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PROGRAM D-7276

Has your identity been stolen? We’re all aware that identity theft is a huge problem these days. This is a rather new phenomenon—identity theft—the stepchild of our technology culture.

But, you know, identity theft is nothing new.  The enemy of your soul and mine is a thief and a robber, and for ages he has been robbing Christ-followers of their identity, or at least trying to.  And all too often he is successful because far too many of us don’t recognize his tactics, don’t have a good understanding of what our identity is in Christ, and don’t know how to fight back and defeat him.

We need to know how to guard ourselves against identity theft—our identity in Christ!  And that means we have to first know our identity in Christ.

Your identity in your family began the day you were born—right?  You immediately took on the family name and you were one of the family.  Your identity was established by your birth.

The same is true as Christians; our identity begins when we are born into God’s family.  That happens when we recognize we are sinners in need of a Savior, confess our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior.

John put it this way: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!  And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1) Once you’re in the family, your identity is determined by God, the Father.  It is who he says you are not what anyone else says, including yourself.  Your identity is who you are in God’s presence, in God’s mind.

If someone asked you who you are, you’d probably give your name, then you might identify yourself by your relationships—I’m a mother/father/daughter/son.  Or you might identify yourself by your occupation—I’m a teacher/singer/doctor/homemaker.  Of course, those are acceptable ways to identify yourself, but as a Christ-follower, what should be your first and most important identity status?

In his Gospel, the Apostle John always referred to himself as “the one Jesus loves.”  That was his primary and essential identity: “I am the one Jesus loves.” Is that the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of who you are?  If you are truly born from above, do you have a firm understanding of who you are in Christ?