Patiently read through
Have you had people ask this question of you .
God have you His word so you can know who you are and what to say
Hebrews 13:5-6 KJV
[5]..for he hath said...
[6] So that we may boldly say,
He gives us His word and we say His word .
The bible is a book of identification .
Its writings are highly informative in seeing who we are and what we are too
Philemon 1:6 KJV
[6] That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Acknowledging here is like an accurate scientific discovery .
Paul makes use of the same term in most of his prayers
Ephesians 1:17 KJV
[17] That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
In the knowledge of Him,it's the same term known originally as epignosis
Philippians 1:9 KJV
[9] And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
Knowledge as discernment ,ability to distinguish .
The Essence of his writings was for us to see these realities via accurate knowledge .
Every good thing which is in us,in Christ
The term " In Christ" has been referred to as Paul's signature of his gospel .
He uses it about 130 times either literally or in associated terms ,like by Whom,in Whom,etc
The believer is found in Christ.
He must see himself in there,in Christ .
2 Corinthians 5:16 KJV
[16] Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh..
We don't identify men by the flesh anymore
Galatians 3:28 KJV
[28] There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.
Not by tribe or gender or earthly status .
But in Christ .
He goes further
2 Corinthians 5:16 KJV
.. yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
Knowing Christ after flesh is the limitation of the accounts of the four gospels.
He was viewed from a human point of view
From his dressing ,height ,miracles etc
Hence the strands of variation of opinion about him
Matthew 16:13 KJV
[13] When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
Who do they say I am ?
It's a very critical question even today
See the answers
Matthew 16:14 KJV
[14] And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
That's the danger of " personal revelation "
Different shades of opinions.
Some have opined ,the bible is like a mountain ,some can see a lion others can see a monkey depending on where they view it from .
Well,I doubt if any mountain would appreciate been seen as a lion and not as a mountain .
Truth is ,if you stood at the right tangent ,you will see a mountain as a mountain .
He further asked his own disciples
Matthew 16:15 KJV
[15] He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Same question .
If you don't know who christ is ,you will have an identity crisis about yourself .
Knowing Him is knowing yourself ,we shall view this later
It's pertinent some of his disciples did have the same views of him .
Luke 24:19 KJV
[19] And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people:
These were some of his disciples speaking after His resurrection .
A prophet ?
Even after he had alerted them much earlier
Matthew 11:9 KJV
[9] But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
More than a prophet .
Truth is they couldn't go beyond the senses ,human point of view .
Now hear peter
Matthew 16:16 KJV
[16] And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Very distinct .
Jesus responded
Matthew 16:17 KJV
[17] And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Flesh and blood refers to human perception .
He can only be seen and known by revelation .
Not by visiting Jerusalem ,visiting sites there or googling history .
Hence paul says ,we have known christ after the flesh ..
2 Corinthians 5:16 KJV
[16] ....now henceforth know we him no more.
Henceforth ,means from now and going forward ,we don't see him that way again .
This is very key ,as he explains us by explaining Him.
Same terms .
If we are found in Christ and He can't be known by the senses,we can only be seen same way,revelation .
He drops a bombshell for legalistic minds
2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
[17] Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Therefore means,because of the above .
If any man is in Christ ,"be"is italicized.
He is a new creature .
Creature means species ,kind .
A new species in and of humanity .
Man in Christ is new .
Such that never existed before Christ.
Now ,notice he says " Behold "
Which means to see .
See where ?
In your body ,dressing ,etc ?
No,He had already Said,not after the flesh .
Behold all things are become new .
Behold this and see it in christ .
This is epignosis ,earlier discussed .
Precise knowledge ,given by the Spirit
Ephesians 1:17 KJV
[17] That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
The Spirit unveils who we are to us.
No psychologist knows who you are
Neither any scientist .or sociologist .
Our kind is found in christ and seen by the Spirit .
James aptly puts it too
James 1:23 KJV
[23] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
Natural face in original languages here refers to the way you were born .
Our real selves ,hence not acting upon it is deluding ourself .
Which means to act beside yourself .
This is what we do,when we seek for identification elsewhere .
We act deluded.
We must see and say who we are in Christ .
I am what The Word says I am.
I am a new creature in christ .
We shall continue later..
Have a blessed week ahead ,affirm who you are in Christ.
A new creation in Him!
I call you blessed ,
Jesus is Lord,We Win