We are who we are
No matter how hectic the demands of life are on us and how much turbulence or how many challenges we need to face we always remain who we are. While it is true that tough times reveal our character and develop it toward maturity, the essence of who I am remains. I may discover things about myself and learn more about the world around me during these tough times. What I learn about the world around me may even change the way I see myself. For many people, this part of life has become an ever-changing and confusing experience that seldom makes sense. The way we see ourselves must change as we grow, but who we are never changes at that moment.
Shaping character
My efforts to be my own person are subject to my character that is shaped by experiencing hardships Rom5:3-6. But again our character is not who we are. It is how we are. It defines how we behave but our nature does not define who we are.
One can argue that our profession makes us who we are. That would mean that right now I should be very confused because I can wear a variety of hats at this moment in time. This is because I have several activities that make up the whole person of who I am. As a lay preacher and Bible teacher living the life of a full-time employee, it’s easy to see why what we do cannot be who we are
Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. (Ecc 9:10)
A painting example
A painting is not just a canvas. There is not a single component in an art piece that completely defines it. It’s not the frame, the canvas or even the paint. It’s not even the painting styles or techniques used by the artist. What defines that painting is the same thing that gives it value. It’s its origin or source.
A painted masterpiece is authenticated by the artist’s signature that created it. Then the brush techniques and painting style gain value, not because they are the way that they are presented on the canvas. They become substantial because they come from a source that has value. That source of course is the artist.
Is the Bible just a book?
In a very similar way, the Bible as an idealistic book has no intrinsic value on its own. The Bible is a book with pages and a mountain of words that only start to make sense once a person is saved. Its logic only exists for those who have embraced the true author thereof. Just like a good painting the absolute brilliance of the Bible only comes to light when a person starts to see Its Author in it. Without receiving the Holy Spirit the Bible is just a book.
The body, a marvel piece
No one can deny that the human body is a marvel of medical mysteries. It has taken modern man the best part of six and a half thousand years since creation to realize how much we still need to learn about it. If that proves anything it is this. The Creator who designed humanity is infinitely more impressive than anyone of us is able to understand.
God designed and assembled it all. Jesus is intimately involved in forming every unborn baby that has ever been conceived.
It was you who formed my internal organs, fashioning me within my mother’s womb. (Psa 139:13 ISV)
Your reflection is not you
The sad thing bout the overwhelming majority of people is that we think of ourselves as the person we see in the mirror. We think that we are the things that we do or what we look like.
In recent times there has been an upsurge online in the way people speak out about their identity. There is much confusion about the way they see and think about themselves. Confusion because it challenges the traditional norms and views that society has been built on since Adam and Eve.
Too many people are confused about who they were created to be. I’m willing to concede that there are millions of reasons why people see themselves differently from the people around them. It is not a topic that I would want to try to unpack here. Instead, I want to explore a different perspective on how we should think from God’s Word.
Right at the beginning of the Bible God says:
We are created to be…
We were created to be like God because we are meant to be sentient beings. In us was placed the ability to understand and grasp who we are and how we form part of our Creator’s plan for His creation. We are also much more than that. We were given the option to live a life of OUR choosing. The choices we make in living our lives are often the deciding factor in how, and where we fit into God’s ultimate plan.
An undeniable fact is that every living thing on this earth has a beginning and an end. That is true about our lives and the people we see in the mirror each day. This is where I see a challenge in our thinking as a human race.
Created in God’s image
Because I am created in God’s image it makes sense that I have the same essence that He does. His Word says:
Joh 4:24 ISVGod is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
This essence comes with an inseparable truth. It applies best to those that WORSHIP Him. It must be in SPIRIT AND TRUTH.
When our bodies fail
When we reach the point where our bodies fail and our essence leaves, that is the part of us that lives on. Either in His presence or under His wrath. The point I’m making here is that the part of us that lives on is the eternal part. That part of us is our consciousness and our essence or spirit.
When we open our eyes in the afterlife and by His loving grace find that He has accepted us in His presence, we will receive a new body to become a home to our essence. It’s how He has planned it out for us. God did it that way for a purpose. He recorded things in scripture for our edification and instruction.
Php 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,:21who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
Lets rehash
This brings us to the point of this post. So let us rehash the headlines and draw the only conclusion that is possible.
- We are all created in God’s image
- God is Spirit.
- That makes me spirit.
Who then are we?
I am first of all spirit. We want to imagine that our mind is in control of our thoughts and actions. But the physical organ that is our brain is a spiritual interface with a fallen body. Carnal desires drive the body’s needs and want. As the middleman between our essence (spirit) and our vessel (body), it is the battlefield for our survival.
Worshippers
To worship God in spirit and in truth is to subject our thoughts and desired to Godly lives in honour of His will and Name. Mankind is called to subdue our temporary dwelling or “tent” for the purpose of our eternal spirit and a godly mindset.
That’s why I can say with absolute confidence. That I identify myself as spirit under God’s grace and rule. I live in a human body and by His design, I was made to be a man. My essence, the core of who I am is SPIRIT. That is how the Creator meant it and made it to be. As a created being who am I to argue the point when His word leaves no room for confusion.
please take note that our scripture references in our later blog posts make use of links that refer to https://www.biblegateway.com/. We have found this to be an incredible online resource and encourage you to support their service also.