Column by Pamela Heckinger Discovering my new identity in Christ has changed my self-concept.

Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Columns | Send mail to The Voice More than a forgiven sinner I became a Christian at a young age, but I never felt completely accepted by God. I felt that God must be disappointed in me because I fell short of His holiness. I tried to gain God's acceptance by doing good things. I agonized over every thought and action, from wearing the right clothes to spending enough time in personal devotions. But this year, the Lord opened my heart in Spiritual Life, a freshman class taught by Professor Needham. "Men and women, do you know who you are?" he asked us on the first day of class. Who I am? Well, I'm a Christian: a sinner forgiven by God's grace. "Christian, you are more than just a forgiven sinner!" Professor Needham said emphatically. I looked up from my notes as he explained life in Christ as I'd never heard it before. "Imagine you're a crabapple tree," he said. "This is your life before Christ." When I became a Christian, he explained, the crabapple tree, my old self, was drastically pruned and only the trunk remained. Then God, the master gardener, grafted into me a golden delicious apple tree, my new nature. Although the Bible speaks of receiving a new nature, somehow I thought I was still a miserable sinner. Discovering my new identity in Christ has changed my self-concept. I can relax and rest in who I am in Him. This discovery has also changed my daily decisions. I no longer need to perform acts of righteousness to make amends for my ineptitude. Now, in doing right, I fulfill who I really am--more than just a forgiven sinner. Back to Table of Contents | Back to Main Index Previous Columns | Top Of Page Send mail to The Voice| Journalism department website © 2001 The Voice. No part of this publication may be reproduced in written or electronic form without prior written consent from the journalism adviser of Multnomah Bible College. All rights reserved.