Writer’s note: Today, as a preface to my post, I feel the need to offer you some personal thoughts about the purpose of my weekly blog, that is, to both encourage and exhort people of all walks to come to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My focus is in highlighting the great uncrossable chasm as a result of the incompatibility between God’s Holiness and man’s sinfulness. This crucial difference, I find, is most often woefully understated. In fact, to understate it risks robbing God of the Glory He only deserves. While God’s Holiness and man’s sin are core Truths in Christianity, they are, in my opinion, grossly underemphasized from the pulpit for fear of injuring the worldly sensibilities of congregants. Therefore, I, a person with a blog and unhindered by the business of keeping up church membership numbers or needing to become in solidarity with selected human movements and since I firmly believe that most people will not come to Christ (the Cure) unless they understand the desperation of their fatal condition (Sin), can draw a relationship with a variety of observations of human nature directly to an underlying sin (which can all be connected to the Ten Commandments which are known as the moral laws of God). In ways that we often don’t realize, our worldly human nature acts as stumbling blocks to a person’s embracing of the Gospel. I am not driven to be pastor, an apologist, or a Bible scholar, though constant reading and studying of the Word of God is vital for those who believe themselves a servant of the Living God and shoe leather for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I grew up in the church and thought I knew a lot about Christianity without comprehending the real and personal need for a relationship with Christ and Savior, Lord, and Master. The irony of my previous condition is tragically and frightfully common within the church and this is the siren that drives me to share the Gospel. I am merely a fallen man who was picked up by our gracious Lord, who loved me before I was unblinded enough to serve him and love him in return.
I cannot read your heart and I am not judging you, but I can send out warnings, offering aid so that you may judge yourself to sooner arrive in that glorious confluence of God’s spirit and your humble reception, so that you may live joyfully and eternally in your new identity in the gracious arms of our Lord.
C.K.Y. 11-4-2026
And now on with the article…
Finding our Identity in Life
We all tend to want to reduce things to a common denominator, sometimes that’s our job or what we do, in order to get to the truth of the matter, whether it’s a truth of common wisdom or the Truth of divine revelation. Humanly enough, there can be a connection between our important decision making capabilities and to what we identify ourselves as.
Often times we are criticized for prejudice and discrimination when we do. On first thought, like being vigilant while walking down a dark alley in a strange city, our discrimintation results in making quick decisions in order to navigate the problems, sometimes dangerous ones, in life. In other words, if we can deduce the truth in broad spectrum of circumstances in order to determine the best course of action, and act quickly enough, we may gain the advantage of taking the initiative and, presumably, be able to obtain an advantage over the competition or adversary, maybe even avert a disaster.
“And what do you do?” The guest at the dinner party asks you. How you answer may very well be tied to the professional, occupational or societal category. You are then seen as a person who is capable of making the decisions of a qualified person at that station in life.
People commonly take pride in their own formula for success despite the narrowness, when that narrow window works, fantastic, and when it stops working, it can take a serious if not an existential crisis to change ones mind.
The problem with life, we can go through much of it without any serious challenge to what we hold as true. It’s not unusual that change occurs after the hardest lessons.
Recently, there was a video on Youtube I saw, maybe it was staged, but I find it highly probable. A young man in a video job interview was actively trading during his interview. When he executed a particularly profitable trade, he, in a state of childlike giddiness, interrupted his own interview and promptly excused himself. In the case of the amateur stock trader, we can adopt a style that works great until it doesn’t. If we get really good at trading stocks, we may begin to develop our self identity as “a good stock trader.” The problem is, when it doesn’t, the results can take you out of the game and if you are or were trading massive amounts of money, you could have had your identity strongly tied into that lucrative skill. Losing money, however, while quite painful and potentially disastrous, doesn’t affect your soul normally, that is, unless you happened to be worshipping mammon.
There’s plenty of professional situations in which we’re called to make “snap” decisions, based on a growing corroborating signals, this was especially true as a sonar supervisor onboard a submarine where multiple sonar sensors are the primary means of determining what was a threat or not.
Especially when we are young and still forming an identity of who we are based on what we do, our pride in how well we perform in such a unique and dangerous profession can amount of enormous self-glorification and identification with the entire professional structure.
But what if one of the original assumptions was not correctly based on accurate data? Or you were unwilling to change your perspective based on contrary information derived from a new technology or a new crew member? The tactical situation can change and one needs to be constantly open to assessments which can conflict with the opinion of an expert. Maybe an insight from a junior that could have been a piece of data that saved your hide.
