A New Identity

How big is the gospel?

The theologian Fred Sanders explains some ways we make it small:

• A gospel which is only about the moment of conversion but does not extend to every moment of life in Christ is too small.
• A gospel that gets your sins forgiven but offers no power for transformation is too small.
• A gospel that isolates one of the benefits of union with Christ and ignores all the others is too small.
• A gospel that must be measured by your own moral conduct, social conscience, or religious experience is too small.
• A gospel that rearranges the components of your life but does not put you personally in the presence of God is too small.

Too often, we are taught that salvation is something that happened in the past. Christ died a long time ago, and I prayed to receive Christ a long time ago. It's all done - let's focus on something else.

But we don't get the M&M's from the spiritual vending machine and then go off to eat our candy.

In salvation, our very nature is changed.

In 2 Corinthians, we are taught, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

The theologian Murray Harris comments:

"Whenever a person comes to be part of the body of Christ by faith, there is a new act of creation on God's part… When a person becomes a Christian, he or she experiences a total restructuring of life that alters its whole fabric — thinking, feeling, willing, and acting… God is as surely the author of the second creation as he was of the first."

And it gets better!

Not only are we made new, but we are given new help.

Instead of being subject to the principalities and powers of this world, now the Holy Spirit dwells within us!

We see the dimensions of this new life explained in Galatians 5:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

Do you have a small gospel?

God has a plan to expand our horizons, from the inside-out.

First, he makes his salvation extremely personal: he gives us a new identity. Then, he personally empowers us with the strength we need to live a new life.

This week, choose one area of your life where you need to experience more of the gospel's transforming power. It could be a relationship, a habit, or an attitude. Commit to surrendering this area to God each day and asking for the Holy Spirit's help to live out your new identity in Christ.