Study 44 – By the grace of God I am what I am
When Moses encountered God at the burning bush he needed the answer to an important question: ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” Then what shall I tell them?’ God replied, ‘I am who I am’ (Exod. 3:13,14).
One of the biggest philosophical questions people ask themselves is this: ‘Who am I?’ Many unbelievers search for an answer to this and even some Christians struggle with it. The apostle Paul had no such battle. Rather, he made the definite and extraordinary claim, ‘By the grace of God I am what I am’ (1 Cor. 15:10). Grace gave him complete peace and security over his identity.
Legalism and Identity
Earlier in his life, Paul would have regarded himself very differently. He was ‘circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee … as for legalistic righteousness, faultless’ (Phil 3:5,6). He was trained by Gamaliel, probably the foremost Jewish teacher of his generation and, from a religious standpoint, he was way ahead of his contemporaries. This man was hardly searching for answers; he absolutely knew his identity – or did he?
Paul also had dreadful sin in his life; he’d persecuted the church. When Stephen, a magnificent young man full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom and power, was stoned to death, Paul watched the event. Was his vulnerability rooted in his memory of that day? Maybe God was referring to this when he said to him, ‘It is hard for you to kick against the goads’ (Acts 26:14). Stephen died with breathtaking dignity, his face shining like that of an angel. Perhaps this image was stamped indelibly on Paul’s guilty conscience.
Grace and Identity
But grace is powerful. It took an embittered murderous legalist and set him free to say, ‘By the grace of God I am what I am’. Grace not only brought him forgiveness, but a brand new identity as well. He walked away from his past and into a bright future.
God told Abram, whose name means ‘exalted father’, ‘You will be Abraham’, which means ‘father of a multitude’. Abraham believed God and by faith received his new identity. God told ‘Jacob’ whose name means ‘deceiver’ that he would be known as ‘Israel’, which means ‘Prince with God’. And God saw a fearful Gideon hiding in a winepress and called him a ‘mighty warrior’ (Judg. 6:12). God’s assessment overcame Gideon’s previous view of himself. God said that he was a mighty man, so a mighty man he was!
Some people feel shackled by guilty memories. ‘I could never forgive myself for what I’ve done,’ they say. ‘I ruined that young girl’s life.’ ‘I broke my parents’ hearts.’ ‘I cheated that guy in business.’ If you feel like that, you need to receive forgiveness and to embrace a totally new identity. So don’t resist God’s grace by allowing your evaluation of yourself to compete with God’s assessment. His word declares, ‘Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!’ (2 Cor. 5:17). Paul believed this and walked free; so can you.
To Meditate On
Our identity is wrapped up in Christ.
‘He who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit’ (1 Cor. 6:17).
‘You died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God’ (Col. 3:3).
‘God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir’ (Gal 4:6,7).
‘He has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature’ (2 Pet. 1:4).
Food For Thought
Look at the following verses and note what:
- we once were
- we now are
Ephesians 2:13; 5:8; Colossians 1:21,22; 3:7-10; 1 Peter 2:9,10
To Ponder
Where do unbelievers get their sense of identity?
What would you say was your identity before you became a Christian?
What would you say now?
To Consider
Read Matthew 26:31-35. Where do you think Peter got his sense of identity?
Read Matthew 26:69-75. How do you think he felt when he disowned Jesus?
Read Matthew 16:18,19. What had Jesus told him earlier?
Read Acts 4:13. Did Peter believe his feelings or what Jesus had told him?
Be Inspired
‘Being born again involves a radical change of being. It is not simply a change in citizenship papers; it is a change in me! I was “by nature a child of wrath.” No more. By nature I am now someone else: a child of God.’
David C Needham, Birthright
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