That’s Just Who I Am
When I was at Biola University I remember having a conversation with one of my floor mates about his attitude towards others. During our conversation I remember him making the statement “That’s just who I am okay.” After he said that a thought occurred to me that his attitude may have been a part of his personality, but it did not define who he was as a person. As we’re going through this series on Sexuality it made me think about gender identity and how most people cling to being “LGBTQ” and using it as part of their identity. We often hear or read “hello! My name is ____ and I’m gay.” Or “I identify as LGBTQ”. When I hear this, it sounds to me like people are using their orientation as their identity of who they are, as if their sexual orientation or identity is the core of who they are as a person. But it’s not just the LGBTQ community who do this, when it comes to sin, many of us can be tempted to use it as our identity rather than allowing the transforming power of Christ to be our identity. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” When we chose to follow Christ with our lives we are no longer defined by our sin or our flesh, but we are a new creation in Christ. The old is gone and the new is here. When you hear “That’s just who I am” that’s not true. Paul says that the old has gone (That’s just who I am) and the new is here (Our new identity in Christ). Remember, you are no longer identified by your past or your struggles, but your new identity is in Christ alone!