Understanding ourselves is one of the most important things about us. Many of our brothers and sisters in the faith understood well this biblical reality. Near A.D. 400, Augustine wrote these words.
How can you draw close to God when you are far from your own self? Grant, Lord, that I may know myself that I may know thee.
In the Sixteenth Century, Teresa of Avila wrote, The Way of Perfection. In this classic document she wrote:
Almost all problems in the spiritual life stem from a lack of self-knowledge.
Furthermore, in 1530, John Calvin said this:
Our wisdom … consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves. But as these are connected together by many ties, it is not easy to determine which of the two precedes and gives birth to the other.
Most of us, however, spend our entire lives without seriously reflecting upon who we are and who we understand ourselves to be. If we are serious about ordering our lives in light of the truth we find within the Bible, this would be a tremendous mistake. The Apostle Paul devotes much space in his letters to telling the reader what to do. Before giving us an ethical imperative, however, Paul always tells us who we are and that identity is always rooted in what God has graciously done for us in Christ. In other words, what we do is inseparably connected to who we understand ourselves to be. For example, we were encouraged from Colossians 3 on January 27. This text contains numerous behavioral imperatives (BI) and if we are not careful we can land squarely on those commands and neglect what I like to call the “Grace Statements of Identity” (GSI). Here’s how this works. In Colossians 3.1, Paul commands us, “set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Before the command, however, Paul tells us what God has done for us, “you have been raised with Christ.” GSI always precedes BI. Verses 5-11 contain a litany of ethical imperatives – “Put to death . . . rid yourselves of … anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language …” All of the commands are rooted within the profound statement in verse 3. “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. GSI always precedes BI. If we fail to keep this truth in mind we will fall into Pharisaic Legalism in our attempt to obey the Bible. We cannot obey the commands of Scripture without first understanding what God has done for us in Christ, enabling us to obey. Therefore, when we disobey God’s commands it’s not a problem of discipline or will power. The answer is found in a greater understanding of who we have been made through the death and resurrection of Christ. What we do is inseparably connected to who we understand ourselves to be.
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