New Creation

Sometimes I need to remind myself of 2 Corinthians 5:17. Earlier today I was reading an article by Mark Driscoll about Lance Armstrong and how, in the next couple days, he will be revealing the truth about his past to the world. You can check the article out here.

The central point of this article was to get the reader to ask themselves where they find their identity. This has been a question I have been asking myself for a long time. Leaving my last job was extremely tough on me because it forced me to come to the realization that I had been finding my identity in my successes - the type of job I had, the program I studied in, the grades I achieved. It bothered me that, at that moment, I no longer looked like a successful recent graduate that had everything together. It also made me realize how bound I was by what other people think of me.

The article had this to say on the topic:

The absolute worst place to begin constructing an identity is yourself, which is precisely where most counseling begins. The absolute best place to begin constructing an identity is Jesus Christ, which is precisely where Scripture begins. Knowing that Jesus made us, and knowing that we are saved by him through faith, is the key to your identity. It's not about you - it's all about Jesus.

A relationship with Jesus isn't just about future life in eternity - it's about new life in the present. Jesus offers freedom from the pressure to create, maintain, hide, achieve, buy, or race your way to an identity that's ultimately going to fail anyway. jesus has already done all the work on our behalf: he lives the perfect life we could never achieve and died to cover our guilt and sin - so all we have to do is enjoy God.

This article reiterates the truth of 2 Corinthians 5:17 that, not only have I been given eternal life through my faith in Jesus, but I have been given a new life in the present as well. I am a new creation in Christ and I no longer need to be bound by my successes and relationships. I no longer need to feel the pressure to achieve or create an identity of my own because I already have one in Jesus Christ.