Identity: 6a- Looking at 1 Peter 2 and Romans 7.

Identity: 6a-Looking at 1 Peter 2 and Romans 7.

1 Peter 2:10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy

Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people

We embarked on this journey by affirming that God answers the question “who are you?” through His Word! Last week, we concluded with this scripture and will collectively analyze it to answer that question. Who are you? 1 Peter 2:9-12 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 10 “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.”11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.
But you’re not like that. It begs the question, like what? To get that answer, we need to read a few verses.1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, get rid of all ill will and all deceit, pretense, envy, and slander. 2 Instead, like a newborn baby, desire the pure milk of the word. Nourished by it, you will grow into salvation, 3 since you have tasted that the Lord is good. ( Here in the Kingdom, we are introduced to our nourishing diet. It is what sustains our growth.)
1 Peter 2:4-8 So keep coming to him who is the Living Stone —though he was rejected and discarded by men but chosen by God and is priceless in God’s sight. 5Come and be his “living stones” who are continually being assembled into a sanctuary for God. For now, you serve as holy priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices that he readily accepts through Jesus Christ. 6 For it says in Scripture: Look! I lay a cornerstone in Zion, a chosen and priceless stone! And whoever believes in him will certainly not be disappointed. 7 As believers, you know his great worth—indeed, his preciousness is imparted to you. But for those who do not believe, The stone that the builders rejected and discarded has now become the cornerstone 8 And A stone that makes them stumble and a rock to trip over. They keep stumbling over the message because they refuse to believe it. And this they were destined to do.
Let me emphasize verse 6: “Whoever believes in Him will certainly not be put to shame.” Remember, we said that shame is about identity. We can say that shame is put to shame when we receive our true identity in Christ by faith. Shame is about listening to lies from the father of lies, telling you or me who we are. In Him, shame is no more. I have an identity

In Christ, the original life of the Father is the life that the Spirit of God conducts in us.

Let us head to Romans 7:15-25 I’m a mystery to myself, for I want to do what is right, but end up doing what my moral instincts condemn. 16 And if my behavior is not in line with my desire, my conscience still confirms the excellence of the law. 17 And now I realize that it is no longer my true self doing it, but the unwelcome intruder of sin in my humanity. 18 For I know that nothing good lives within the flesh of my fallen humanity. The longings to do what is right are within me, but willpower is not enough to accomplish it. 19 My lofty desires to do what is good are dashed when I do the things I want to avoid. 20 So if my behavior contradicts my desires to do good, I must conclude that it’s not my true identity doing it, but the unwelcome intruder of sin hindering me from being who I really am.
21 Through my experience of this principle, I discover that even when I want to do good, evil is ready to sabotage me. 22 Truly, deep within my true identity, I love to do what pleases God. 23 But I discern another power operating in my humanity, waging a war against the moral principles of my conscience and bringing me into captivity as a prisoner to the “law” of sin—this unwelcome intruder in my humanity. 24 What an agonizing situation I am in! So, who has the power to rescue this miserable man from the unwelcome intruder of sin and death? 25 I give all my thanks to God, for his mighty power has finally provided a way out through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! So if left to myself, the flesh is aligned with the law of sin, but now my renewed mind is fixed on and submitted to God’s righteous principles.

Christ is my new identity, I am a son of God

In Christ, the original life of the Father is the life that the Spirit of God conducts in us. In 1 Peter 2:5, we are told that we serve as holy priests, offering up spiritual sacrifices that our Father readily accepts through Jesus Christ. There is no new identity for me without Christ; He is the means by which I live a life that pleases the Father.
My worth, value, and weight is Christ’s great worth, His preciousness imparted to me. Impart means transfer. His preciousness is transferred to me. By faith, we yield to the process through which His preciousness is transferred to us. Interestingly, we are told that they stumble because they refuse to believe. What did they refuse to believe? Last week, we looked at Jesus being charged and sentenced to death over His identity as a son of God; the Pharisees refused to accept Him as the path to God. HE IS THE WAY.
Let’s talk about unbelief. It’s been suggested that those who don’t believe often see their “unbelief” as a symbol of intellectual superiority. Here’s an example of this unbelief in action. John 18:19-24 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching. 20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues or at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret. 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely, they know what I said.”22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded. 23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
I would like to share about the Holy Spirit. He is the One that regenerates us so that Romans 7:25 can become our experience. Titus 3:4-5 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Regeneration is the impartation of spiritual life to those who were dead in their trespasses (Ephesians 2) – This new identity cannot be lived apart from the Holy Ghost imparting this new life, and the believer adhering to the Word of God- His instructions.
The mere externalities of religion are not enough. I must be born again; that is the only way I can become a partaker of the Divine Nature.

Before we offer feedback, it’s important to remember that Grace molds us, but we must wholeheartedly dedicate ourselves to the process. 1 Corinthians 15:10 But God’s amazing grace has made me who I am! And his grace to me was not fruitless. In fact, I worked harder than all the rest, yet not in my own strength but God’s, for his empowering grace is poured out upon me.