Reflecting Him

 

By Chelsea Johnson, staff writer | English major

We hear the phrase in chapel, in our Bible classes, and among our peers: identity in Christ. But what does this really mean? How do we maintain a Christ-based identity and where does that come from?

Foothill Community Church Pastor Dale Winslow said that having an identity in Christ involves looking at the life of Christ. “I will do what Christ did. I will live like Christ did,” said Winslow. “It’s like the visible expression—a pure life, a selfless life, being gentle and kind.”

However, finding Christ-centered identity isn’t simply about what Christ taught, but also about who He was as a human being. To root our identity in Christ is to look at who Christ was as a human being and to try to emulate that in our own lives. “To take our life cues from the life of Christ…How did he live?” Winslow said.

We should look at how Christ treated Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector. Jesus stayed at his home and dined with him, even though the crowd considered him a great sinner. As college students, we aren’t exempt from accepting the call to live as Christ did. Christ as man struggled with the same things we do.

On campus, this means that we strive to show the same love and respect that Christ did. Winslow explained that as Christ followers, we don’t have the luxury of choosing our friends. “Everyone is in,” said Winslow. “It’s a good pressure that the Lord puts on people.”

To be emboldened by the life of Christ means to strive to live like He did. We are called to befriend the Zacchaeus-like of our community. A Christ-like identity is displaying “hospitality,” according to Winslow. “[Being] the kind of person that all kinds of people would feel safe around,” Winslow said.

APU theology professor Heather Clements discussed the idea of not only looking to the life of Christ, but also to the Holy Spirit’s work in casting away our old selves. When we find identity in Christ, our old selves die and we are reborn. Clements explained we are “equipped to live as Christ lived. ” Clements said, “You are no longer in bondage to sin.”

Clements referenced Ephesians 4 and how it encourages us to look at the identity of Christ. Often we are struck by the grandeur of the divinity of Christ (and rightly so), but we miss out on the side of Christ that we can more acutely relate to—the human decisions that Christ made.

“[Paul] emphasizes the importance of learning who Christ is and what Christ did,” Clements said. “That is part of dying to yourself. You can’t really change your life and live life in Christ if you don’t know who Christ is.”

God works in us individually to live a Christ-centered life. We don’t have to fit a mold or perception of Christ-likeness, we strive to do what Christ did and live as He lived.

“We don’t have to force ourselves into some cookie cutter, but we are being shaped to be able to do these things by God,” said Clements.

Junior theater major Crystal Rossmann said, “Identity in Christ would be to not look for satisfaction or who you are in other people.” Rossmann explained that by looking at Christ’s example and promises, we are shown who we are meant to be.

Junior psychology and business major Jeffrey Tjoa also looked to scripture as the basis for his identity in Christ. He references John 21, where Christ asks Peter to feed His sheep and to follow Him. Tjoa said this is where a Christ-centered identity should be rooted. “What does it mean to feed my sheep and what does it mean to have Christ in the center [of your life]?” said Tjoa.

Having an identity in Christ is not necessarily about preaching, but about how you interact with those around you. “Without having to speak the word Christ, how can you project to the world who doesn’t understand the name,” said Tjoa.

Next time you read the Bible or listen to a sermon about Christ, look for the cues that point to who He was. We are unable to live exactly like Christ did, but when we accept the challenge to live as the human Christ lived as our example, God works through us to form a new identity. This identity is unique to you.