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.
But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. (Philippians 3:4-7)
Everybody needs an identity. Everybody needs to know who they really are. To know what makes them special. To know what they can fall back on when everything else fails. What’s your identity?
Paul was the best of the best. He was everything a Jewish man could have hoped to be in the 1st century. An Israelite. But not just an Israelite: From the tribe of Benjamin. His parents had him circumcised when he was eight days old, just like it was supposed to happen. He was a Pharisee—a Bible expert whom everyone respected. He was zealous. He was faultless. Paul was the best of the best.
But it was all worthless. Does that sound harsh? That’s what Paul says, “Whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” Israelite… Benjamite… Circumcised… Pharisee… Zealous… Faultless… None of those identities brought Paul what he truly needed. Instead, by God’s grace, he found a new identity: Christian. God gave Paul the blessing of finding his true identity in Christ.
Do you? It’s too easy to fall into the trap of finding our identity in all the wrong things. We identify ourselves by our race and the color of our skin. We identify ourselves by our gender or sexual orientation. We identify ourselves by our profession and abilities. Maybe that’s why we feel so empty.
I once heard a Christian man give a presentation about his struggle with sexual sins. When he finished, someone asked, “What do you identify yourself as today?” Without hesitating, he said, “I am a redeemed child of God.” A Christian. It doesn’t get any better than that!
No matter what you’re good at or what you’re bad at, you are loved by Jesus. No matter what sins you’ve committed or what commandments you’ve kept, Jesus gave his life for you. No matter what fancy titles or curse words people use to describe you, there is no better identity than this: Christian.
Dear Jesus, I so often struggle with who I am. I wrestle to find my place in the world and despair when I feel like nothing. Convince me of my true identity in you: A redeemed child of God. Amen.
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