Believer’s Identity

Believer’s Identity

Picture the story of the apostles and their journey, from common men with common weaknesses to the mighty apostles that wrought miracles for the kingdom. See Matthew, the tax collector. At the time, tax collectors were some of the most hated and most corrupt persons in the community—the kind of people you would not expect to follow Jesus. See Nathaniel, the skeptic who did not believe that anything good could come from Nazareth. Move on with me to Peter, the simple, uneducated fisherman of whom Jesus said, “Upon this rock, I will build my church.”  See him asking Jesus, “Now that we have left everything to follow you, what will our reward be?” Now see these common men slowly become transformed, the more they walked with Jesus. See them become bold enough to evangelize, to cast out demons. See them become mighty apostles, spreading the gospel of Christ worldwide, not afraid that this could result in their death. What happened to these men?

The Transformative Power of Salvation

Do you remember how you got born again? How was that experience for you? Were you in church? At a social function?  Or alone in your house? I would like to hear this in the comment section.

When you receive Christ, more often than not, there is no outward sign of this experience. Yet this is an experience that begins such a transformative journey in a believer’s life.

Stay with me. Jesus wants us today to understand the transformative power of salvation.

1 Samuel 2:9 NKJV

He will guard the feet of His saints,

But the wicked shall be silent in darkness.

For by strength, no man shall prevail.

See, when we receive the gift of salvation, the things that we could not do by our own strength now become easy. The salvation experience is meant to make us formidable. The ideal believer must become so formidable that the gates of hell cannot prevail against him.

Unfortunately, failure to understand the believer’s identity has made it difficult for us to walk in this truth. As a result, the lordship of Christ is questioned since we, as His church, are yet to fully mature to a level where we can fully represent Him on earth.

A formidable believer

Who is a formidable believer? Who is the believer that the gates of hell cannot prevail against them?

This is the believer who is ready to have radical faith. The kind of faith that makes one stick with Jesus no matter what. It’s the faith that makes one say, as Meshack, Shadrach, and Abednego said, “Even if He doesn’t save us…we will bow down to no idol.”

A formidable believer has radical faith in Jesus. Do you know that God is reliable? That He can be depended on? Do you have that radical faith to trust Him in all circumstances?

Understanding the Believer’s Identity

In Christ, we have received various identities. However, the greatest of them all is being called the sons of God.

John 1:12 (LSV)

but as many as received Him, to them He gave authority to become sons of God—to those believing in His Name

Do you have an understanding of your position as a son?

Let us look at the story of one young man who had this understanding, shall we?

The story of the prodigal son

Luke 15:11-32 NIV

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living.

There is a lot that is often said about the prodigal son. But before we even get to what he did wrong. Let us focus for a bit on what he had a correct understanding of.

The younger son knew that his father’s estate belonged to him. He knew he was a son, meaning that he had a share of the inheritance out of everything that the father owned. The son knew that everything that the father had given him, he had dominion over it, which is why he (unwisely) gathered together everything he had and left.

As a son, do you know that whatever God has given you, He has also given you dominion over it? This means that you have dominion over your emotions. Your emotions should not rule you, but you should rule over them. It means that you have dominion over your heart. Your heart is desperately wicked, it should not be the one leading your life. Please do not subscribe to the “follow your heart” school of thought  if you do not want to see the trouble that a desperately wicked heart can put you through.

14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.

It is not the will of the father for his sons to be servants where they were supposed to dominate. The prodigal son hiring himself out is a clear example of King Solomon saying, “I have seen servants ride horses while princes walk like servants on foot.”

The prodigal son became a prince walking on foot because although he had a great understanding of his position as a son, he asked for his inheritance too soon. He did not wait until he had matured enough to be a good steward of what his father entrusted to him.

16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

No one felt compelled enough to give the prodigal son anything since lacked the grace called favor.

When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

Thank God that the prodigal son came to his senses and understood that he was still a son (unworthy as he felt), he chose to go back home.

Do you remember the story of Job and the beginning of all his troubles?

