No, I cannot "make myself" as God. I cannot make anything, in fact. I can only imitate, never originate. If there is anything good in me, anything good in my life, it originated from the only Maker there is.
Yet I can claim, with total confidence, that God is my Father. This means, through the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, and through the indwelling Holy Spirit, I share certain characteristics with Dad. And I want to be like Him.
"As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” I Peter 1
What was this former ignorance? I believe we can be ignorant of the gospel, either having never heard it, or having been indoctrinated with works-based churchianity instead. I believe we can be ignorant of who we are, in Christ. Passions can only change with a change in identity. Identity determines conformity.
This is proven, end over end, in areas such as our sexual identity, or our identity with a socio-economic group. From homosexual to heterosexual, from gangster to street person to social snob, we act like what or who we identify with. We never rise above what or who we identify with.
All the self-sown fig leaves in the world can't cover me (see previous post), if all I can identify with is my sin. I can work hard to be holy till the cows come home, yet I will never be able to "make myself".
But I can imitate what God originates. I can identify with His fatherhood, and my sonship.
Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as (in the same way) God in Christ forgave you. Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as (in the same way) Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (end of Eph. 3, beginning of 4)
Identity matters. To closely imitate someone, we must first closely identify with them. You identify first, then imitate next....not attempt to imitate first, then identify next.
Yes, it matters. The order matters. The relationship between first and second things matters.
5 comments:
This is some REALLY good stuff. Thanks for taking the time to put all this into words. It helps me out a lot!
Momma, I really, really liked this post. I think it was a down-to-earth response to some questions that many have been pondering for some time now.
Love you,
Jon-O! THANK YOU...it helped me to write it. Do you process life by writing it? I do.
Also, as always, thank you for all you do for our family and for Harvest (mowing the yard, working with the youth, etc.)
Hannah-daughter...yes, and I wrote it because I am always asked these sorts of questions! As you know, I am asked these kinds of questions by several others besides you or your sister. There is a freedom in Harvest to dialogue - and I genuinely enjoy the questions I get. I do not enjoy a "question within a question", asked by someone with an agenda, and thankfully I do not get THOSE questions.
Honest questions deserve Biblical, honest answers! THank you for letting me know that some of yours were answered.
I have a big problem with the word imitate....I think a part of that is my problem! I mean the Bible does use the phrase...be imitators of Me...so who am I to argue.
I process the word in the same way as impersonate...which has a hollow fake ring to it. Probably the biggest block to me reading Thomas a Kempis...Imitators of Christ.
Fact is though all early behaviour patterns are learned this way from language to social skills to basic life skills. Hence the toy ovens, the toy cats, the toy ironing boards....
My problem is though....since being chucked out by perfectly lovable people...I listen long and hard to people's spirits when they talk. It probably is a defense mechanism.
I fully identify with Jesus when He said He gave Himself to none of them because He knew what was in them. But in a mature broken person you hear this unspoken union, this joined identity on the inside of them...because they now know who they are in Christ.
But people who have "separation" inside their souls still...when they talk about imitate...it gives me the creeps...and sounds like "works".
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