A question of identity

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”  –Matthew 16:13 (NIV)
 
Maybe you grew up in a religious tradition where identity was determined by performance. What we did – the decisions we made, all the accomplishments, all the mistakes, the good, the bad, and the ugly – everything went into the mix. The sum of those parts defined us and we became what we had made of ourselves. Then we brought that package to God for His assessment. What would be His response? Had we done well enough to gain acceptance? The resulting feelings of approval or condemnation would play a large role in how we viewed God. Was He a merciful, caring, nurturing Father, or a suspicious and punitive Judge, just waiting for us to make a mistake?
 
          WHO GOD IS   <=   WHAT GOD DOES   <=   WHO I AM   <=   WHAT I DO   
  
The joke in many of the churches I was exposed to was that while some groups taught a doctrine of “once saved, always saved”, our motto was “if saved, barely saved”. Though that was probably an exaggeration, we didn’t have much understanding of or appreciation for grace. Oh, you needed the forgiveness of a savior, but even with that, you needed to “mind your p’s & q’s”. Respectable Christians knew better than to allow their imperfections to be seen or discussed. It created a lot of pressure, some spiritual paralysis, and the impression that God might be bi-polar: Yeah, He loves us, but you don’t wanna make Him mad! It was never preached from the pulpit in those terms, but that became the practical reality of it.
 
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”  –Matthew 16:15 (NIV)
 
The day I was exposed to what I came to know as the “gospel framework”, it was a revelation for me, and a welcomed one at that. The idea is simple, biblical, and a reversal from much of what I had understood growing up….
 
          WHO GOD IS   =>   WHAT GOD DOES   =>   WHO I AM   =>   WHAT I DO   

Scripture tells us that God is love – that is His essence, His character. Everything God does is driven by that identity. The actions He has taken define who I am – He took steps to make me His child before I ever even knew of Him. As His child, I have a heritage, a hope, and a future that shapes how I respond, initially to Him, and ultimately because of Him. The truth of that grace was a game-changer.
 
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  –Matthew 16:16 (NIV)
 
Before I can truly know who I am, I need to have an idea of who He is. Peter didn’t fully understand the depth and implications of his “good confession” at the time he uttered those words, but he gave voice to a truth that was beginning to dawn on the apostles. When I grasp who God is and what He has done on my behalf, fear is replaced by confidence. Threat of punishment is replaced by an invitation to growth. God made the ultimate investment in me before I was born. He is a loving Father and Jesus is my advocate. Failure is not fatal because the Holy Spirit is my coach and my counselor. The idea of needing to earn His affections becomes ridiculous. God is crazy in love with us and the gospel really is “good news”!