Identity: H+W+D

Who are you? This is one of the great questions of our existence. If we are a Christian it becomes, who am I in Christ. What wondrous identity has Christ given to us! This list would be long but Gal 3:26–29 narrows it to three dimensions: height, width and depth.

Height: In Christ we are “sons of God” (v. 26). As His children we now have a loving heavenly Father whom we did not have before as children of wrath. We have an upward identity in our relationship with God. We are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Width: In Christ we are “baptized into Christ [and his body]” (v. 27) we are “one in Christ Jesus.” (v.28). We are adopted into a diverse family yet united in Spirit, purpose, love and destiny. Whether you go to Tokyo, Cape Town, Helsinki or San Francisco you will find brothers and sisters in the Lord. Indeed, while Christianity may be a minority in the West it is the majority in many parts of the global south. We are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Depth: In Christ we are also “Abraham’s offspring” (v. 29), which means we have a heritage. We stand as part of God’s people throughout history, the people of faith. Before us is the great hall of fame of faith (Heb 11). Though it be our turn to run the race they cheer us on. We are part of something bigger than ourselves, which not only looks backward but even forward into eternity.

Sadly, the world does not have this height and width and depth in identity, certainly not in a comprehensive sense. God does not exist or they worship a false god. As a result they have no height in their identity. No real transcendence. Community, people, nation either no longer exist because of individualism or are twisted by sin or at the least merely physical vs. spiritual. They have no width in their identity, nothing they belong to. We are all descended from goo or so woke that history is irrelevant. What matters is today for tomorrow we die. As such there is no heritage and no hope for the future. They are part of something very small, themselves.

Christian, praise the Lord for the vast identity you have in Christ! May this be something the Lord might use as we share the Gospel to help the world desire something that they cannot have.