Identity Crisis in the Church

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Philippians 3:10
that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,

(ESV)

The recent hack of the database of Equifax once again illustrates the vulnerabilities of many of our cyber systems to attack.  With an estimated 143 million American customers affected meaning their sensitive information (i.e. Social Security numbers and even driver’s license numbers) is potentially made available to identity thieves, further illustrates how a massive number of people can be victimized from the hacking of one system. (1) However, an identity theft occurred several thousand years ago that affected not just 143 million Americans but every man and woman living today, that lived since the theft, or that will live in the future.  You may wonder why you have not heard of this theft?  The answer to that question is simple for the reporting of this story is exclusive to one source, the Bible.  Genesis 3 records the account of this serious identity theft.

Because of Adam’s sin, every human being born since then has a genetic mark of sin on their lives. (2) This genetic defect in our life is unfortunately fatal (Romans 3:23).  However, it is not instantly fatal and there is a cure and time to administer it if you are still alive to read this.  Since this genetic defect is present in us all, we all must take this cure or suffer the death of eternal separation from our creator.  That cure is accepting the substitutionary sacrifice for us of the only man to walk the earth unaffected by this disease.  That man is Jesus Christ and his shed Blood has the miraculous power to alter our genetic identity.  

The cure for this disease is fortunately not some complicated medical procedure but only requires a simple prayer to accept the free gift of salvation being offered by Jesus Christ.  If you have not already done so, please pray with me now and receive this free cure that comes with the benefit of eternal life (John 3:16)

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

Congratulations, you now have a new identity, not one that comes with the penalty of death but one that comes with the promise of eternal life.  In Jesus discourse with Nicodemus recorded in John 3, Jesus refers to this identity transformation as being “Born Again.”  However, this new birth not only gives us a new identity but also a supreme purpose in our lives. 

God does not create insignificant people but according to Psalm 139:16, even before we were born, God had laid out a divine plan for us all.  Both the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) and Isaiah (Isaiah: 49:1) were told by God of the great purpose he had for them.  While most of you reading this will not have some grand calling like the prophets Jeremiah or Isaiah, we all have a role to play in God’s grand plan because of the born supremacy of our new birth.  While our role may appear small, it is great in the eyes of God and he will bless us as we fulfill it.  Of course, every believer in Jesus Christ has the same born ultimatum, bringing the gospel to a lost and dying world.  The question all of us that have received our new identities must ask is if Jesus Christ is ultimate and supreme in our lives.  (3)

The early church whose history is recorded in the Book of Acts understood this ultimatum and from the very beginning, brought the truth of the Gospel to many, bringing about this miraculous change of identity (Acts 2).  This change of identity was not hidden from view and seen by the rest of the world as earth shaking (Acts 17:6).  The Apostles understood their new identity and it was reflected in the fruits of their ministry.  (4)

Unfortunately, the church in large part today less resembles the earth transforming church of the book of Acts and more resembles the lukewarm church of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14-22).  According to Canon Fodder (5), the problem with a lukewarm or apathetic church is summed up in one word describing the ethos of our culture, “Whatever.”  This lukewarm apathy manifests in church members no longer in tune with their divine born identity, supremacy, and ultimatum (3) who instead view church as that Sunday thing on the to-do list that we can check off so we appear to be good people.  In fact, this apathy or lack of desire to commit to a greater purpose is the religion of our age and totally out of sync with the worthiness of Jesus who told us He was the way (John 14:6). 

It is time for the church to reconnect with its new identity in Christ and with boldness fulfill the ultimatum Jesus gave it in Mark16:15. 

1. Tara Siegel Bernard, Tiffany Hsu, Nicole Perlroth, and Ron Lieber. Equifax Says Cyberattack May Have Affected 143 Million in the U.S. www.nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times, September 7, 2017. [Cited: September 9, 2017.] https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/07/business/equifax-cyberattack.html?mcubz=0.

2. Sequeira, E.H. 'Jack'. Chapter 5 – The Two Adams: Romans 5. www.jacksequeira.org. [Online] Beyond Belief. [Cited: September 9, 2017.] http://www.jacksequeira.org/beyond05.htm.

3. Jeremiah, David. Born Identity – Born Supremacy – Born Ultimatum. www.oneplace.com. [Online] Turning Point. [Cited: September 9, 2017.] http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/turning-point/read/articles/born-identity--born-supremacy--born-ultimatum-15253.html.

4. Campbell, Roger D. The Book of Acts – What Does It Teach about Jesus' Apostles? www.valeroadcoc.com. [Online] Vale Road Church of Christ, February 13, 2013. [Cited: September 9, 2017.] http://www.valeroadcoc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=540:the-book-of-acts-what-does-it-teach-about-jesus-apostles&catid=1:general&Itemid=2.

5. Canon Fodder. Apathetic about Your Apathy? Here is Why a Lukewarm Church is a Bigger Problem Than We Think. www.michaeljkruger.com. [Online] Canon Fodder, March 9, 2016. [Cited: September 9, 2017.] https://www.michaeljkruger.com/apathetic-about-your-apathy-here-is-why-a-lukewarm-church-is-a-bigger-problem-than-we-think/.