The Father of the Nuclear powered Navy, submariner Admiral Hyman G Rickover often sought to determine from submarine officers, would they have the capability to either change their minds when challenged by a real indication to the contrary? Would they make irrational assumptions by salting their food before tasting it? An error in submarine warfare could result in a failed mission, or at worse, the death of a submarine and its crew.
Our worldly identity eventually comes to an end, either by time or by death. What happens afterwards is in the spiritual realm with eternal consequence. Who or what we identify in becomes crucial in eternity.
Okay, so where am I headed with this? A couple of months ago, I wrote mentioning Papa Rickover in regards to where we place our confidence, so this article about identity is similar but different. This week’s concerns the confidence in our “identity” of who we are and not so much testing our prejudices in assessing circumstances.
I will make a note of not using Rickover again, for awhile… (LOL).
Jesus taught:
“But I say to you, My friends, do not fear those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. 5 But I will show you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! – Luke 12:4-5.
In layman’s terms, I assess this to mean: You’ve identified all the threats to your worldly life, and there may be many apparent existential threats, but to avoid the trouble that will cost you the most, revere God and be obedient to His will.
As an unregenerate person, you are at enmity with God (James 4:4) and in that state, Almightly God is your worst enemy.
I dare not to be trite, therefore, here is another way to think about the quantum gap we’re working with: Contemplate who God has revealed himself to be: The Creator of the universe, Holy and Righteous. Go back to Genesis 1 and 2, John1 and really give those passages pause – suspend your intellectual gymnastics, the insane constructions of men to hang your hat on, and consider the Truth of this Holy and Righteous Creator and your presumptions about how as a dead-in-sins-creature you are going to ante up in the poker game of Salvation. God knows the scale of the breach caused by man’s sin and determined it wise to send His Son, to suffer the punishment for our sins and be resurrected to relieve our spiritual quagmire. He’s offering you a gift of love and of grace.
In a secular analogy, contributing to our own salvation is a little like getting into a poker game with Elon Musk thinking you’ve got a chance to bend him. No matter which religious faith you may aspire to, how do you expect to escape the box without divine mercy, personal surrender, and just plain gratitude. Or rather, here’s a better hypothetical: Elon Musk decides to be your friend (maybe even adopts you) and he pays off all of your bills, from your mortgage(s) to your children’s college expenses, credit cards, and on top of that he gifts you a Tesla Roadster (or whatever). The man chose you as a friend, are you going to try to pay him back with money or enjoy with gratitude what he has done for you?
What are we talking about?! How much more God has done for you! Your accountability is directly to God, yet, your calling is to a direct relationship with God.
My assertion is, it is terribly difficult for the human mind to get a grasp on the Holiness of God and the depths of our sinfulness, those two go hand in hand. Because of this, we do not appreciate what God has done to reconcile the relationship. We have to think out of worldly box just to begin to see Christ’s declarations and truth claims in anything approaching the proper light.
Reiterating John the Baptist’s Exhortation
In the case of the Bible, understand it in the context of Jesus’ teachings, who Jesus proclaimed himself to be and his exhortations about entering the Kingdom. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, in Your name did we not prophesy, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name do many miracles?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ – Matthew 7:21-23. That, my fellow man and woman, should induce a gut wrenching fear that alarms us to come to the feet of God with the abject humility of Isaiah in the heavenly throne room as he cried out:
“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
For I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts.” – Isaiah 6:5
If that wasn’t an “OH SHIT” moment, even for perhaps the most righteous man in Jerusalem at the time, I don’t know what is. Are you more righteous by man’s standards than Isaiah? It doesn’t matter when it comes to Salvation. Though, do not mistake the simplicity of the printed word and not begin to grasp the gravity of God’s exhortation and your need to come to Christ, no matter what your station in life.
If all this writing of mine does is not persuasive or because of years of milquetoast preaching from the pulpit you find yourself dead to the words, you must listen to the recent audio of the private LearJet crashing in Florida. The young woman, who was the co-pilot: her voice exhibits such sheer and utter terror at the imminent closure with death. One moment alive and vibrant, the next moment, cast into eternity. That level of horror comes much closer to the reality of a future with all hope about to be erased than any of us Christians living in comfort would dare interpret the prophet Isaiah as he lay prostrate in sheer horror before God’s throne.
One of the roles of an evangelist to help bring to life the utter horror of death without the protection of Christ the Savior.
