THE ME I WAS MADE TO BE: Discovering Our True Identity in 2nd Corinthians 5:11-15

2 Corinthians 5:11-15 in The Passion says, “Since we are those who stand in holy awe of the Lord, we make it our passion to persuade others to turn to him. We know that our lives are transparent before the God who knows us fully, and I hope that we are also well known to your consciences. Again, we are not taking an opportunity to brag, but giving you information that will enable you to be proud of us, and to answer those who esteem outward appearances while overlooking what is in the heart. If we are out of our minds in a blissful, divine ecstasy, it is for God, but if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. For it is Christ’s love that fuels our passion and holds us tightly, because we are convinced that he has given his life for all of us. This means all died with him, so that those who live should no longer live self-absorbed lives but lives that are poured out for him—the one who died for us and now lives again.”      The fear of the Lord leads us to grace, not guilt (vs. 11). Paul isn’t motivated by fear of punishment, but reverence—a deep awe for God’s holiness and love. The beauty of grace is that it reframes fear. It’s not about earning approval, but responding to undeserved favor. We as sons and daughters of God don’t serve out of obligation, but identity as our authentic identity is seen and fully known by God (vs. 11b) which means that it is relational, intimate and personal. Because grace gives us the permission to stop performing and start resting, true authenticity begins when we stop trying to prove who we are and start living from who He says we are, therefore, grace means we can stop hiding. We don’t need to defend ourselves, for we know that our identity is secure (vs. 12). In this scripture passage, we see Paul resisting self-promotion as grace removes the need to boast. In grace, our worth isn’t tied to our image, our past or our success.       It is the love of Christ that compels us (vs. 14). Compels simply means ‘controls, constrains, governs’ — this is not passive love but a love that is powerful and transformative. When we live from love and not for love, our lives become a response, not a performance (Gal. 2:19-20; Col. 1:26-27). Verses 14-15 in this 2 Corinthians passage tells us that ‘he died for all’, which means, everyone’s old identity is gone. Shame, guilt, striving - all crucified and buried. We now live for Him, but more deeply, we live in Him. As sons and daughters of God, we live to reflect the One who gave everything, which is why we were made in His image and likeness (Gen. 1:26-27). Our life is no longer about “trying” - it’s about “being” in Christ.      I am so thankful that the Kingdom is relational and am forever grateful how God uses people through relationships in our journey and seasons of life to show us what the grace walk truly is. I am thankful for spiritual fathers and mothers, mentors and heroes in the faith that have personally walked alongside my journey to beautifully lead by example in showing me that grace tells me who I am and who I am not. When we encounter pure grace, it removes all the labels, false narratives, the counterfeit to who we thought we were and unveils the very true core and way of our being.      I pray that we continue to have a genuine encounter with grace. We need to stop trying to be good enough, for we already are loved enough. To live authentically means to take off the masks for we are already fully known and accepted by the Father. When we let the love of Christ compel us, every decision, every mission and every relationship will be rooted in His love. It is my utmost prayer that we remember who we are as we continue to embrace who grace truly is - Jesus. With Love,   Pastor Joel