This is another question that my youth group asked me to
cover. For those who weren’t there!
An accurate knowledge of how God views His people is actually
pretty important. There are countless lies that the devil tells us in the
attempt to get us to despair. The world, by its actions, denies the existence
and the deity of God, and the devil similarly would have us deny the love of God
that so faithfully pursues & upholds us. Successfully getting Christians to
fall into “Sloughs of Despond[1]” would
slow the Lord’s work in through His Church, but would not stop it and would
only increase His grace. (It’s a lose-lose Satan! Bummer dude.) But Christians who
are well equipped and disciplined will be able to protect themselves against
the devils schemes, with armaments such as faith, hope, and love. These are
described as a breastplate and a helmet in 1 Thessalonians 5:8. The knowledge
of God’s love for us can be a helmet that guards our minds in the hope of our
identity and coming salvation.
So, it is important even for seasoned Christians to remind
themselves of what the Lord has done for them, and of what their status is in
Christ. Our high schoolers covered 3 themes: God views us as Redeemed,
Forgiven, and Longed For.
1)
We are
REDEEMED.
Colossians 1:13-14 “He has delivered us from the
domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
This is one of the most descriptive, straightforward
descriptions on redemption that I know. God has once for all removed us from the domain of darkness,
and relocated us into the kingdom of
Jesus. We have been “Bought by a price[2]”
and saved from the lodging that at one time was bearing us down to destruction.
That is to say, Jesus Himself died for us, purchasing our souls with His own
blood, saving us from the weight of our sins which justly incur the wrath of
God. And suddenly, we find ourselves plopped into a much nicer, much cleaner
fish bowl than the one we were previously swimming in. In Jesus’ kingdom there
is life, light, and victorious empowerment through the Holy Spirit who dwells
within us; not to mention the hope of an imperishable inheritance[3]
that is waiting for us. The responsibility for this delivering work can solely
be attributed to God, and the potency of His working is irrevocable. Whom God
has delivered, no man can un-deliver. Being ‘delivered of the Lord’ becomes the
believer’s identity for the rest of their lives! No amount of sin, shame, or
guilt can separate you from the love of Christ your Savior![4]
Yet, you may separate yourself from the Lord’s blessing in your life should you
choose to sin.[5]
Therefore the encouragement to eagerly run to the Savior’s embrace, rather than
tarry in a bog of your own shame, is still needed! The Christian will never be
without welcomed access to God, though he may feel that he is without it. Your
identity as one of the redeemed allows you to have confidence to enter into the
presence of God, as Hebrews 10:19-20 says, there to find cleansing and fullness
of joy.
2)
We are
FORGIVEN
I think one of the best things about forgiveness is
the restoration that comes with it. To be forgiven is to be restored. When an offense is given in a
relationship, there is almost always some degree of a rift that is created.
Restoration levels rifts, breaks down walls of separation, and brings back into
fellowship. Another word for this is reconciliation, and it is the message of
God to the world. In Christ, God reconciled the world to Himself, which once
was cursed by the ever increasing count of sins, but now is no longer counted
for its trespasses.[6]
That is to say: though once we were alienated from God because of our sin, now
we have been restored back to fellowship and given the confidence to assume
continued, intimate relationship with God. Because Jesus is our Great High
Priest who has forgiven us, as Hebrews 4:14 says, we have confidence to humbly march into the Holy presence of God to find
mercy, grace, and help.[7]
Another amazing facet of forgiveness is that it is free. Israel’s relationship with God
during the Old Testament was one based on atonement, which is altogether
different than forgiveness. Israel made sacrifices to “pay for” their sin, and
it appeased the wrath of God; but since Christ died for us while we were still
sinners, we have been justified by His blood and no longer have a need to make
our own atonement.[8]
(This overlaps with that redemption piece described earlier!) Because we have
been redeemed and purchased by Jesus’ atonement, Jesus alone holds the right to
take action concerning us. And He has chosen to forgive us out of His own
grace; there is nothing we are required to do if we believe in Him!
If you need, look up the references listed below and
memorize others so as to arm yourself with the knowledge that you have been
forgiven!
3)
We are
LONGED FOR
The fact that you are redeemed and forgiven in the
eyes of God makes up your identity and relational standing with Him. Even so,
there is an element of relationship with God that is missing if you claim identity
and relationship with Him, but you do not follow Him in obedience or give your
mind & heart to Him in the everyday moments of life. I think that the last
important piece of looking at how God views you is recognizing the fact that He
longs to be with you, to work through
you, and to receive your love.
This point can be tricky to communicate. Far be it
from me to paint a false picture of God by saying that He is hopelessly and
pathetically pining over His people, needy for their affection! God has no need
in earth or heaven, and He needs no affection from us for His own sake. He
alone is God, above all; and He says in Psalm 50:12, “If I were hungy, I would
not tell you, for the world and its fullness are Mine.” God is infinite and
above necessities, and He has chosen
to give men the freewill to make their own decisions. He desires to be
worshiped by you because you choose to, not because you have to; and if you
choose to believe and obey Him, you are recipient to His lavish, faithful, and
jealous love. When God gave the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel, whom
He had saved and committed to as their God, He commanded them not to worship
any other gods because He is a jealous God.[9]
His jealousy is not born out of fear, that we would leave Him, but rather out
of love, that He longs for us to love Him only and not be destroyed by the
false lovers other idols can claim to be. Jealousy can have plenty of sinful connotations,
but as God displays it is perfect and is the mark of His true love.
Additionally, God has not extended His redeeming mercy
and grace simply to let you “do your own thing” for the rest of your life. He
has made plans to use you and to bless you if you follow Him in obedience.
Ephesians 2:10 mentions that God has prepared good works for us to accomplish,
and intends for us to walk in those good works as a result of our salvation.
This is not to say that your decision to “sign the dotted line of faith” has obligated
you to a great list of fine print obligations, but is most simply explained by
Jesus in John 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”
Your identity in Christ is sealed by the Holy Spirit
who dwells within you.[10]
By the Spirit, God is Himself directing you, guiding you, and leading you to
the things that He wants you to do.[11]
People often lose themselves in asking the question, “What is God’s will for my
life?” when tragically, the answer to that question lies right under their
noses in the person of the Holy Spirit whose guidance has been quenched often
because of that persons lack of faith and trust in listening to God. God is
there for you to lead you, but if you ignore His prompting, it will certainly
feel as though you are alone, even though He has never forsaken you and is
still right there, waiting for you to listen to Him. If you listen to God’s
voice, informed by the Word and being patient in prayer, you will find yourself
being directed and used by the Lord in the forefront of the work He is doing,
and will experience the greater joy and intimacy that He longs for you to have
with Him.
Christian, take heart, and arm yourself with the truth
of how God views you. You are Redeemed, Forgiven, and Longed For. This is who
you are; any other voice of the devil’s despair or of the world’s hate is
simply not true. You belong to God, and He is always with you, even to the day
when He bears you safely home to His presence forever.
“Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and
to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to
the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty,
dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” Jude
1:24-25
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