by László Balogh
I would like to share with you a short excerpt from my recent book…
“I am getting to the core of the matter here. The most important facet of Christian life is to grasp where our identity lies. The dictionary will tell you that identity is “the way you think about yourself, who you are, and what characteristics define you”. In Christian context, we are supposed to identify with Jesus. This might sound radical to many people, but the apostle Paul makes some extraordinary statements in this respect. He writes, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” He refers to our old nature when he says “we have died”. And this is not metaphorical. I discussed earlier on how God infuses His 100% pure Holy Spirit into the spirit of the born-again believer. Now that our old nature is dead, our lives are hidden in Jesus. Paul writes in a different letter, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” This is exactly where the Christian life is supposed to be heading. Jesus wants to live His beautiful life through the born-again believer; through His newly created human being. He would like to manifest His perfect nature through our words and deeds.
This is the core of becoming a “partaker of the divine nature”. This is the secret of being “heirs of God”.
Nothing else will do!
You don’t have to get reincarnated time and again for millennia. That is a very nebulous prospect. But we have a better promise by Jesus and you can have it, here and now, in this life—and, after leaving this world, eternal life. That is the promise of the Savior who laid down His life for all of us. Paul says, “For I know whom I have believed.”. He hit that right on the head. The Son of God appeared in a human body and told us plainly how things are. Why people keep on searching in the uncertain, I cannot grasp. I have believed the words of a person, not some spirit-being channeled by a medium. This person, Jesus, died for me. He proved character and proved Himself trustworthy. I gladly take His offer and I gladly identify my life with His.
I’m not talking about uniformity here. God doesn’t want to make robots out of everyone. You will still be unique with your own personality traits, expressions, likes, and dislikes. God will set you on the narrow path of perfection with a very definite goal in mind. The key to Christ-like identity is in how you see yourself! It is your perception of your whole being. The first step is for you to believe that you have been made one with Christ’s Spirit. Then you start thinking about yourself as a Christ-like person. This must be similar to when someone marries into a royal family. He or she wakes up the next morning and realizes, “Wow, this is really happening!” In the beginning, you have to keep reminding yourself that you are now a prince or a princess. Then it slowly sinks in, and you start behaving like one. I’m not talking about thinking of yourself as more than you should, but this is exactly how God sees you in the spirit. He looks at you and sees Jesus in you. You just need to align your way of thinking to God’s way; that’s all.
So why is this important? First of all, it will make a well-balanced individual out of you. And because you are rock-solid in your new identity, this will overflow onto others’ lives and you will begin to have a positive influence on them. Your life will become so rich, that you have extra to share with others. Many people try to get validation for their lives through the approval of others. Their identity lies in the approval of their spouse, friends, and peers. And when this approval doesn’t come, they are shattered. That is a very dangerous game to play; it’s like walking on thin ice. Why? Because you will do only as good as the approval you receive from people. Think about that for a moment.
If you are a new creation in Christ, God has already validated your life. You don’t need to keep on seeking approval from others. You will be able to feel so safe in your own skin that nothing will rock you. God has matched your value to the blood of His Son, Jesus. Your worth and value equals the life of the Son of God. Paul says that we were “bought at a price”. You probably won’t buy something if it’s not worth it for you. But you were worth it to God; this is how dear you are to Him. This thought should make you feel so secure that nothing can tip you off balance anymore. It won’t matter what other people think of you, because the Creator of the Universe thinks highly of you. That is the secret to emotional stability!”
The book is available to buy on Amazon