All around us there are innumerable trainers available to help us recognize our real identity and then fulfill our destiny. All such efforts are aimed at focusing on the circumstances affecting us and then overcoming all those and not be defeated, to move ahead. But how can anyone get his real identity and destiny without knowing the One who writes, defines and helps in fulfilling that goal of one’s life?
Genealogical identity – Lord Jesus identified Himself as Son of Man most of the times and also as Son of God at times. What was His real identity, Son of David or Son of God? He is listed as ‘the Son of David, the Son of Abraham and then the genealogy lists out the lineage from Abraham to Joseph, ‘the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ’ (Matthew 1:1). Joseph’s link is to Mary, His mother as her husband and not directly to the Son of God. The Gospel of Luke traces His birth, right through to Adam and to God (Luke 3:23-38). Apostle John identifies Him as God for being the Word that ‘became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth’ (John 1:1-14). Apostle Paul saw the revelation of this same glory on the way to Damascus and was blinded to all that he had perceived to be the truth till then (Acts 9:3-20). His physical and spiritual eyes, both, were opened after Ananias, the messenger of God, laid his hands on him and at this ‘something like scales fell from his eyes, and he received his sight at once’. Only then could he realize who he was, for after that, immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that ‘He is the Son of God’. He had gone to Damascus to persecute the followers of the Lord but ended up praising and serving Him for the rest of his life and suffered greatly for that. He could then know and declare to all, ‘in Him (Lord Jesus) dwells all the fullness of Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him’ (Colossians 2:9-10).
The creation of mankind by God reveals the truth of our being, in that ‘God created man in His own image, in the likeness of God He created him’ (Genesis 1:27). Apostle Paul then reveals the Creator as Lord Jesus Christ saying, ‘by Him (Lord Jesus) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth’ (Colossians 1:16-17). He further clarifies, ‘in Him all things consist’. Lord Jesus is God, the Son of God as Creator of everything and nothing can exist without Him. Thus anybody who desires to know himself has to first know God and since God revealed Himself in His son, must know Lord Jesus. Lord Jesus answered Apostle Philip’s question to reveal the Father to them, by saying, ‘he who has seen Me has seen the Father’ (John 14:9). Since I am created in God’s image and likeness, I must first know God fully to know myself fully and for that I have to know the Son of God fully.
After the sin of disobedience, Adam and Eve died in their relationship with the Lord and were expelled from His presence. The serpent encouraged Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, saying, ‘your eyes will be opened and you will be like God’ (Genesis 3:5). God’s glimpse opened the eyes of Saul to show him his real self to become Apostle Paul and Adam and Eve were blinded by their sin to lose their real identity. Since then mankind has been attempting to know themselves by creating God in their own perceived image. Thus God was made to be like man and no one could achieve what he was supposed to and even David the ‘man of God’s heart’ could not make a house for God.
Before the birth of her twin sons, who struggled in her womb, Rebecca, Isaac’s wife, received a revelation from God about them. She was told, ‘two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger’ (Genesis 25:23). Jacob was younger to Esau and struggled with his identity by trying to be Esau and in this stole the blessings of the firstborn through deception from Isaac. After having wrestled with God and receiving the blessing of a changed name and the nature of Israel, he could say to Esau, ‘I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God’ (Genesis 33:10-11). He could further urge Esau, ‘please take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough’. He had now known God and also himself to be content with what he had and could develop a close relationship with God to be the father of Israel, the great nation of the chosen people of God. Only, once we see the original image and likeness in which we are created can we know self and then seek the guidance and help of the Creator to know and be what He desires us to be.
How Israel forgot God after knowing Him? The First and most important of the Ten Commandments from God is, ‘you shall have no other gods before Me’ (Exodus 20:3-4). They were further warned, ‘you shall not make yourself a carved image’ for this would be as per imagination and not the true likeness of God. Whatever one worships, into his image and likeness he tries to be and the Israelites violated the first commandment and suffered.
The Angel of the Lord with whom Jacob wrestled blessed him, ‘your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and men, and have prevailed’ (Exodus 32:28). While fleeing from Esau, he had seen the ladder reaching up to heaven with ‘the angels of God ascending and descending on that’ and received a promise of God for his safe return. His sons, however, initially did not show that same level of faith and Joseph, who was the son of Rachel, his beloved wife, was the only one who lived as such. Jacob loved Joseph and passed on all that he had learnt about the LORD God to him to help him develop a personal relationship with God.
Invariably what is going on inside is rarely seen by others and Joseph was treated as an arrogant person and hated by his ten brothers, who sold him into slavery. Joseph’s life is seen in one statement, ‘Joseph recognized his brothers but they did not recognize him’ (Genesis 42:8). Though this is about his meeting them after his exaltation as number two in Egypt, yet it sums up their relationship. He had realized his destiny through the two dreams he had and this was visible in his life, first as a slave in Potiphar’s house. He was successful in all that he did even as a slave and found favour in the eyes of his master, ‘for the LORD was with him’ (Genesis 39:2; 9-12 & 21). The spark of righteous living, lit by his father Jacob helped him when his master’s wife desired him and he could tell her, ‘how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’ When cornered by her alone in the house, he fled leaving his garment with her and was falsely accused and spent twelve years in prison.
