You have been identified

Have you ever had a conversation you wish you could do over?

This weekend we were out walking when I heard a phrase I was unprepared to respond to. I needed some time to think it through. Her words felt wrong, but technically, they weren’t. 

A woman was here from out of town because her son and his wife both work and their nanny had been exposed to Covid. She had been called into town at the last minute to help. She was pushing her grandchild in a stroller the morning we met. I was out for a walk and I think she might have been lost because she was quick to fall in step. 

What I didn’t know, and still don’t, was: How lost was she? 

She used a phrase to describe herself that I had never heard before, and I didn’t know how to process her words spiritually.  

What did she mean?

We were talking about a church in our neighborhood that her children might want to use for their daycare needs someday. The conversation gradually led to the subject of denominations, churches, and faith. She asked what we did for a living and that led to a conversation about our ministry. 

Then she said it, the phrase that I wasn’t prepared for: “Well, I identify as a Christian but I’ve traveled the world and met a lot of people and I don’t think religion should be divisive.”  

I had never heard someone say, “I identify as a Christian.” 

My instincts told me that if she were asked to list her faith, she would check the box marked “Christian.” But, has she actually chosen Christ to be her Lord? Was she telling me she was a Christian, or did she simply choose to identify as a Christian? 

It didn’t help that we had reached the spot for her to turn and go home.  

The conversation stayed with me all day, and now I’m typing a blog post about it! Did I miss an appointment to share the gospel? Or, was I speaking with someone who was a Christian already but just commenting on some of the rancor and divisions among people of faith? 

I honestly do not know.

What does it mean to identify as a Christian?

That is a question that carries cultural challenges today. We live in a time when a man can identify as a woman and win every one of his competitions as a swimmer. We live in a time when a woman can identify as a man. I’ve come up with a dozen things I wish I had thought to say to the woman I met. I wish I had thought to say, “What do you mean when you say, ‘I identify as a Christian?’” 

What would you want to say to her today? 

We live in a culture that stresses we are free to choose who we want to be. We are free to live however we choose. We are who we say we are, not who others say we are. But our personal freedoms can sometimes come at the expense of actual truth. 

The man who is competing as a woman never medaled until he chose to identify as a woman. His freedom to choose is costing his competitors their freedom to have a fair competition. The fact he identifies as a woman doesn’t mean he has become a woman physically. Our culture says his truth is the truth. Our culture permits surgeries, medications, and wardrobe changes to gain the appearance a person chooses. The awards ceremony after the swim meet doesn’t support his chosen truth as truthful. 

Are we Christians because we chose to be?

That’s the question that caused my confusion. I would have quickly answered the question yes before my conversation with that woman. I’ve taught and written about the importance of choosing Christ as our Lord and Savior. But, I wouldn’t teach that a person can simply identify as a Christian today. That phrase likely doesn’t mean what it once meant. What is the difference? What would I say if I could have that conversation today? 

We aren’t saved merely because we make a choice. We are saved because God made the choice of salvation possible. I’m not going to heaven just because I want to. I’m going to heaven because God made salvation possible through his Son. I don’t simply identify as a Christian; God recreated my life in Christ Jesus. Recall 2 Corinthians 5:17: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”  

That’s why Jesus told Nicodemus, “Unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). You and I are not going to spend eternity in heaven just because we want that to be true. We have eternal life because God allowed us to become eternal creations in Christ. That isn’t true just because we want it to be true. It is true because God promised. 

The thing I am praying for today is a second chance to talk to the woman I met, or hopefully someone else will help her to be certain about her salvation if needed. We can’t just identify as a Christian, the way the world defines that concept today. We must be completely “born again.” Colossians 3:3 says, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” We didn’t add Christ to our former identity; we have a completely new life that is eternal. 

We don’t just identify as Christians; we have become children of God. 

Why does our identity matter?

Why have we always heard preachers and teachers say, “You must die to self”? 

Because, if our “old self” didn’t die, our soul won’t live eternally. That’s what Paul meant when he wrote, “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). Nobody who was crucified lived. Paul knew what it meant to have his life completely transformed by Christ. He had been born again. 

For me, one of the most disturbing passages in the entire Bible is found in Matthew 7. Jesus concluded his Sermon on the Mount with a very clear statement about the New Covenant promise. He told those listening, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’” (Matthew 7:21–23). 

I think Jesus was warning his listeners about the heart of the New Covenant. Salvation wasn’t about people making choices to obey laws and customs or identify with a certain culture of belief. Salvation was about choosing to die to our old self and be born again into a new life. The only choice people have is the choice Jesus provided. Those who choose to “die to self” can choose to live “in Christ.” Those are the people who do “the will of the Father who is in heaven.” 

