 6:17) We are complete in Him! (See Colossians 2:9)

In this earthly life we will always be reminded of what we were before Christ entered our life. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) We must realize that our sinful flesh and human nature will always be predisposed to a particular way of negative, sinful thinking and rebellious behavior that conflicts with our new nature in Christ. But, Christ has set us free to choose who we will serve. (Galatians 6:19-25 and Romans 8:2) We will even slip up at times, especially if we struggle with any addictions in our life; but we need not condemn ourselves nor define ourselves by our weaknesses or by our conflicts. There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ! (Romans 8:1) We are not only forgiven and cleansed, we are born again children of God! (John 1:12)

No, despite all these things, over whelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us. And I am convinced that nothing can separate us from His love…nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord". (Romans 8:38-39)

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