Job’s troubles began when Satan, fallen as he is, still understood himself to be a son and presented himself for the meeting when one was called. He was so secure in his position that Job’s life and progress were halted because of this assurance.

If you came to truly understand your position as a son and what this means, there are prayers that you will cease making. You will stop praying and living from a point of weakness to doing this from a place of understanding and of strength. There’s an authority you have in your home. There are things you never have to worry about. For instance, if you want to eat some eggs, you do not have to sweat or even blackmail your parents for it. Ever heard a child telling the mom, “I will wash the dishes for the entire week if you allow me to make a teeny-tiny snack? Why then do we do it as believers if we truly understand our position as sons?

People of this world who have come to understand various principles continue to excel in areas that were meant for the believers simply because God has exalted His word above His names. These people have learned how to make these principles work for them, thereby becoming untouchable. Now, as a son, to influence the world and such kinds of people, we need to be fully immersed in a different kind of ideology. Our thinking should be, “How can I reveal Jesus even in the darkest of places?” We have been mandated to arise for our light has come. We are in the dispensation where darkness has covered the earth and deep darkness the people. In such a dispensation, our desire should not be to join people in this darkness. Rather, our desire should be to make our light so shine. To reveal Jesus in our environment.

A good understanding of our sonship is enough to help us influence the world. Having this understanding can help us become so distinguished that wherever we go, people will be left wondering what is different about us. The knowledge of the believer’s identity should be enough for you to influence the world. Like Daniel, we should be so distinguished that people even in our workplace will come to us for wisdom and insights. In any situation we find ourselves in, we should be able to answer this question, “what would Jesus do?”

Sonship is a Position, not a Title

The prodigal son understood that sonship is a position that cannot be taken away. It is not a title. Titles can always be taken away. This is why he was bold enough to go back home since he knew that unworthy as he was, he was still a son. We are not sons because we are acting right. We are not sons because we are worthy. This is why God calls us to approach the throne of grace boldly. Do you know what this means for you? It means that you should approach His throne boldly at all times. Have you been doing so well in your walk with God? Approach His throne boldly. Do you feel so unworthy in the presence of God? Approach boldly. Do you feel like you do not deserve to even be called a son? He loves you still so approach boldly. God’s love for us is not dependent on our right actions. He loves us when we are wallowing in the mud of sin just the same way that He loves us when we are serving and ministering in the church. However, this is not the ticket to sin. We have the Holy Ghost so that the moment we start straying, He can nudge us, and remind us of the path that we should follow.

Coming to God in Brokenness

²⁰So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and kissed him.

²¹“The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²²“But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Thanks be to God that He does not regard us according to our iniquity! When the prodigal son went back home, the father did not sit him down, counting all the sins that the prodigal son had committed. Rather, he understood that the prodigal son had learned a lesson, and being a gracious father, all he needed to do was open his arms to him. God will never chase us away when we come to Him in brokenness. If it were so, He would not have said:

Psalm 34:18 (NIV)

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

 and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Psalm 51:17 (NIV)

My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise

The accuser is always on our heels, looking for a chance to accuse us of the Father. But our Jesus is always at the right hand of God saying, “Yes, I paid for this. Yes, He did wrong but it has all been covered. The bill is paid in full.”

We may not be right all the time. After all, we are still humans with all the frailty of our humanness. But even when we do not do what ought to do, we need to have the understanding that we are sons in the kingdom. That God has clothed us with the garment of salvation.

Next week, we will look at the elder son and see his understanding of sonship. But until then, let this be your prayer:

“Father, bring me to the fullness of the reality that I am a son, an heir in the kingdom. Help me come to an understanding that Jesus paid the price for me to be a son in the kingdom. Help me to walk in this understanding oh Lord. As a son, I arise and manifest as a son of God. I arise; In my workplace; In my speech; In my actions. I walk and move as a son of God. A son who has received mercy. A son who has been made worthy. Thank you, Lord.

In Jesus’ name, I pray.”

And sons of God said Amen!