{"id":791,"date":"2015-07-08T01:11:36","date_gmt":"2015-07-08T05:11:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/?p=791"},"modified":"2015-07-13T21:14:59","modified_gmt":"2015-07-14T01:14:59","slug":"the-believers-identity-part-2-april-19-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/?p=791","title":{"rendered":"The Believer\u2019s Identity, Part 2, April 19, 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Believer\u2019s Identity, Part 2<\/h1>\n

\u00a0\"identity\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Central Thought:\u00a0 How we live our lives as believers, depend greatly on our knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus.<\/h3>\n

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Text: 1 John 3:1-3; 1 Peter 2:5-12; Romans 8:17<\/h3>\n

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 <\/p>\n

Believer\u2019s identity stems from Christ Jesus who has given us a glorious and exalted position in God.\u00a0 Christ\u2019s name stands for authority, identity, honor and character.\u00a0 The Bible, God\u2019s word, is full of declarations concerning believers in Christ which are expected to conform to some expected lifestyle, disposition, actions and conduct.\u00a0 When these expectations are fulfilled, the Godhead is glorified.\u00a0 For instance, the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch, Acts 11:26.\u00a0 The brethren in Antioch were identified as Christ-like because they conformed to the lifestyle of the Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 It was obvious that the people in Antioch observed the style of living among the believers n Christ, completely conforming or tallying with the lifestyle of Jesus Christ their Master and Mentor.\u00a0 Therefore they were nicknamed \u201cChristians\u201d; that is Christ-like.<\/p>\n

The believer\u2019s identities are declared by the Godhead in the Holy Scriptures.\u00a0 Knowing God is a prerequisite for knowing who you are in this world and in the world to come.\u00a0 Knowing God makes you obedient to His word and qualifies you to identify with His character which is your inheritance in the Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 In this study, we shall examine a few of such identities which distinguish us from unbelievers.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n
    Explain the meaning and discuss the implications of the following identities of the believers in Christ Jesus \u2013 Priest of God, Member of the Body of Christ, Bride of Christ, and Friend of God.<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    – Priest of God \u2013 1 Peter 2:5, 9:<\/span><\/p>\n

    A Priest of God is the believer in Christ who offers praises and spiritual sacrifices to God, and intercedes to God, and intercedes on behalf of the people of God.\u00a0 He is to give direction to the people on how to reach God through the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only way. \u201cBut yea re a chose generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light\u201d, 1 Peter 2:9.<\/p>\n

    Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the priest of God receives empowerment for his ministry and then gives direction to others on tap from the same source of empowerment and strength.\u00a0 A priest must not be found wanting.\u00a0 He must offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n

    -Member of the Body of Christ \u2013 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Romans 12:5:<\/span><\/p>\n

    Just as the human body is made up of many parts functioning harmoniously together to make a complete body, so is the church, the body of Christ, made up of many functional parts who have truly accepted the Lord Jesus as personal Lord and Savior.\u00a0 \u201cNow you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it\u201d, 1 Corinthians 12:27.<\/p>\n

    Each of the parts works for the good and progress of the entire body.\u00a0 There is a network of relationship among the members to fulfill the purpose why Christ established the church, the body of Christ.\u00a0 Therefore, our motives and activities in the local church, must promote and perfect the spiritual, material, financial, emotional well being of other members in the body.<\/p>\n

    Each member of the body of Christ should play his or her God-given role in the body to lubricate the wheel of progress of a local congregation in particular and the universal church in general.<\/p>\n

    -Bride of Christ \u2013 Ephesians 5:22-27; Revelation 19:7-9:<\/span><\/p>\n

    The church which is made up of believers in Christ, is the bride of Christ and Jesus Christ the head.\u00a0 The church must be subject unto Christ in all things.\u00a0 The bride must make herself ready for the bridegroom, for the marriage of the Lamb is come.\u00a0 \u201cAnd to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints\u201d, Revelation 19:8.\u00a0 Jesus Christ, loved His bride, the church, and \u201cgave Himself for it that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word.\u00a0 The He might present her to Himself, a glorious church\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 The bride should therefore, keep herself unspotted, blameless to qualify herself for the marriage feast of the Lord, soon to take place in heaven.\u00a0 Be ye ready.<\/p>\n

