A New Identity

20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth. 21 I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth. 22 Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist—denying the Father and the Son. 23 No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

24 As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is what he promised us—eternal life.

26 I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.

Have you ever been called a prophet, or a priest, or a king or queen? Probably not often. Most of us rarely think of ourselves that way. But God does. He lifts us up to live a full life of blessing and purpose.

We will look at what it means to be prophets, priests, and royal rulers in God’s service. Jesus Christ, Son of God the Father, was anointed with the Holy Spirit. As the Bible teaches, Jesus is our chief Prophet. This means he fully reveals to us the will of God and how God calls us to live. Jesus is also our perfect High Priest, who gives us access to God and has delivered us through the one sacrifice of his life for us. What’s more, Jesus is our eternal King, who governs us by his Word and Spirit.

And we share in his anointing. We are called to believe and trust in Jesus and to honor his name, to serve as living sacrifices of thanks, and to reign with him forever. So let’s consider all these things as the season of Lent helps us focus on Jesus and his sacrifice for us.

As the Spirit of God works in our lives, we gradually become like Jesus. Our identity begins to align with his. Our love and obedience to Christ grow as we carry out our calling (our anointing) as prophets, priests, and rulers who serve God. This becomes our identity.

Let’s learn together what this means and how we can live it out in our lives today

Lord, help us see that you have saved us by grace to share in Jesus’ anointing and become like him. Lift us up to serve you. Amen.