OUR IDENTIFY

A Devotion by Steve Long 

First of all, Jesus Identified With Us.

He entered humanity through a miraculous conception (Matthew 1.20), but was born in lowly conditions. His mother laid him in a feed trough in a stable. He didn’t come to identify with Kings, though the King he was; he came to identify with all of lost humanity, the rich and poor the great and the small the powerful and the humble, the religious and the pagan, male and female; people of every heritage, skin color and background.

The bible says that though he was God, he humbled himself far beyond what anyone could imagine.
Christ Jesus… made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2.5, 7 and 8)

He lowered himself below his own creatures (the angels) for a time, identifying with our suffering, even our dying. He is unashamed to call the redeemed his brothers and sisters.

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren. (Hebrews 2.9-10).

He became flesh because he wanted to come to us and be one of us.

Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. (Hebrews 2.14-15).

This sinless man even identified with our sinful condition so that he might save us from our sins.

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5.21).

Secondly, Our Identity is Now in Him.

We do not belong to ourselves but to him.

Know ye not that … ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6.19-20).

We now identify with him in every aspect of our lives. “In him we live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17.28)

· His righteousness is now our righteousness.
· His Father is now our Father.
· We have no worth of our own but are worthy in him.
· His name is now our name – we are called Christians.
· His will is now to be our will.
· His purpose has become our purpose.
· His desire is now our desire.
· We now love what he loves.
· We now hate what he hates.
· We identify with his suffering.
· His death is our death.
· His resurrection life is now our life.
· Apart from him, we can do nothing.
· We have a new family – his.
· His glory is now our glory.
· His story is now our story.
· His home is now our home - heaven.