    -Friend of God in Christ Jesus \u2013 John 15:15; Proverbs 18:24:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \u201c\u2026And there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother\u201d, Proverbs 18:24.\u00a0 This speaks of deep intimacy between a believer in Christ and God Almighty through the Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 We are friends of God through the grace of salvation and redemption obtained through the benevolence of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Fellowship, worship, praises, prayer, commitment and devotion can help to stabilize and deepen the believers\u2019 close walk with the Lord as a friend.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n
      Discuss why some believers seem to be living below their position in Christ.<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      There are several probable reasons why some believers seem to live below their position in Christ; some of which are:<\/p>\n

      -Lack of knowledge:<\/span> \u201cMy people are destroyed for lack of knowledge\u201d, Hosea 4:6.\u00a0 Some believers do not know who they are and their privileges in Christ Jesus and such individual will live a defeated life.<\/p>\n

      -Unbelief:<\/span>\u00a0 Some believers know the identities they have in Christ but choose to remain in unbelief and believe the lies of the devil, Eve in Genesis 3:1-5.<\/p>\n

      -Spiritual blindness:<\/span> This usually stems from prayerlessness, not being watchful, non-study of God\u2019s word, lack of fellowship with God and fellow believers.\u00a0 The god of this world had blinded their minds so as not to discover their privileges in Christ Jesus and live victorious lives.<\/p>\n

      -Worldliness:\u00a0<\/span> This is another setback for any believer who cannot decide to fully follow the ways of the cross.\u00a0 They cannot break clean from the ways of unbelievers.\u00a0 They even confide in unbelievers rather than fellow believers.\u00a0 They speak, dress, act, and sing like unbelievers thereby contaminating themselves with the polluted \u201cking\u2019s meat\u201d.\u00a0 Many of such \u2018believers\u2019 have been set up by Satan using his old tricks and traps, and once the individual falls into the trap, he is defeated.<\/p>\n

      The believer should always depend on the Holy Spirit to enable him live his life to fulfill his role in Christ Jesus.<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

        \n
      1. \n
        What responses can be expected from the world when we live in the realty of who we are in Christ? John 15:18, 16:1-4; Matthew 5:10<\/h5>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        The responses of people, unbelievers, towards believers who live in reality of who they are in Christ are not different from those expressed during the life and times of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 As light and darkness cannot agree, so the lifestyle of true believers in Christ cannot agree with that of the unbelievers.\u00a0 The world will surely hate you for living out the life of Christ, John 15:18.\u00a0 All who will live godly in Christ Jesus should expect persecution from the world, 2 Timothy 3:12.<\/p>\n

        However, it is the uncompromising faithfulness of believers in Christ that there is a restraint on moral decay in our world today.\u00a0 This situation has paved way for many unbelievers getting converted to the life of Christ.<\/p>\n

        The ungodly prefers to call good evel and evil good because they are seeds of darkness.\u00a0 They see believers in Christ as threat and stumbling block to their evil, perilous, damnable way of life and use every opportunity to persecute the true believers.\u00a0 Some of them will go to the extent of finding a way to eliminate the true believers from their position of holy living so as to establish their reign of wickedness.<\/p>\n

        Believers should therefore, be determined to let their light shine in this dark work in order to expose every darkness and evil in the land, Ephesians 5:11.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Daily Living Application<\/h3>\n

        A believer in Christ is both the light and salt of the earth, the world, Matthew 5:13-16.\u00a0 By your lifestyle you are to lighten the lives of those engrossed in darkness and \u2018salten\u2019 the depraved and decayed lives of the unbelieving population of the world, through your wholesome declarations that can produce health, salvation, deliverance and stability.\u00a0 Your life can lift them from their position of eternal damnation to everlasting life.<\/p>\n

        The Lord God has also made believers in Christ royal priests, so that they can show forth the praises of our God who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light, as a result of which, the unbelievers can be drawn to the Lord.<\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

         <\/p>\n

        Memory Verse:<\/h3>\n

        1 Peter 2:9 \u2013 \u201cbut ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him ho hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        The Believer\u2019s Identity, Part 2 \u00a0 Central Thought:\u00a0 How we live our lives as believers, depend greatly on our knowledge of who we are in Christ Jesus.   Text: 1 John 3:1-3; 1 Peter 2:5-12; Romans 8:17     Believer\u2019s identity stems from Christ Jesus who has given us a glorious and exalted position in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":801,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sundayschool"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/07\/identity.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=791"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":805,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791\/revisions\/805"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/801"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}