He did not turn bitter at this unjust treatment and the LORD showed him mercy and ‘gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison’. When Pharaoh, the king of Egypt put his butler and baker in prison in anger, Joseph, filled with compassion, saw their sadness and enquired of the reason (Genesis 40:6-7). His focus being on God despite the adverse circumstances, the Lord rewarded him and made him number two in Egypt. Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold off and he met his brothers again for the second time and revealed himself to his brothers in full maturity, consoling them, ‘do not be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me to preserve life’ (Genesis 45:5). Joseph’s story is the longest narrative of one person, chapters 37 to 50 in the Book of Genesis. Beneath his visible behavior was hidden a soul on fire with love of God and integrity to stand up against temptation in the worst situation in life as a slave.
Joseph’s brothers lived with the ‘if only’ attitude; if only my situation was better; if only I had more money and so on. Joseph lived to make do with what he was dealt by God and remained thankful. It was his dependence on God all his life that after his father’s death he could allay the fears of retribution of his brothers and say, ‘do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God?’ (Genesis 50:19).
A village of the Samaritans refused to ‘receive’ Lord Jesus or provide a place for their stay for the night (Luke 9:52-54). The two brothers, James and John, were so enraged that they said to the Lord, ‘do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’ James was the first of the disciples to be executed by King Herod (Acts 12:2) and Apostle John could really get to know God by developing a close relationship with the Lord and could claim himself to be the ‘disciple whom Jesus loved’ (John 13:23). In the later years of his life he could describe the real identity of a believer differently and say, ‘he who does not love does not know God, for God is love’ (1 John 4:8). He was filled with love of God and could love others to the full in that same love through the transformation in knowledge of God.
Judas Iscariot had been with the Saviour Lord but could neither know Him nor know himself and ended up committing suicide (Matthew 27:5). As others, a believer has the privilege of knowing God the Son and in Him God the Father and has the blessed presence of the Holy Spirit in him to guide, strengthen and lead him to achieve what is decreed for him from above.
Why believers’ are filled with dissatisfaction? Cain and Abel were born outside the Garden of Eden, yet they were aware of the place where they could present an offering to God. When punished for the murder of his brother, Cain could plead to God for His mercy and say, ‘my punishment is greater than I can bear!’ (Genesis 4:3-4 & 13). After mankind attempted to build a ‘tower whose top is in the heavens’, God confused their language so that ‘they may not understand one another’s speech’ (Genesis 11:7). This was not only about the language but also about their way of thinking, to be of one mind on any one issue. With this, the understanding of God was lost to mankind and man started making gods to meet each of his particular needs. Since then God is seen as one who suits my way and with that the identity of mankind has been lost. One becomes like what one worships and the God who created everything before creating man was replaced by a god who in his anger kills and destroys people and all that he created.
This loving God made a covenant with Noah and all of mankind, ‘I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake, although the imagination of his heart is evil from his youth’ (Genesis 8:21). A rainbow was fixed in the clouds as a reminder about this covenant. God made a covenant but until and unless we believe that, it is of no effect, until we receive that as part of our life and live as per that. The right to become children of God is only given to those who receive Lord Jesus as their Redeemer and ‘believe in His name’ (John 1:12). His name connects us to His Divine Identity and also fills us with His power and blessings.
How do we put on the Lord? Apostle Paul urges us to ‘cast off the works of darkness’ and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:12-14). Then we are to live righteously and for this we are to ‘put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts’. In this new identity of being in close relationship with the Lord we adapt our life-style to His image and shedding the ways of this world. It is about living to please Him in every way. Then our life is lived as per the character and ways of Lord Jesus by following His will as revealed in the Scripture. Apostle Paul has warned us to ‘Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know that Jesus Christ is in you?’ (2 Corinthians 13:5). A believer in the initial stages is fed milk for he is yet a baby. But he must grow in knowledge and faith and start receiving solid food of deeper meanings of the Word of God and live accordingly (Hebrews 5:13-14).
Apostle Paul met Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus and his life was changed. Immediately after that he started preaching in the Synagogues that Lord Jesus is the Son of God (Acts 9:20). But later he spent three years in the desert, alone with God, to receive a deeper understanding of the Word. He lived the Word and could then teach and preach to all communities. A traveler walking in the desert was very tired and complained, ‘desert, you are of no help, for the sea in my tired state pushed me forward with the waves’. After he had regained his breath, he heard the voice of the desert saying, ‘yes I am of no help and depress you but the sea lets you leave no marks to remember. I allow you to leave your footprints on me so that you can remember your journey and so can I’. Life is about leaving imprints on the canvas of time and the ones left by the Lord Jesus have guided and empowered countless believers into salvation and eternal life. The disciples and missionaries throughout the ages could then know Him and themselves, to change the lives of people all over the world, even at great peril and many did and still do perish.
The Hebrew word ‘teshuvah’ translated as repentance does not actually mean only this, but is about returning to our true selves and our fullest potential. It is only through turning to the Lord and then like Joshua, who led Israel into the Promised Land, meditated on and lived in light of the Word of God in faith, can we hope to fulfill our God given mission for our life.
Many people are satisfied in knowing the Son of God but knowing about Him and Knowing Him personally are very different. We can know ourselves also by knowing and being in close relationship with Him, for He created and sustains us. Receiving a deeper understanding of His work of salvation and living in that, helps us to live abundantly. One must decide now, for who knows about a sure chance in the future to do this!
