Identity

 Matthew 28; 1 Thessalonians 1-3 

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

Our identity as Christ followers is rooted in our baptism into the name of the Father, into the name of the Son, and into the name of the Holy Spirit. This Trinitarian theology established the identity of the early Church. In the Church today, we’ve drifted from our full understanding and relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some denominations appreciate and teach some aspects of the Trinity, but rarely all three. Other denominations root their distinctive identity on particular teachings of Christ, for example, his call to love our enemies, but they ignore the broader New Testament call to fully submit to and know the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. When our identity is shaped and rooted by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we will embrace all that Christ commanded us, all of the Father’s nature and character, and all of the revelatory, gifting, and transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

“Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, my life is in you.”