not my own: who am I?
when people think of you, what do they think of?
I think when people think of me, they probably think of the color pink. they probably think of Taylor Swift and music. they might think of Nashville or of Atlanta. they also might think of my family and where I come from.
but the deeper question is this: what or who does my life point people to?
our culture is obsessed with identity. we will place our identity in just about anything. we can place it on our lives, our careers, our accomplishments, our relationships, and even our mistakes.
in many ways, having a sense of identity isn’t a bad thing. it can be a good thing. it’s important to know where we come from, who we are, and where we’re going.
however, somewhere along the way, our culture has twisted our identity into becoming about ourselves. it’s become about what I can build and who I can be. it’s about how other see me, and the notion that no one else has the authority to tell me who I am. Jesus shows us another way to live out our identity.
one person who had every right to brag in Scripture was Paul. he talks about himself in boastful ways before knowing Christ.
Paul wasn’t just someone who followed Judaism, he excelled in it. he was known for persecuting Christians and believed he was serving God by doing so. he describes himself in Philippians 3 in this way,
“though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless” (v. 4-5, NLT).
the greek word for flesh means sarx, which refers to “human effort, heritage, and external religious credentials”.
Paul had everything the world told him he should want. he had success, he had fame, and he had notoriety. But when Paul encountered Christ, everything changed for him.
Paul continues his resume of sorts into his new identity he has in Christ. He states,
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:7-11, NLT).
the greek word for garbage in this passage is skubala. this word is considered a vulgar term in the language, and it refers to refuse, waste, or even dung. Paul uses this shocking language to his original audience because he wants to emphasize how everything he once thought was a treasure is now a waste in knowing Christ.
so basically, everything Paul put confidence in prior to knowing Christ now to him is considered complete and utter garbage.
Paul left everything he knew to follow Christ.
I believe that this is the same reality that not only culture, but also the Church, needs to face. we are just as fast to place our worth in the world. we ask ourselves these questions more often than not,
Do I have enough money in the bank account?
Are my kids attending the best school?
Are my clothes keeping up with the latest trends?
Does my home look as nice as my neighbors’?
If someone else has that thing, do I need that thing too?
we are so focused on building our identity on earthly things that we forget the One who breathed life itself into us.
maybe this is why the last commandment is this- “You shall not covet” (Exodus 20:17).
many of us gloss over this commandment, but I believe it’s the one we’ve probably broken the most. God knew this was what we would tend to be tempted by, to look at what others have and think we need it, too.
as followers of Jesus, we are called to crucify our flesh. Paul says in Galatians 2:20,
“My old self has been crucified with Christ. it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (NLT).
the goal of being a Christian isn’t for people to see more of us, but for people to see more of Christ.
I tend to ask myself this question as a heart check,
When I walk into the room, do people experience the aroma of Christ?
Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 2:15-16,
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life” (NLT).
Jesus calls me to walk differently because my identity isn’t in the world. my identity is found in Him.
when I begin to boast in my accomplishments instead of in Christ, I know it’s time for a heart check. the only good in me is God. anything good I do isn’t from me, but from the Spirit who lives in me.
Paul reminds us in 1st Corinthians 6:19-20,
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (NLT).
my life isn’t my own. my identity isn’t something I have to fabricate.
everything about me has already been defined by Christ and who He says I am.
so, when people think of you, what do they think of?
I hope they think of Christ, because He isn’t just the center of my identity. He is the creator of my identity.
