PERSONAL AND FAMILY IDENTITY IN CHRIST

“I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty” – 2 Corinthians 6:18

God’s Perfect will for every person is Intimate PERSONAL and FAMILY IDENTITY IN CHRIST: “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty” (2Cor.6:18). Identity refers to the defining ideas, labels, and relational roles which make us who we are in Christ. This is however at both personal and family levels. Paul longed for the Corinthians to grow in the faith, mature spiritually, and live each day honourably and with integrity. He urged them to eschew all kinds of evil, worldly relationships, carnal attitudes, and fleshly desires that impaired their spiritual development. He urged them to separate themselves from all that is evil in the world and to live a life that is sanctified to the Lord.

Paul reminded the Corinthians that their Identity in Christ should not only by internal conviction, but be externally evident in who or what they relate with. He wanted them to have testimonies that identified them as members of the Family of God. They had become ambassadors of heaven, sojourning in a foreign land. He urged them to “not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (v.14a). He struck contrasts between righteousness and lawlessness; light and darkness; Christ and Belial; the believing and unbelieving; and the temple of God and idols. To bring home his point, Paul referred to Ezekiel 37:27, with this reminder: “I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people” (v.16).

Paul also referred to Isaiah 52:11, “Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you” (v.17). He then drew from the books of 2^nd Samuel 7:14, Isaiah 43:6, and Hosea 1:10 with the heartfelt appeal: “I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty” (v.18).

In the first chapter of the first book, God created humans in His “own image,” setting us up to identify as His children (Gen.1:26). In the New Testament, we are reminded that God loves us so much that He calls us His children (1Jh.3:1-3). He claims us as His own, and calls us by name (Isa.43:1). He goes so far as to tell us that our bodies belong to Him, because the Holy Spirit lives in us, and Christ has bought us with His own blood. As His beloved children, our Identity is rooted in Him. But, God is love, and being made in His image means that we’re not solitary beings; we’re made to love others.

Yesterday, we meditated on the story of Gideon: how God initiated his identity and turned his weaknesses into divine Strength. Ultimately however, it takes an intimate Relationship with God to wholly fulfil Destiny. Every encounter with God is an invitation to relate with Him. Potentially, Gideon’s encounter with God could have been the beginning of an intimate personal relationship. Gideon had the opportunity to become a friend of God, like Abraham or Moses (Exo.33:11; 2Chr.20:7; Isa.41:8; Jam.2:23). He had the prospect to not only overcome the Midianites, but also lead Israel in true worship of God. Unfortunately, Gideon fell short of his destiny and instead, led the nation into idolatry (Jud. 8:22-27).

To have an intimate love relationship with God is the foundation and beginning of our identity and should be the ultimate end of our destiny. Jesus shed His blood on the cross and paid the price to restore our relationship as sons and daughters of our loving Heavenly Father. To fully understand our PERSONAL IDENTITY, we need to comprehend our FAMILY IDENTITY. That’s why God sets individuals in families and made the family unit as a model for His Eternal Family (Psa.68:6; Eph.3:15). We must understand what it means to have the divine DNA, the identity of being members of God’s royal family. Only as we understand this reality can we fully embrace and enter into our personal God-given identity – and manifest it.