Transformed Identity:

Have you ever asked yourself, “Who am I?”
Sometimes we answer the question by our association in our family… I am a son; a daughter; a sister; a father; an uncle or a mother. Other times we answer by stating the work we do: I am a lawyer; a farmer; an employee; a sailor, a teacher, perhaps.
When people place their faith in Christ, they are no longer who they once were. They are now people who live each day seeking God, saturating their minds with his teachings, his presence, his ways and in so doing also commit to a new life. Believers cut off all behaviors that identified them as the people they once were and in so doing, are transformed.
This transformation is akin to when people enter the witness protection program. They are given a new identity; a new driver’s license, a different social security card and they are moved to a new place to live and work. They are expected to cut ties with everyone who knew them in their previous identity to maintain safety. For believers, the same is true.
We have a new identity, it is that of Jesus Christ. We are to be Christ; little Christ’s or his representative.
A perfect scripture that illustrates this transformation and our new identity is 2 Corinthians 5: 14-19. It says:
“Clearly, Christ’s love guides us. We are convinced of the fact that one man has died for all people. Therefore, all people have died. He died for all people so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the man who died and was brought back to life for them. So from now on we don’t think of anyone from a human point of view. If we did think of Christ from a human point of view, we don’t anymore. Whoever is a believer in Christ is a new creation. The old way of living has disappeared. A new way of living has come into existence. God has done all this. He has restored our relationship with him through Christ, and has given us this ministry of restoring relationships. In other words, God was using Christ to restore his relationship with humanity. He didn’t hold people’s faults against them, and he has given us this message of restored relationships to tell others. Therefore, we are Christ’s representatives, and through us God is calling you. We beg you on behalf of Christ to become reunited with God”.

This past weekend, millions of people attended, at least through modern technology, the Big Game i.e. the Super Bowl. There I said it. Ha! Transformation is like the Super Bowl. Now, you may be thinking this is a stretch, but before you click out, hear me out.
There are players from both the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks who had been traded from one team to another. An example of this is the trade of Tim Tebow for Payton Manning. When a professional athlete changes teams, he is to completely identify with the new team. When facing his former team in athletic competition, the athlete proves his allegiance to his new team by dedicating every effort to defeating his former team despite old ties he had to his former team mates.
For believers, we too, have a new identity. We are a different person with a new allegiance. Our allegiance has been transfigured with Christ. A new way of living has come.

We have been transformed, and yes, traded to the best of teams, God’s team. Not to just sit on the bench and watch, but to a higher goal than money, fame and a ring. God’s goal, as 2 Corinthians says, is to reunite people to God and to do this, we must be focused on God and His goal. We must stay focused.

In the “Big Game”, Denver lost their focus and in due course felt the weight of a miserable defeat. They were embarrassed. But, Seattle was completely focused on their goal and won the super bowl. They never strayed from their goal and ultimately experienced the glory of a well fought fight and the joy of victory.