So often we label ourselves. We decide that we are a certain way, and we shape our behavior to this because this is what someone does who is a/an [insert label here]. Introvert. Extrovert. Girly-girl. Tomboy. Real man. American. White. Black. Native American. Asian. African. European. Christian. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. Except that usually, what we are doing is taking a societal norm, something that the world around us has decided is valid, and then applying it to ourselves. We are letting the world sculpt us.
Why?
Because we want to fit in.
Is this a bad thing? Yes. No. Maybe. I don’t know. That’s not what I’m here to talk about today.
So, there is a group of people that the world has decided to put all into one box, and we are called Christians. And we are all the exact same. We have the same beliefs, we all act the same way, have the same standards, and if you know one of us, you know us all. Are you with me so far? I hope not. Especially if you fall into the diverse mishmash of Christianity, Believers in Messiah, Followers of Jesus, whatever you choose to call yourself.
The world does have one thing right; we are One. One Body of Messiah, one Family, etc., but we are all very different, and we all come from different places. We all have different purposes, so why would anyone even expect us to all be alike? Well unfortunately, we a lot of times think that of ourselves. We hold up one person as the pinnacle of perfection, the one that we strive to be like. But should we do that? I think not.
While it may not be a great idea to put yourself in a box that the world has made for you and try to be everything that they expect you to be, it’s not exactly better if you’ve crafted the box yourself instead of letting your Creator show you who He made you to be, and I think a lot of times we do this. Many of us base it on who we’ve been, and we take that verse that tells us we are a new creation and say that we now can be nothing like the person we were before or we are doing something dreadfully evil. But is that true?
Let’s look at the verse I’m talking about. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says this; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.” [HCSB]
Pretty straight forward, right? The old has passed away, and we are to be new. Well, let’s look first at the next few verses, and then back at verses 14-15 and try to get a little context of what we’re talking about here.
18 Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.” 21 He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
14 For Christ’s love compels us, since we have reached this conclusion: If One died for all, then all died. 15 And He died for all so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.
Okay. So yes, we are a new creation. But does that mean that we are completely new and not to be at all like who we were before? To me it looks like we have a new focus.
Now, yes, having a new focus, a new priority, is going to drastically change us. Instead of the world revolving around us, now it revolves around Jesus. Instead of living for ourselves, we are living for Him, and we are His ambassadors, His witnesses, His emissaries. Basically, we are the reason that anyone who doesn’t know God might want to. We are an army. We go from being our own to being His. From lost to found. From profane to holy. From water to wine.
But to many people, this means something else. They go from being whatever they were before to being “Christian.” From secular musician to Christian. Can’t be singing about things that are “of the world” anymore, so I’ll stop and just be a Christian instead. From hair stylist to Christian. Shouldn’t be so focused on external beauty; a good Christian wouldn’t do that. From literally anything to being a “Christian.” Because apparently we missed the part about reconciliation.
Jesus made it so our sins will not be counted against us. This does not mean that we undergo a personality change at the moment we give ourselves over to God. We do not lose our natural gifts that God Himself created us with. You may have been lost and wandering in the wilderness before God called you to Himself, but you were still made in His image long before you ever knew what wandering even was! God has created each and every one of us with special gifts and abilities so that we can each be a different functioning part of the Body of Christ.
The word “profane” means something that is common and unremarkable, while the word “holy” means set apart. We go from being common, part of the world that ultimately is unremarkable, to being someone who is set apart, needed, and highly valued. Don’t run from who you are, because that’s who God made you. Run from the profanity of it. Run from the things that distract you from God, the things He says that He hates. And it is possible (and probable) that your incredible, unique, God-given qualities that make you who you are will try to lead you to those exact things that God hates and bring you back into the world, but just remember that this is only a side effect of a fallen world, and something that with His strength, you can overcome. But you must overcome it. Because Jesus already has, and He is the one you are representing.
Use your gifts for His glory. Use them as He wants you to. You don’t need to be like everyone else. You just need to be who He has called you to be.
In the very first miracle that Jesus did that is recorded in the Bible, He went to a wedding and, when they were running out of wine, he turned some jugs of regular, boring water into wine. And not just any wine. This wine was good. You had people coming out to the groom and saying “bro, why didn’t you bring this out earlier?! You basically had us drinking liquefied crap, and you had this just chilling in your house?” (Okay, they didn’t say it just like that, I’m paraphrasing in a very huge way, but you can check it out for yourself in John 2:1-11)
You were the water, and you are the wine. You were once some regular water in a jug. But now, you’re a new creation. Jesus has paved the way for you to be wine, and not just any wine. You are the best wine. You are the wine that makes the wedding festive and wonderful. God has a purpose for you; don’t get in your own way by looking at others and thinking that you need to be just like them to be a good Christian, or good at what you do.
Just be exactly who God made you and called you to be. That is how you can be His emissary. Show the world the absolute majesty of your King by being who He created and doing the great things that He can only do through You.
We are His, and that is who He made us to be.
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