Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. Proverbs 3:7 (NIV)
Next to knowing who God is, the most important insight you need for living wisely is to know who you are. You can boil down who you are, according to the Bible, into two simple statements:
By nature, I was rotten at the core.
The heart is deceitful above all things (Jer. 17:9).
That’s why you came to Christ. Why would you need a Savior if you were already good? God gives us his law to make our rottenness obvious to us, and when you see it, you will come to Christ.
In Christ, I am a new creation.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17).
You need to know who you are in Christ. In the Bible, God tells us that we are new people. The sinful nature is no longer who you are; it is what you are fighting against. If you believe that you are a loser, you will live like a loser. When you see and believe that you are a new creation in Christ, then and only then will you begin to live like a new creation.
The Christian life is not about pretending to be someone that you’re not. The Christian life is all about being who you are in Christ. And one day Christ’s glory will be revealed in you!
Which of these two things do you most struggle to believe?
