Name Calling, but in a Good Way || Who Am I? || Week 5

Welcome back to part 5 of “Who am I?” If you’re new to this series, I really encourage you to go back and either read or listen to the last four parts and the power that they represent. This series is about learning what our identity is based on the different things God calls us. Today’s blog seems like it’s just full of titles, so I figured we’ll keep it simple with the focus being: “Name Calling, but in a Good Way.” Let’s dive into it.

Title #1 – I am the righteousness of God in Jesus. 

2 Corinthians 5:21 – Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could be right with God. 

Paul just summarized the heart of the gospel in this verse, which resolved the mystery that he brought up earlier in verses 18 thru 20. In this verse, he also explains how sinners can be reconciled to God through Jesus. These 15 Greek words express the principles of accusation, and substitution like no other verse has. Jesus Christ came to the world as the sinless son of God. Using this power of insinuation, as mentioned earlier, received the treatment of a sinner even though he did no wrong. He was sent to die as a sacrifice to pay the sin penalty of the believers. He didn’t become a sinner on the cross but remained as holy as only Jesus can be. He was treated as guilty of all the sins ever committed by all who believed in him, though he committed none. The wrath of God was exhausted on Jesus, and the just requirement of God’s law was met for those for whom he died. The righteousness said in this verse is what’s credited to us through Jesus. As stated before, Jesus did not commit a sin but was treated as if he did. Believers who didn’t receive this righteousness were treated as if they did. He bore everyone’s sin so that they could bear his righteousness.

You may still be confused about what the term “righteousness” means. It means to be morally right and justifiable. This is stating that the righteousness Jesus had and that we bear because of his sacrifice is a foundation that helps us to act morally right and justifiably. All throughout Jesus’ ministry, he and the disciples have done plenty of teaching to help the believers learn how to be Christ-like. He also helped the non-believers develop a relationship with God and learn the principles that God wants us to live by. We have the power to act justifiably in God’s eyes via what we say and do, but sometimes we don’t possess it. Instead of making sure this is what God wants for us, we act instead out of our own emotions and desires. Now that we understand the righteousness we receive as a believer, we can now boldly go into the earth proclaiming that we are a part of the righteousness of God in Jesus. 

Title #2 – I am the light of the world. 

Matthew 5:14 – You are the light that shines for the world to see. You are like a city built on a hill that cannot be hidden.

This is a classic title that comes from a classic Jesus teaching. I’m sure many of us have learned about this passage in church, or Bible Study, or Sunday School. I taught a four-part series about being salt and light last March. So, what does it mean to be the light of the world?

To me, it always focused on shining hope into someone’s day that may have been shadowed. We all have those days where it feels like there’s a cloud over our head, nothing’s going right, no one loves, etc. As followers of Jesus, part of our job is to share that same love that Jesus gave us with others. Whether it’s checking on someone, calling them, sending them a card, making them dinner, hanging out with them, the list goes on. That ability to extend grace via our words and actions is one of the best ways to represent God’s love. Some people have this ability to walk around with an extra pep in their step that makes it feel like something’s going on with them. You want in, usually because the Holy Spirit is active and ready to spread some light into what a dark world can be. Very simply put, I know, but that’s what it means to me to be the light of the world.

Title #3 – I am his elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering. 

Romans 8:33 – Who can accuse the people God has chosen? No one! God is the one who makes them right. 

Colossians 3:12 – God has chosen you and made you his holy people. He loves you. So your new life should be like this: show mercy to others. Be kind, humble, gentle, and patient. 

To be God’s elect means that we are his chosen people. We have to go back a couple verses (29-30) to see more about what this means, but it simply boils how God predestined us for greatness. He already knew that we would be a part of His family. As he stitched us together, he already decided to set his love on us and establish this intentional, intimate relationship with us. That’s what it means to be His elect. 

To be full of mercy is an intriguing thing that Paul writes. It comes from a Hebrew expression that talks about how the internal organs of the human body help describe the seat of emotions. Showing kindness means showing goodness towards others that overwhelms them mellowing all the negativities of the situation. To show humility refers to, in simple terms, not being arrogant. Humility is the perfect cure to arrogance, and it’s known to help preserve our relationships. To show gentleness refers to the willingness to suffer injury or insult rather than inflict such hurts. Meaning you’re more willing to take all the negativity on yourself than hurl them at others. To be patient, or “longsuffering,” as some translations put it, refers to the opposite of anger, resentment, or revenge. It endures injustice and troublesome circumstances with hope for coming relief.

Title #4 – I am forgiven of all my sins and washed in the Blood. 

Ephesians 1:7 – In Christ we are made free by his blood sacrifice. We have forgiveness of sins because of God’s rich grace. 

Referring to the blood sacrifice relates to Jesus paying the price for a believer to be released from their sin. Christ’s sacrifice on the cross paid that price for every believer. The price was costly because it was death. We’ve talked a lot about that before, so I’m not going to go into it. I just want to remind you that there is NOTHING you can do that will EVER separate you from the love of God. 

So, what did we learn today? We learned that we are the righteousness of God in Jesus. We learned that we are the light of the world. We learned that we are his elect, full of mercy, kindness, humility, and longsuffering. We learned that we are forgiven of all our sins and washed in the Blood. We only have two more parts of this series, so stay tuned for whatever comes next. As always, stay blessed!