I pray that those 9 souls had been right with God. They would be in a much finer place than the Bahamas, where they had intended to go, and that is no error. Paradise is what they would have achieved through Christ.
I heard today that the pilot was a Christian man. In the background of the recording, one can hear praying to God as the plane was rapidly descending to the earth. In the end, seek to know Him who our real hope is bound to. It is a sobering reminder that tomorrow is not a guarantee and that the time for redemption is now. There is no good reason to wait and risk eternal security.
Are you ready to face God? Are you ready to face your own death?
So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. – Psalm 90:12
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Exhorts John the Baptist – Matthew 3:2
Liberty by Divine Authority
I will not continue to simply belabor my exhortation of the limitations of earthly or worldly identity or the harshness of life’s failures, sufferings, and tragedies, but will promote the benefits of the transformation of becoming sealed into God’s kingdom, when our identity (and accountability) becomes directly linked to God. These truths, which were strongly impressed into the American colonists helped give them the spiritual, mental and physical wherewithal to place their lives on the line to succeed in breaking ties with King George and in birthing a new republic that recognizes God as the source of all blessings.
There is only one identification that in its narrowness becomes greater in its benefit and that is achieved by striving to enter salvation through the narrow gate and proceeding to walk along the narrow way, the new direction redeemed by faith armed with the imputation of Jesus Christ’s righteousness, which coincides with spontaneous Sanctification, followed by the lifetime walk to greater holiness. This narrowness is defined by God and not by man. Naturally, those who remain unregenerate, dead in their sins can choose their own narrow ways, their natural inclination, but would head the wrong direction. Altogether with a world of the unsaved from across the spectrum of humanity, they would form the wide path leading to destruction.
When you are Justified, you are indwelt with the Holy Spirit who Jesus promised will be with believers:
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15 All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. – John 16:13-15
If God is with you, it’s kind of like you, as a junior engineer, work directly with the CEO. It’s little like you, as a non-qual nub, having the ear of the Captain of the ship. However, It’s even more intimate than that! You can actually approach God as ABBA, FATHER (Romans 8:15). That, my fellow humans, is divine Grace. We no longer need to go through the Division Officer or the Design Manager to submit petitions. God is lavishly gracious and all for His Glory, beckoning to His Creation to come into a right relationship through His Son, The Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us consider a believer’s new identity, or your new identity once you become justified by Christ’s righteousness and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This verse emphasizes the transformative power of being in Christ, a transformation that will result in turning from sin, following God’s will and fruitful works guided by the Holy Spirit.- 2 Corinthians 5:17
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” This affirms that all believers are children of God, not by works but through the power of God’s works of grace. – Galatians 3:26
“He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.” No matter how insufferable, crude and despicable one may have showed himself in life, this highlights a sinners adoption into God’s family, for the glory of God. – Ephesians 1:5
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.” This describes believers as chosen and set apart for God’s purposes, particularly after raised in glory in the Resurrection. – 1 Peter 2:9
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” This is a believer’s purpose and value as God’s creation and family. – Ephesians 2:10
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” This assures believers of their freedom from guilt and shame bringing a peace that goes beyond understanding and security that expands beyond worldly reasoning made possible by the sacrificial work of Christ. – Romans 8:1
If you have not come to Christ, the Lord of all, come by trusting completely in His glorious completed work, paying off your debt of sin and providing you a new identity bound to flourish throughout eternity.
May God grant you faith to be transformed by the Holy Spirit and enter into God’s eternal and royal family.
A response to God’s Love
A Prayer for Salvation.
If you are ready to respond to God’s love for you, if you are ready to turn from sin and trust Him, pray with your heart this request:
Heavenly Father,
I know I have sinned and I need your mercy. I turn from my old self and ask You to forgive me.
I believe Jesus Christ died for my sins and that You raised Him from the dead. Today, I confess that Jesus is Lord, and I receive Him as my Savior.
Thank you for saving me. Help transform my heart with a desire to follow you and to live for you from now and forever more.
In the Name of Jesus Christ, I pray, amen
For a one minute explanation of the Gospel from the late Pastor John MacArthur, watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCP9UcC7BzE
For a review of the Ten Commandments: https://www.challenyee.com/the-ten-commandments/
ACT LIKE MEN a short talk given by John MacArthur (click on the link)
All quoted excerpts have footnotes removed, usually from Legacy Standard Bible (LSB), sometimes from New International Version (NIV), on rare occasion the Amplified Bible (AMP).
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8-30-2024