"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."
The Holy Spirit bind us to Christ just in the same way as it binds the Father and the Son together in the trinity. It is through the spirit that we can be in Christ just as he is in the Father and the Father in Him (Jn 17:21). Because of this, we are no longer independent beings but interdependent, our identities being grounded in the Holy Trinity and in the Church, the Body of Christ.
The Church is the product of Jesus's work and is a continuation of his present ministry through the presence of the Holy Spirit. We belong to Christ and are bought with his blood (Col 1:16-20). Christ is the first born of the Church, its head, and priestly mediator who enables peace and fellowship with God through reconciliation.
It is inseparably linked to the Holy Spirit which binds us and animates us. The Church is not a club, but an image of the inter-relatedness of the Trinity. It is an eschatological community but not Christ's ultimate goal and is distinct from the kingdom of God. The Church's mission is to bear witness and be a witness to Christ in the present day. We are the new Temple where God dwells; a living, breathing, and moving temple that goes to the people instead of having them come to it.
Showing posts with label Identity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Identity. Show all posts
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Proverbs 22:6
"If you train a youth according to his own way, even when he grows old he will not turn away from it." (Personal translation)
Most translations of the Bible have "according to the way he should go", however it is stretching the Hebrew to translate it that way. It doesn't mention anything about the "way he should go", but more literally just means "his own way". Potentially, this proverb is more of a warning than instruction to parents. A warning to not spoil your children by letting them have their way. Proverbs 23:13-14 echo the same sentiment so it would not be out of the question to translate in this way.
But all that to say this: there's a lot of utter nonsense in people trying to figure out who they are. People make statements all the time like "That's just who I am" or "I'm just being myself". Foolishness. There's a dangerous notion here that our personalities are static. I know a whole bunch of people (myself included) with a big handful of testimonies of how Christ has transformed them to say that personality is fluid. You are never going to find out "who you are" when who you are is always changing.
Besides, there is no sense in struggling with your identity when that's not what you want to be in the first place. We aren't looking to go our own ways, but the Way of Christ. Don't be yourself, be who God is making you to be.
Most translations of the Bible have "according to the way he should go", however it is stretching the Hebrew to translate it that way. It doesn't mention anything about the "way he should go", but more literally just means "his own way". Potentially, this proverb is more of a warning than instruction to parents. A warning to not spoil your children by letting them have their way. Proverbs 23:13-14 echo the same sentiment so it would not be out of the question to translate in this way.
But all that to say this: there's a lot of utter nonsense in people trying to figure out who they are. People make statements all the time like "That's just who I am" or "I'm just being myself". Foolishness. There's a dangerous notion here that our personalities are static. I know a whole bunch of people (myself included) with a big handful of testimonies of how Christ has transformed them to say that personality is fluid. You are never going to find out "who you are" when who you are is always changing.
Besides, there is no sense in struggling with your identity when that's not what you want to be in the first place. We aren't looking to go our own ways, but the Way of Christ. Don't be yourself, be who God is making you to be.
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