WHO is Michael Jordan? Most would probably say the greatest basketball player that has ever played the game. Who is Sylvester Stallone? Most would probably say a great actor depending on the movie. Who is Diana Ross? Most would probably say one of the greatest singers of this generation. If you would say Michael Jordan is a basketball player, Sylvester Stallone is an actor, and Diana Ross a singer, you would be absolutely wrong for I would not have just described to you who they were. I would have only told you what they do. The greatest mistake in the world is to use your performance to give you your identity. The greatest mistake in the world is to define yourself by what you do. And yet it is the primary way that people define themselves.
When men get together, the first thing we want do in conversation is ask the other person what they do for a living. We then figure that if they do a big job, with a big title, for big pay, they must be somebody. However, one’s self-definition, or identity, is not to be rooted in your performance because, if so, then you will always, always, always misdefine yourself.
People go to great lengths to get an identity. They’ll buy identities. They go to plastic surgeons to fix their looks in order to fix their identity. They seek higher-paying jobs or nice business cards to help their identity. They pick their friends so that their friends can help elevate their identity. People go around asking for autographs so they can show other people whom they know in order to elevate their identity.
Satan knows that if he can keep you from discovering your true identity in Christ, he can keep you from discovering who you are. If in fact you are a Christian by virtue of your relationship with Christ, he can keep you hostage. He can keep you from claiming your inheritance. He can keep you from victory because you cannot be liberated if you don’t know who you are.900
[Christian Living, Identity in Christ; Worldliness, Distraction of]
Rom. 12:2; Col. 3:2
A FEW years back, I had an intern who assisted me in the office. His name is Ikki Soma. I affectionately called him the “Ikk Man.” Ikki is Japanese by birth. His mother and father, the seed that produced him, are Japanese. Now, let me tell you about Ikki. Ikki grew up black. His college roommate was black. His seminary roommate was black. He was the only Japanese on an all-black track team in college. His favorite music is hip-hop. His favorite meal is fried catfish with hot sauce, macaroni and cheese, mustard greens, corn bread, and iced tea. If you ever have a chance to hear him preach, you’ll realize that he preaches black. His first girlfriend was black. He even ended up marrying a black woman. Everything about Ikki is black. But when he fills out a government form, and they ask him to check a box for his race, he doesn’t put down black. While all of the external things that surround him are black, he was not born black. Therefore, when he fills out a government form, and they ask him his race, he checks Japanese. It’s not his performance that defines who he is. The essence of who he is is defined by his birth. It is your birth, not your performance, that tells you who you are.901
[Christian Living, Identity in Christ]
John 3:5; 1 John 5:18
DURING one of the NFL drafts awhile back, everyone was shocked when Mike Ditka gave up all of his draft choices in order to get University of Texas running back Ricky Williams. Why would Mike Ditka do that? He wanted to make him a Saint. So, he took Ricky Williams from the amateurs and made him a pro at the cost of every draft choice he had.
As an amateur Ricky Williams was a star. As an amateur he was an award-winning running back. As an amateur he was victorious. As an amateur he was a champion. As an amateur he was successful. As a Saint thus far he’s been a disappointment. As a Saint, Ricky Williams didn’t do so well initially, and yet Mike Ditka took all of his draft choices and made amateur Ricky Williams a Saint.
On the cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ gave everything He had so that you could be a saint. Some Christians are “fumbling the ball” saints. Some Christians are “being tackled in the backfield” saints. Some Christians are “falling on their face” saints. Some have been injured and are on the sidelines. No matter what your position, though, you are still a saint because the price has been paid to make you a saint. Now, you may have to learn to run like a saint, walk like a saint, talk like a saint, move like a saint, act like a saint, think like a saint, or dream like a saint, but a saint is who you are. You are a saint because of your identity, not how you perform.902
[Christian Living, Identity in Christ]