The subtitle of Stephen Viars’ new book Do You Believe What God Says About You? is a central truth for today: “How a right view of your identity in Christ changes everything”.
Viars is spot on! When our identity does not match up with Scripture it leads to some very dangerous implications. But, as Viars points out, it is a true “game changer” when we realize who we really are in Christ. And it will be the good implications that I will focus on in this post.
Identity Propels Purpose
Chapter 2 of Viars’ book shows us our God-sized, Christ-centered purpose. Identity propels purpose. Creatures made in their Creator’s image have a purpose that is Creator-centered. And Christ Himself is our Creator (John 1).
John 17:3 says, “This is eternal life…” You might wonder: How might this sentence be completed? Jesus is praying to the Father about what the essence of eternal life is. This right here is the essence of what it means to be saved. This is what will occupy the thoughts of heaven for eternity. How is this sentence finished? “This is eternal life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
Knowing God is not just intellectual though it is nothing less. Knowing God is what changes and transforms our lives. J.I. Packer said, “Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord.” There are many topics that the Christian needs to think about and address in their own life. But, there is only one topic that every Christian should major on most.
To be sure, this does not mean that every Christian must dedicate their every waking hour to being a theologian. It is more so similar to what Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray without ceasing”. Paul is not saying that all your waking words must exclusively be prayer but that prayer is a lifestyle that frequents our every day. As Calvin points out in commenting on Ephesians 6:18, God is calling us to pray in every season of life.
Knowing God is something we pursue in every season of life. No matter our occupation, family size, marital status, or decade of living, we are always to be pursuing a life of knowing God. And it is this knowledge that influences everything else we do in life.
Christ-Centered Purpose
When we understand that our identity is in Christ then we will understand that our purpose is for Christ. “Your chosen purpose,” Viars writes, “impacts the way you see the people and events around you. And, it impacts the way you see yourself.” The purpose of knowing Christ, growing in Christ, and showing Christ to others will transform how you treat others, how you interpret events in your life, and how you hope for the next life to come.
Viars is again helpful when he writes, “The degree of your love for Christ will have a significant impact on your self-image. The more you adore him, the more you’ll embrace the purpose of growing in his image.” And as he points out this matches up with what John the Baptist says in John 3:30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
The question is: How do we adore Christ more? Or, we could ask: How do we love Christ more? John gives us the answer in 1 John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us.” We grow in adoring and loving Christ the more we know His love for us. Being absorbed with the boundless love of Christ will propel us into a Christ-centered purpose.
The Implications
What might this mean for us if we grasp our Christ-centered identity? Here are some implications:
A Christ-centered purpose changes how we structure corporate worship. Corporate worship has many purposes including giving us a spiritual “reset” after a long week. We start the new week being reminded that Christ is all in all.
A Christ-centered purpose should protect us from self-absorption. When Christ is seen in His infinitely glorious Person & Work then it should help us live out what Robert Murray McCheyne said: “For every one look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.”
A Christ-centered purpose should also protect us from legalism. The main focus is not on how well we’re doing. We don’t ignore self-examination but we focus more on Christ-examination (2 Cor. 3:18). The focus must be on Christ and His finished work which empowers His present mission. We do not pursue our purpose to earn Christ. We live out of Christ giving Himself to us which is all of grace.
A Christ-centered purpose is one that emphasizes the means of grace. We learn to seek God’s presence in the means of grace. These should have regular appearances in our lives throughout the week.
A Christ-centered purpose means that we learn to evaluate our decisions in light of Christ and His Word. We learn to make decisions big and small in light of Christ’s Word.
A Christ-centered purpose is not merely individual. It includes helping others pursue their Christ-centered purpose. We help others pursue Christ and know His love.
A Christ-centered purpose transforms parenting (and man…is this challenging). Our primary goal is to set forth Christ. This is important. The common saying “Preach the gospel; if necessary use words” is NOT accurate. The gospel is words about what Christ has done. We cannot preach the gospel by our actions; let alone actions without words. That is works-righteousness. We are not the Christ. To be sure, we respond to the gospel with our entire lives but we are not the gospel. With our children, we proclaim the content of the gospel and seek to live lives of repentance unto Christ.
A Christ-centered purpose is a life that lives in this world but looks forward to the next. It does not ignore this world but it does not put its hope in this world. Our minds are set on Christ where He is. The sacraments themselves are what direct us heavenward reminding us that this is not the only life. Yes, we must care for this world because this is our Father’s world. But, this world will never be perfect this side of Heaven. We should labor for God’s mission in this world while keeping the end in view. It is true that the Great Commission and the Great Commandment both matter and should never be separated. This means we do not fulfill the Great Commandment by leaving out or minimizing or minoring on the Great Commission. When we love others we love them in a Christ-centered way. The goal is to show them Christ and that involves showing Him by speaking about Him. And the words about Christ always point us to heaven where He has ascended.
A Christ-centered purpose changes relationships and especially marriage. The most important feature of a healthy marriage is the couples’ lived theology. Everyone is a theologian. Marriage is meant to be Christ-centered and Christ-saturated. The marriage is for the purpose of heavenly preparation. It is meant to prepare us for glory with Christ. Not only that but our theology is what will determine how we treat each other, how decisions are made, what our values will be, and how children will be raised. To be sure, the biblical principles will be applied differently based on where people live and what’s happening around them. Nevertheless, it is still a Christ-centered marriage.
A Christ-centered purpose changes our sermons. We cannot be satisfied with sermons that emphasize our efforts and our works and only mention Christ. Even in Reformed circles we can hear sermons that could be preached in Jewish synagogues if only 3-4 sentences were taken out. In other words, the primary emphasis of some sermons still seems to be on ourselves and our works. The goal of every sermon should be to preach the Christ of that particular text in its redemptive and grammatical context. Christ should be overflowing into every part. Lord willing, the people should walk away thinking: “The Christ that was proclaimed is the most glorious Person I have ever heard of.” Sermons should cause us to adore Him and to reorient our lives around Him.