Our True Identity and Our Experienced Self-Identity


If  we truly are righteous im Christ Jesus, why should Paul need to remind us to live righteous lives?
If  we are new creations and have a new nature, why do we still struggle with sin?
2. Cor 5,17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
If I am filled with God's Spirit, the Spirit of LOVE, JOY, and PEACE, why do I yet struggle with a lack of love, joy, and peace?


What are we actually <> How we experience ourselves

Our true identity is established by God - faith-baptism <> how we see our selfe stays the same / we are still largely controlled by the pattern of the world.

God does not destroy who we are with all of our memories, habit, past associations when he re-creates us in Christ Jesus.

He seeks to transform us : ALL : Our memories, habits, past associations ON THE BASIS of our re-created identities.

It takes time!

i do not see myself as i am  - LIKE CHRIST.
I act as if that what is true about me now is not true!

it is important to see that our ongoing problem with sin, despite our new identity in Christ, is not really with our behavior.
This is a symptom of the problem. NOT THE PROBLEM ITSELF.

The "TRY HARDER"-solution that addresses only behavior completely misses the point.
The problem is with the experienced self-identity that brings forth the behavior. ? i would need more evidence for this from the Bible. Sounds like modern psychologie

The problem lies in
hoe we view ourselves
how we define ourselves
how we experience ourselves
how we live out our true identity in Christ


our perception is always to some degree colored by the pattern of the world.

We have internalized messages from
our upbringing
our culture
our past experience
my rebellion
THY ARE NOT TRUE
THEY CONTINUE TO INFLUENCE US
even after we received our new identity in Christ.

when we fail to view ourselves as though what God says about us in Christ is true, we often think and act according to what Paul called our "old self" Eph 4,22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; our self "Adam" 1. Cor 15,22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. or simply "the flesh"Rom 8,6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.
Gal 5,16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.

My true identity given from God conflicts with my experienced self-identity i have from the world.

When God said, "Let there be light", there was light automatically, because there was nothing to oppose God's voice.
YET
When God says,"I declare you to be holy, spotless, infinitely worthwhile, and lovable in my sight," there is a false identity in place that resistes this divine word and that has to be confronted. Because we habitually thought and lived as our old selves before receiving our new identity, God's proclamation of who we truly are in Christ must overcome our old self-identity that we continue to experience.

This is why the true identity we have in Christ is not automatically experienced in our hearts and ecpressed in our behavior.

It is an ongoing battle between the Spirit and the flesh. Gal 5,17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.