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2 Corinthians 5:16-17
You know yesterday, we spoke a moment about how we carry within us the life of the resurrected Christ. Yes – if you have decided to live for Him, if you have decided that you are going to have Christ live in your heart, if you are going to be His disciple, then you carry His Spirit with you. And wherever you go, the power of the resurrected Christ brings light to overcome the darkness.
Let’s look again at what Paul says
2 Corinthians 5:16-17 (NIV) So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Paul talks about us about becoming a new creation in Christ. Being a new creation in Christ means that we have a new identity, we have a gospel identity within us. What is a gospel identity? Tim Keller writes:
“To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us” (Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage [New York: Dutton, 2011], 95).
So along this line of thinking, that I’m a new creation in Christ Jesus, also means that my identity changes. I no longer measure myself against worldly standards rather, I become who God says I am in His Word.
On this earth, I am Dan Lewis. I am son of my biological parents. But there is something that happens when I believe in Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior, to the point of salvation – I now become a child of the most high God – a child of the King. I become joint heirs with Jesus – a sibling to the King of kings if you will.
This new creation that begins in me, by the Holy Spirit working in me and eventually through me, creates in me a new identity. When we are experiencing suffering, or when we are sitting and lamenting with our friends/loved ones, we can also draw from the hope within us in our Gospel Identity.
Think about it like this. The line in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Is not only about physical nourishment. All throughout the Bible bread represents life. Our identity says we are God’s Children, and that our heavenly Father will supply our need. He will supply our bread, He will supply our life. It may not always be what we want, but it will be what we need. And we can rest in our new gospel identity, which during times of suffering can bring tremendous peace, hope, and light into a dark situation. We just need to remember who we are in Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior.