In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of his grace; Which he has abounded toward us
in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known
unto us the mystery of his will, according to his
good pleasure which he has purposed in himself:
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times
he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
both which are in heaven, and which are on earth;
even in him: In whom also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated according to
the purpose of him who works all things after the
counsel of his own will: That we should be to the
praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. In
whom you also trusted, after you heard the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also
after you believed, you were sealed with that Holy
Spirit of promise, Who is the guarantee of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:7-14
So many people today experience an identity crisis: they aren't sure who they are, what they're doing, or where they're going. In addition, they often struggle with low self esteem,
guilt, and shame. They mistakenly look to the world to tell them who they are and what they're doing here.
However, it is possible to know exactly who we are. In the book of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul gave us the key to have absolute assurance to answer the question
"Who am I?" In verse 7, he tells us our true identity is found in Jesus, not in our own thoughts, or our ideas of what we think we are. If we are suffering an identity crisis,
it is because we have allowed the world to tell us who we are or should be.
So who am I? In Jesus Christ:
- I am redeemed. To redeem something is to exchange something worthless and exchange it for something of greater value. Jesus paid the price to redeem us, with
His own blood. We paid nothing fr our redemption, it was something given to us by God's race.
- I am forgiven. I no longer have to carry around a load of guilt and shame. Jesus took all my guilt and shame on the cross, He died for all my sins: past, present, and future. And not just for mine, but for yours, too!
He died once for all, and there is now no further condemnation for those who are in Him. (Rom. 8:1)
- I am an heir. I have a future inheritance to look forward to, the same inheritance Jesus has! Romans 8:17 says I am a joint heir with Jesus. And my inheritance is
guaranteed; no one can take it away from me! It is eternal: I cannot lose it!
- I am sealed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit guarantees my inheritance, until the time when it is redeemed. A seal has several important purposes:
- A seal protects - like sealing foods for storage, sealing protects the contents within: nothing harmful can get inside, and nothing that is inside can get out.
- A seal is a mark of ownership: No one puts a seal on something that does not belong to them.
A seal indicates that I belong to God, and He has set me apart, for Himself
- A seal is a sign of authenticity: it is a guarantee by the person doing the sealing that what is sealed is up to their standards. It guarantees that what is sealed is the real thing.
- A seal indicates something of worth. Only things that are of value are sealed. Thus, being sealed by the Holy Spirit of God indicates that I am very valuable to God.
- A seal is a sign of higher authority, and as such, can be trusted . All authority in heaven and earth is given to Christ Jesus; so when we are sealed by the Holy Spirit, it indicates that we are His, and He can be trusted.
- A seal shows the irrevocable nature of our salvation. Once something is sealed, it will stay forever, until the seal is broken. Nothing on earth can break the seal of the
Holy Spirit, not even we ourselves. We can grieve the Spirit, we can quench the Spirit, but we cannot break the seal of the Holy Spirit of God within us.
If you're struggling with any sort of identity crisis, I beg of you: don't look to the world to determine who you are. God offers so much more! Our identity in Jesus Christ is guaranteed,
provides benefits we cannot even fully understand, and is eternal: it cannot be lost or stolen! Jim Elliot, an American missionary, said it like this:
"He is no fool who gives up
what he cannot keep,
to keep what he cannot lose."
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