Extra Titles || Who I Am || Week 7 (FINALE)

Welcome back to the finale of our “Who I Am” series. This series is about learning our identity in Christ. Last week, we looked at four titles we can claim in Christ that remind us of our heavenly status. We said: 

• I am his elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering.
• I am a part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and a purchased people.
• I am raised with Christ and seated in heavenly places.

To wrap things up, we are discussing three more titles that didn’t fit the other six categories. They are still good to know. It’s why today’s blog is titled “Extra Titles.” I know. Creative, right?

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The first title we’re discussing is: I am far from oppression, and fear doesn’t come near me. 

Isaiah 54:14 says:

14 You will be secure under a government that is just and fair. Your enemies will stay far away. You will live in peace, and terror will not come near. 

You may be thinking, “How does this apply to me?” I know Isaiah wrote this for the Israelites during a specific part of their history. This verse doesn’t have the “fridge magnet” motivation that some other verses have. Yet, what does it mean that my enemies will stay away? What does it mean that I get to live in peace and that fear won’t exist? These questions could be something we ask ourselves frequently. 

I remember that Psalm 91:1-2 talks about God as my fortress and refuge. It says: 

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 

2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. 

With God, I have my place of protection and solitude. I am away from my enemies and can live in peace, knowing I am protected. Living in God’s protection means we could get attacked by the different spiritual forces of life at any time without warning, but I shouldn’t be afraid of that. I should live with peace and the knowledge that God will protect me. This mindset provides the life applicability of Isaiah 54:14. 

Isaiah also had this to say in Isaiah 28:16:

16 Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes needs never be shaken.

When you build something, you need a strong foundation. For the Christian world, that foundation is Jesus. Jesus gives us a firm place to reflect on our lives with. We often look at life, or at least I do, with the question: “Is what I’m doing pleasing God?” Jesus showed us what it means to live an earthly life, so we can look to him as the foundation of what living a God-honoring life looks like. We can trust this foundation too. Jesus went through many trials and had many people oppose him, yet he still came out on top. Jesus tried and tested these ways, which means we can use those ways in our life too. 

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The second title we’ll discuss is: I am the righteousness of God in Jesus. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 says this: 

21 For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. 

God created Jesus to take our place on the cross. It’s weird to think about how a loving God would create his son to sacrifice him. It’s hard to comprehend how a loving father can do that to their son, but we thankfully know the end of the story. We know that Jesus is resurrected three days later and is back next to God in the heavenly realm. I remember having this same thought when I read the story about Abraham and Isaac going up the mountain to sacrifice Isaac because God told him to do it. I’ve never considered the possible connections there, but it’s eye-opening. Abraham was almost about to sacrifice him, but God provided a substitute lamb to take Isaac’s place. In the New Testament, Jesus became that same lamb to take our place as the ultimate sacrifice. This connection needs its own blog because I could go on and on. 

When we trust Jesus, we make the best exchange possible. Jesus takes our sins and, in turn, makes us right with God. It’s not your typical trade system, but Jesus isn’t a typical person. Typically, a trade works only when two people exchange goods or services of relatively equal value. Through this eternal transaction, God trades his righteousness for our sins. This trade is a win-win situation that we should always be thankful for. 

Isaiah 53:6 says: 

6 All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. 

Isaiah talks about how Israel went away from God’s plan and compared them to sheep wandering away. Yet, the shepherd would leave the ninety-nine to find the one that wandered away. Cory Asbury said something along this line in that one song, but I don’t remember it. (I’m kidding.) We’ll have moments of straying away from what God wants us to do for various reasons, but we remember that his rod and staff will help us in the long run. (Psalm 23:5) 

Galatians 3:11 says this: 

11 So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures says, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” 

We can’t be made right with God by anything we do ourselves. Paul is quoting Habakkuk in this verse. Habakkuk points out that by faith, we believe in God’s provision for our sins and live each day under his direction and in his power. Through this faith, we can break the cycle of failure with our sins and live the new life God promises us. 

This verse says we can righteously live if we lean on our faith. We must recognize that following the world and the laws of the world won’t be enough. We need to lean on our faith, believing that God will provide what we need when we need it and that our sins no longer chain us to the ground. 

Hebrews 4:15 says this: 

15 The High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 

Why do Christians consistently look to Jesus as an example of how to live a godly life? This verse says it all. Jesus went through everything we’ve gone, are going through, and will go through in life. It won’t look the same, but it will still be the same. Jesus was fully human. He experienced the full range of temptations we’ll face and overcame them all. This fact should encourage us because Jesus did cave to sin and shows us how to beat it. Paul says this in 1 Corinthians 10:13: 

13 The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. 

We will never face temptations that we can’t escape from. God provides us a way to escape every time. How did Jesus escape his temptations? Often, it was by quoting scripture. He kept the wisdom of God’s word close to his heart and pulled out whatever verse he needed. This plan is what we must do. The 1 Corinthians 10 and the Psalm 91 passage came from my memory, showing that they are reminders close to my heart. What verses do you hold on to in your time of need? 

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The last title we’ll discuss is: I am the light of the world.

Matthew 5:14-16 says this: 

14 “You are the light of the world – like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 

16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

Living for Jesus means we turn into lightbulbs. We shine brightly, reflecting his love for us to others and the world. Those who aren’t lightbulbs will be attracted to your light like moths to a flame. They’ll want to know how they can be light blubs themself. The light shows the truth about Jesus. We hide it often and in specific situations. Those ways can include the following: 

• Being quiet when we should speak
• Going along with the crowd.
• Denying God’s truth.
• Letting sin dim our light.
• Not explaining our light to others.
• Ignoring the needs of others.

So how can this look? Paul says this in Ephesians 5:8-10: 

8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 

9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true. 

10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 

Because we are lightbulbs, our light should reflect our actions which should reflect our faith. Our past might include times of cynicism, despair, shame, or self-doubt. It’s easy to fall into these mindsets and create destructive patterns of what we do and say to others and ourselves. The evil forces of the world want us to fall back into the darkness. We need to reject that. How? Live your life in a way that pleases God. Doing this will allow the light of Christ to continue to shine.  

Peter has this to say in 1 Peter 2:12: 

12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judged the world. 

Even hostile people will praise God if your actions are above reproach (meaning perfect). Peter’s audience was Christians that became scattered among many unbelievers. Those unbelievers often spread vicious lies about Christians. They were gossips and slanderers. Christians’ loving, godly, and kind behavior can prove these lies false and might even convince some of the unbelievers to believe. It’s easy to let go of people who don’t believe in God or claim false things about God because they don’t understand. Don’t let them go. Show them the love of Christ through your testimony, words, actions, and lifestyle. 

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Let’s wrap up the last week of our series. We examined three statements we can claim as a follower of Christ. Here they are again: 

I am far from oppression, and fear doesn’t come near me.

I am the righteousness of God in Jesus.  

I am the light of the world. 

I encourage you to go through this week and say one each during your prayer time or to yourself in the mirror and see how your mood and day change. If you do this, let me know how it went down in the comments below or message me on the Bible Study Vibes Facebook page. 

Next week, we’ll check out the latest song on the Christian charts! The next edition of “Let’s Listen To” is coming! Until then, stay blessed!