The person winning swim meets now hasn’t become a woman simply because he wanted to identify as a woman. He is still who he was born to be. Our identity as a Christian isn’t because we simply choose to identify in that way. Christians are born again to be children of God. We have new names

The reason we need to understand our new identity is that in our current culture it will be easy for someone to misunderstand the difference. Jesus will say, “I never knew you.” It does matter how Christians identify themselves going forward. It will be especially important with our cultural trends that we are able to help others understand God’s truth about how to identify as well.  

God’s truth must be our truth because it matters eternally.

At the perfect time, Jesus will return

We drove past an old cemetery in Mineral Wells, Texas, that was marked with a historic seal. That seal means some of the headstones probably date back to the Civil War or earlier. I’m fascinated by the history and all the stories represented by the headstones. In many ways, cemeteries tell the stories of life on earth. 

A new thought occurred to me as we drove past that cemetery: there are no cemeteries in heaven. 

Last week, I taught a verse from Romans that has returned to my thinking several times since. I realized that it needed to be my words for the blog post this week. 

The verse is from Romans 5, and I prefer the wording in the NIV version that says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). God picked the perfect time to send Jesus to this world so that he could live and then die for the ungodly.  

Jesus was born the first time, at a perfect time, and he came for the sake of the ungodly. When Jesus returns, it will be a perfect time as well, but the next time Jesus steps into this world, he will come for the godly.  

The perfect time

Many articles relate to the phrase “at a perfect time,” and many quote verses from the prophets. Jesus picked the perfect time in history to be born in a Bethlehem stable. He began fulfilling Old Testament prophecy with his first moments on earth. But there are also a lot of practical, earthly reasons that made it a “perfect” time. 

Rome was the world power of the day, and the world was unified under one government, as it had never been before. The phrase “all roads lead to Rome” explains one of the most important reasons for Christ’s timing. For the first time in history, people, soldiers, and ideas traveled, and everyone’s worldview grew as a result. Not only were roads built for travel, but the shipping industry was also vastly improved and ports had opened up to vessels from all over the known world. 

Would the early Christians have been able to leave Jerusalem for other cities without those roads, ships, and the protection they offered? 

The Greek language was the universal language of the day. Every city had people who knew Greek and could serve as teachers and translators. Would the news of Christ have spread throughout the region if everyone had needed to learn Hebrew to understand it? 

And, most importantly, God’s people were truly looking for their Messiah, knowing the prophets had promised God would send him to restore and save them from the hardships of this world. 

So, on that spring morning in Bethlehem, Jesus was born. Paul described the first coming of Christ saying, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4–5). 

Jesus entered the world at the perfect moment in history so that all people could be redeemed by his sacrifice and become God’s adopted children. And the adopted children of God were promised a new home.

His return will be perfectly timed

I was reviewing the book of Romans for my Bible class, getting ready for our last weeks of the study. I taught a significant verse from each chapter, which is why I was reminded of the verse about the perfect timing of Christ’s birth. One thought led to the next, and I began to wonder what the perfect timing of Christ’s return would look like. 

I’ve heard discussions about the end times, but those discussions end with the certainty that none of us will predict that time and all of us will be surprised. The point of the end-times discussions should be that we are living aware, expectant, and ready. Jesus’ parables teach us those truths.  

The apostles thought Jesus would return in their lifetimes. There have been many times in church history that would have indicated his return was imminent. Yet the church remains in the world, still looking. 

Consider all those things that indicated a “perfect time” the first time Jesus came to earth. Then consider all that has happened in recent years as a result of the internet.

  • The whole world is open for travel at the push of a button.
  • There is one language, or a program that enables a computer to translate.
  • The movement of ideas and information can travel anywhere a smartphone can go.

We began our internet ministry years ago and later realized that, for the first time in human history, Christ’s words from the Mount of Olives were able to be fulfilled. Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). 

It is interesting, even exciting, to realize the perfect time for Christ’s return could be soon. It could also be a thousand years more. That said, predicting Christ’s second coming is not the point of this blog post. 

The next time Jesus returns, it will be for the godly.

Who are the godly?

Most Christians don’t think of themselves as godly, but we are. We belong to God, and through Christ’s sacrifice we have been made godly.  

We could all pick up paper and a pen and create a long list of ungodly decisions we have made . . . just last week! But, that isn’t the way Scripture defines who is godly. 

It’s important that we hold the biblical viewpoint that says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” (2 Peter 1:3). 

Godly people are those who belong to God through faith in Jesus. We will never act completely godly until we are completely God’s, in heaven. Until then, we can glimpse our potential through his Holy Spirit.  

Jesus is coming again

There are a lot of reasons to believe this would be a perfect time for Jesus to return. There is every reason to live like it could be tomorrow. Jesus would tell us to share the gospel until time is perfected by his return, or when we are perfected in heaven.

