Aspects of Identity

Psalm 51:5, Galatians 3:26-29

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My name is Anthony Bruce Pittenger. Pittenger comes from my dad’s side of the family. That was the name of the man who adopted my dad when he was just an infant. And so Pittenger is a part of my identity. Bruce, Bruce also comes from my dad’s side of the family. Grandpa Bruce is the name of the man who raised my father, and I was given his name as my middle name. Anthony comes from my dad’s side too. That was my father’s first name. So I’m Anthony Bruce. He is Anthony Frank. Those are things that are part of my identity on my mom’s side. My mother’s maiden name is Blohm. B-L-O-H-M, an old German name. And you can probably tell just by looking at me that my ethnicity, my roots, are from northern Europe.

What about your identity? Your ethnicity would be a part of your identity. Your name. Your first name. Your middle name. Your last name. Your mother’s maiden name. Our government identifies us with driver’s license numbers. That’s how Washington state identifies me. We have Social Security numbers that the federal government identifies us with. But what is your identity in God’s eyes?

That identity, the beginning of that identity, isn’t very good. Psalm 51:5 tells us that we are sinful even from the time that our mothers conceived us, and so that sinfulness it is, unfortunately, it is a part of our identity. Some of you who are watching this may be living with consequences of your own sinful actions, your own sinful decisions, long term, maybe even lifelong consequences. Someone could be watching this right now from a prison or a jail cell, and as a prisoner that is a part now of their identity because of decisions or actions they’ve made.

Everyone, myself included, we’re all growing older. We get weaker. We’re either racing or inching, at least, toward death and the grave. So sinful and mortal, that’s a part of our common identity. But that’s only a part. Here are some other parts. Loved. Forgiven. Redeemed. Cleansed. Renewed. That’s also who we are. There are a whole lot of verses in the Bible, but Galatians 3:26 through 29, this is one of my favorite identity verses. The Apostle Paul says,

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise. (Galatians 3:26-29)

There’s a lot of talk nowadays about identity theft. We need to be cautious and wary using our personal information online. The devil wants to rob you of your identity in Christ. The devil wants to lead you so deeply into sin that you can’t imagine that you could be saved or loved by God. Or the devil wants you to be so ambivalent and carefree about sin that you start to think sin doesn’t really matter. But no matter how he does it, what Satan is trying to do is to steal, to snatch your identity. The identity of Galatians 3. Baptized. Child of God. Heir of heaven itself. Your past sins prove to the rest of us, what? Prove that you need a Savior. Prove that you need saving. Even your present sins that you still commit. These things prove that you need a Savior. Scripture proves that you have one.

God has provided a Savior, a new identity for us in Christ Jesus. We are loved. We are saved. We are redeemed. We are children of the Heavenly Father. That’s who and what you are because thanks be to God, that’s part of your identity. Until we see each other again, God’s grace and peace be with you. Amen.