Complimentary Story
Summer 2025“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV).
I would like to share my belief that we are suffering both in the Church and in the world with an identity crisis. Where I differ from the culture is that I do not believe the identity crisis has to do with pronouns and a plethora of genders, but rather who we are in Christ.
I wish to address the believer primarily, and that is where our position in Christ enters the conversation. True and mature believers should recognize that it is who they are in Christ that defines their identity. What truly matters is who you are in Christ. If you understand that you are a son or daughter of God in Christ Jesus, then everything changes.
The problem we face is that both the world and many in the Church are searching for their identity. If you are searching for your identity anywhere but in Christ, you are deceiving yourself or being deceived. All truth is defined by God through His Word, and therefore you are defined whether you are saved or unsaved by what the Word of God says about you.
I used to think that the problem regarding the Church’s identity crisis was simply that many do not believe. There is ample evidence in Scripture to make that case. One such passage is the passage that I say should scare the hell out of you. Jesus speaks in Matthew 7:21-23 saying, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
It is clear from that passage that many who identify Jesus as their Lord have either been deceived by themselves or someone else. They may have called Jesus “Lord,” but He did not know them. They even cite great works which they did, but it is not works that save us, it is a relationship with Jesus by grace through faith that saves us.
Beyond those who are deceived into thinking they are saved when they are not is the crowd that is genuinely saved but who does not have any idea what that means. We have allowed deception and error to creep into the Church unaware because we have neglected to read and adhere to God’s Word. We have whored after pronouns when we should have passionately pursued Proverbs! We have pursued sin when we should have pursued Jesus.
We cannot place the blame only with pastors who fail to preach the Word. Part of that blame has to be equally laid at the feet of those who either knew the Word and turned a blind eye for the sake of compromise and for those who are derelict in their duty to be diligent students of the Word of God.
The Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” If we are in Christ, we must let the old man die. I realize that the process of sanctification is one of growing in grace and will continue to shape us to be more like Christ until we leave this world to be united with our Savior. Though we may not see everything change overnight, we should immediately receive a changed heart, one that is willing to crucify the flesh and put to death the sins of the old man as the Holy Spirit directs us.
The Gospel of John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” If we understand that those who have genuinely received Christ as their Savior have passed from death into life to live, rule, and reign with Christ as sons and daughters of God through Christ Jesus, that is freedom and liberty. No longer do we have to live as children of darkness, confused about who we are.
We must combat this crisis, the fake news, and the propaganda with the truth of God’s Word. It is time we stopped wandering this world as spiritual infants wondering where our Father is when we can know the Father who sent the Son to give us a new identity and who sealed us with the Holy Spirit who indwells us.
Email:
AliveMinistriesUSA@gmail.com