I hope those thoughts will linger in our minds this week. 

This might be that perfect week and we want to be ready.  

The politics of Easter and two people

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[et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text”]Let the culture debate the political correctness of Easter. As Christians, we will faithfully rejoice in the miracle of Christ’s resurrection. Politics have always surrounded the events of Easter, especially the first one. 

The religious leaders of the day held an illegal trial, demanding they be considered right instead of doing what they knew was right. Pontius Pilate, the Roman official, made unjust decisions in order to appease and please people he was tired of listening to. And the confused crowds followed the rhetoric instead of the evidence. 

It sounds familiar, doesn’t it? 

There were some that first Easter, although few in number, who stood and fought for what was right. There are two names in the Easter story that deserve some recognition: Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. 

What happened to Nicodemus after his conversation with Jesus?

Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to see Jesus at night and, while some debate his motives, most believe that he was honestly trying to know if Jesus was the Messiah. 

John 3:1–21 is the record of the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus and contains some of the most memorized words in Scripture. If you have time, you should read the whole passage. It is one of the best examples in Scripture about how to speak to an intellectual about Christianity. 

But, every debate about Easter must end with the knowledge that we are saved through faith, not facts. There is a lot of proof about the life and death of Jesus, but people are “born again” because they believe the gospel message of love, forgiveness, and miracles. 

What happened to Nicodemus after his conversation with Jesus? 

The passage doesn’t record his acceptance of Christ as his Messiah. We don’t have a specific testimony about Nicodemus, but there is strong evidence that he understood Jesus to be his Messiah. 

John 7:50–52 says that Nicodemus spoke to a group of unbelieving Pharisees about the unlawful seizure of Jesus. Later, in John 19, after Jesus had died on the cross, Nicodemus joined Joseph of Arimathea and helped give Jesus a traditional Jewish burial. John 19:39 says, “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight.” 

Scripture doesn’t record a profession of faith from Nicodemus, but it records his act of faith. His actions would have publicly separated him from the other Pharisees and revealed his belief about the divinity and value of Jesus. A mixture of myrrh and aloes, seventy-five pounds in weight, is recorded for a reason. The estimated value of those spices today would be around $200,000. 

Jesus was given a costly burial after his costly death. 

Nicodemus apparently understood the value of Jesus’ sacrifice. 

Joseph of Arimathea understood too

Luke describes Joseph of Arimathea as a “good and righteous man” who didn’t agree with the Sanhedrin’s decision to crucify Jesus (Luke 23:50–51). He was a prominent member of the Jewish council who we know was “looking for the kingdom of God” (Luke 23:51). It seems he was a secret follower of Jesus. I’ve sometimes wondered if he and Nicodemus had met together before in order to discuss Jesus. We don’t have the whole story in Scripture, just what we need to know. 

We do know that “Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus” (Mark 15:43). 

It is commonly believed that the tomb, described as “newly hewn,” was the property of Joseph, given freely for the honored burial of Jesus. It was likely his family tomb, the place where he planned to be buried with his loved ones. 

Both men sacrificed for Jesus financially, but they also sacrificed personally. Both risked their positions in the community in order to make a public display of faith and honor the crucified body of Christ. 

Our public display of faith

There are intellectual facts, biblical and historical, to support the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. It is important to know how to defend your faith with knowledge. But, truthfully, most of us will prove our faith the way Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea proved theirs. 

What will be the public display of our faith in Jesus this Easter? 

How will your friends, family, co-workers, and others be convinced of what you believe? 

Sometimes our words are debated, but it is difficult to debate our public acts of faith. People typically “observe” those moments. And sometimes people like Nicodemus come to us privately so they can try to understand what we believe. 

How will you make your faith public, like those two Jewish leaders did on the first Easter? 

If you pray for the opportunity, it will likely happen. You might not even realize the opportunity occurred.  

Politically correct, or right with God?

It is impossible to know how many Easter seasons the world will celebrate in the years to come. Jesus could return before next spring occurs. For now, it is looking like the Christian message of Easter is becoming a little more “politically incorrect” with each year that passes. But remember, John was the only disciple at the foot of the cross. Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea are the only Pharisees named on Jesus’ side in the Easter story.  

These men didn’t stand with the crowd; they stood with Jesus. I hope that will be said of you and me as well. It is best to make that decision before it becomes a choice. 

Jesus told Nicodemus, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). If Nicodemus and Joseph truly understood and believed in Jesus’ words, we will see them in heaven. Imagine the joy of “fitting in” with that crowd! 

We gladly praise the two people in our Easter story who set our example. 

I’d rather be correct about Jesus than politically correct. 

I’d rather be the Pharisee who recognizes and honors the Messiah.  

I wish you a blessed and holy Easter celebration! [/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column]
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