Who Are You?

by Seth Halpern, Editor

My name is Seth. You may be Bob, Juan, Mary or Astrid (or any of a million names). You may even rename yourself, but is that “who you are”? If someone asks you who you are beyond your name do you answer “I’m an American”? or maybe “I’m Mexican-American” or “I’m Punjabi-American”? That just tells me where you are from. What about “I’m a stay at home mom” or “I’m a business owner”, or “I’m a veteran”. Well, that just informs us of what you do or have done. None of that really says Who You Are? More recently, the answer “I’m Republican” or “I’m a Democrat” or maybe being a Trump supporter or opposer would be said to be “defining” (but it may be more “dividing”)

Recently, my wife and I have been researching our family tree to find out about our ancestry. Some might think of this as answering the question “Where did I come from?”. Still this does not really answer the correct question of WHO we are.

I would propose that in order to answer the question of WHO we are, we need to answer the question of WHOSE we are. I may have lost some readers at this point either due to confusion or opposition to the what this implies. Who we are is answered by knowing to Whom we belong. The Bible (which is the basis for my proposition), states that we either belong to God or to the Devil. (John 8:44, 1 Jn 3:10). We are in one of the two families. Again, some readers may have stopped reading or be defensive. You might ask “Are you saying that unless I believe in the God of the Bible, then I am part of the Devil’s family??” Well, I’m not saying it, the Bible does! In fact, the question of who we are is the basis for the three most significant questions in our life- Where did I come from? Where am I going? And What is my purpose here?. Again, these foundational questions of life are rooted in the answer to “Who Am I?”.

You may ask, “But doesn’t God love everyone?”. Yes, indeed He does. In fact, Jesus brutal death on the cross was and is an opportunity for any and all individuals in the world to have their sins forgiven and begin a relationship with God. This offer is for anyone and everyone. However, it takes that individual to acknowledge and confess the sins they need forgiveness for and then an act of repentance or turning away from those sins and selfishness in order to follow God’s way (which is found in the Bible). That act (done genuinely from the heart) transfers you (and me) from being a “child of the devil” to “a child of God”. Your family has changed in the Heavens. Wow! What a difference of a family tree! From that point on, life takes on new meaning and the Word of God (the Bible) will answer the three big questions mentioned above.

It is important to remember that those other previously mentioned characteristics of who you are- your ethnicity, occupation, socio-economic background, nationality or even previous religion are not relevant. The only thing that matters is “What do you do with the offer of Christ’s sacrificial death for you?” This is not a question of religious tradition. That is man-made. John 3:16 summarizes God’s plan well “(“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life”). I was once a child of the devil. I didn’t know it then, but that didn’t change the fact that I was in the devil’s “family”. Now, I’m in God’s family. It wasn’t anything I achieved. It was simply an offer I accepted-An incredible, once in a lifetime offer.

If you are not a child of God (through accepting the offer that Jesus gave you), I ask, plead, implore you to take His offer. We are separated from God because of our sin. Heaven has no sin in it and will not allow sinfulness to enter. This means that there are two ways to get into heaven- Be perfect or benefit from the “account” of someone who is perfect. It’s like getting a loan. Either you can qualify on your own or you need a co-signer. Trust me when I say that none of us qualify. The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:23 “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”. Jesus, however, is the only one who lived a life without any sin. He offers to “co-sign” for you- to allow you to come to Heaven based on His sinless life. If you think that you can do it on your own, you are foolish the Bible says.

If you already have received Christ’s offer, then I challenge you to be certain you are “in the faith”. This is not about what denomination or church your attend or how many good things you do. The

Bible says examine yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Cor 3:15, 2 Pet 1:10,11) Sometimes, following God, and obeying His Word and following through on what His Holy Spirit tells you, is not easy. Persecution will come to those who truly seek Him. As our society gets further from the Lord and slides more into godless corruption, we, the church, the true believers will suffer for our faith in Him. Always remember, however, that the ultimate victory has already been won and we shall see Jesus face to face one day. It will all be worth it when He will say “Well done, good and faithful servant”!

Our occupation, our nationality, even our political beliefs are not what defines who we are. The only thing that defines us is whether we are in the family of God or the family of the Devil. To me, it is a clear choice; choose your ”family tree” wisely; your eternity is at stake!