MAIN IDEA: Identifying sin leads us to reidentify in Christ.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION

Have you ever been to a yard sale? When a household has a multitude of items they don’t want, they put up posters letting the community know they are having a yard (or garage) sale. To prepare, they set out all the items and price them with stickers to indicate, in their eyes, how much each item is worth. Buyers who show up for the sale come and go, and negotiate the price they feel an item is worth. Both buyer and seller must agree on that price before the sale is made, and sometimes this can cause disagreement.

In terms of money, value can be subjective based on perspective. An old, wooden bench might be worth nothing to someone who stumbles upon it randomly, but to the grown son who remembers his father building that bench for him during his childhood, it might be worth more than any amount of money.

As humans, we, too, can search for our value and worth. However, just as perspective mattered for that wooden bench, it matters for us, too.

JUMP IN

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image; he created them in the image of God; he created them male and female” (Genesis 1:26–27).

Circle each time the Bible uses the word image in these two verses; any time the Bible repeats itself, we ought to stop and recognize it!

God has a lot to say about image. After all, it’s clear from these verses that we were created in His image! For some of us, this is empowering – to be made in the image of God is an honor you carry. However, for others of us, this might be confusing. Me? I’m made in the image of God? My life is a complete mess … does that mean God is a mess, too? Why would I want any part of that?

We can read the Bible and know that God is holy (1 Peter 1:15–16); everlasting (Isaiah 40:28), infinite (Jeremiah 29:13) – just to name a few. Because we are not these things, we might feel conflicted – hearing that we’re made in the image of God, yet not living up to the standard of God. This is the result of one thing: sin.

READ: GENESIS 3:1–19

When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience, we were no longer able to identify with God; sin separated us from Him. While still made in His image, we were identified with sin. This leads to confusion of identity because sin promises to fill us – but always ends up running short. Some places where sin misleads us to place our identity are abilities, giftings, appearances, what people think of us, etc.

However, we don’t have to continue to place our identity in these things only to come up short; the same God who made you in His image does not lead you to sin!

READ: EPHESIANS 2:1–10

Because Jesus was the only One who was able to live without sin, His death and Resurrection allow us to reidentify with God once more! Taking us from death to life, we have been made alive because of His grace – not by our own works!

Knowing that Jesus offers us a new identity is not enough; we must make the choice to accept Him as our Savior and live out this new calling. Pursuing this identity leads us to engage in good works, knowing that we are no longer trying to earn our identity, but expressing our new identity to a world who needs to know Him, too!

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

1. How has Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey God in the Garden of Eden affected you and your identity today?

2. What are some things you are tempted to put your identity in other than Jesus?

3. What are some words you would use to describe someone who has put their identity in Jesus?

4. What steps do you need to do to remind yourself of your identity in Jesus?