Are You Mistaking?
August 18th, 2010Recently I read that the CEO of Google said that there is so much information on the internet that people will have to change their names to avoid the consequences to past mistakes in life. This sounds like the epitome of irresponsibility. I want to dance, but I don’t want to “pay the piper.”
How often do we fail to own up to our behavior? How often do we pass on the responsibility for our actions to someone else? It started in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit. When God confronted them, Adam blamed Eve; Eve blamed the serpent. The beat goes on.
There is a legitimate new name for us, however. Revelation 3:12 declares that the followers of Jesus will have his new name given to them. That matches the new identity we have in him. We are “new creatures” in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
As these new creatures in Christ we learn a number of things. First, we are not evolutionary flukes. We have been made and remade by a Creator. Second, as new creatures, we have a new outlook on life. We see that the world in which we live does not revolve around us. The new outlook shows us that all things are for God and His glory (see Isaiah 43:6-7). God is at the center and we, as His creation serve Him.
A third lesson we learn is that we have the opportunity to restart our lives. We get a refreshed beginning. Rather than an arbitrary change of identity as a criminal may have, we get a new identity in Jesus. God blesses and honors us in Him. The old ways pass away and a brand new life stands before us. What a blessing!
God removes the guilt of sin for us. Sometimes consequences remain. We have to own up to and live with those, but they don’t hold us back. The new identity in Jesus gives us hope for the new life and the new world to come.
Keep The Light Burning!
Perry Greene
