Two voices within
Romans 8:16
Have you ever noticed how easy it is to believe one thing on Sunday and another on Monday?
On Sunday you sing with conviction, “I am a child of God.” Then life happens. You lose your patience. You fail. Someone rejects you. Circumstances don’t cooperate. Suddenly another voice begins speaking. “You’re not enough.” “You’re failing.” “If people really knew you...”
I know that voice. I’ve listened to it far longer than I care to admit.
This is why I coined the word sinnership. Sinnership is more than remembering that we struggle with sin. It is an identity. It is that nagging sense that we are somehow “not.” Not worthy. Not significant. Not safe. Not quite right.
The tragedy is that many sincere Christians still live there.
Paul didn’t. He certainly knew his weaknesses, but he never rooted his identity in them. Instead, the Spirit continually reminded him of something much deeper: you are a child of God and more than a child of God—a son of the Jesus-type.
Notice what Paul doesn’t say. He doesn’t say the Spirit reminds us to try harder. He doesn’t say the Spirit urges us to become sons or daughters. He says the Spirit bears witness that we are now.
That changes everything.
Behavior matters. It always has. But behavior was never intended to answer the question, “Who am I?” Identity answers that question. Behavior simply follows.
The enemy is content to let you attend church, read your Bible, and even serve faithfully, provided you continue believing that quiet little lie: “I am not.”
The Father speaks a different word. He calls you beloved. He calls you His own. He calls you son. (Son is not gender-tinged. It is a term of endearment and infused with purpose and power for both male and female.)
The Christian life, then, is not primarily learning how to behave better. It is learning to agree with the Father’s assessment of you, which is simply defined in the Bible as believing. You are called to believe this good news.
As that settles into your heart, something remarkable happens in time. (And it takes time before what you are actively believing becomes your belief system.) You begin to live differently—not because you are striving to become someone, but because you are finally discovering who you have been all along in Christ.
Perhaps the greatest battle you will fight today is not against temptation or difficult circumstances. Perhaps it is deciding which voice you will believe.
Reflective Questions
When does the voice of “I am not” speak the loudest in your life?
What circumstances tend to awaken that old identity?
How would today be different if you truly believed the Father’s declaration, “You are My beloved child”?
Sit With This
The Spirit is not trying to convince God that you belong. He is convincing you.
Links
You can discover more about Tom Anderson, his journey, and his reflections at website.
From Sinnership to Sonship: The Story of Becoming is available on Amazon. learn more here.