Satan’s greatest crime against humanity was the day he conned Adam and Eve out of their identity! When Satan tempted them he said, “God doesn’t want you to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He knows the day you do, you will be like Him.”
Before we go further, look at Genesis 1:27:
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
The reality is they were already like God. They were made in God’s image. Eating from that tree wasn’t going to make them more like God. Satan conned them out of their identity!
How did Satan do this? He got them to focus on physical circumstances. He showed them the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and focused their attention on something they didn’t have. The interesting thing is fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was never appointed for them. It wasn’t part of their identity and destiny.
Satan got them to focus on something they didn’t have and that was never appointed for them because they were made in God’s image. People who are made in God’s image are destined to live according to grace and not law.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is symbolic of the law of Moses. The law of Moses will show us right from wrong, it just doesn’t give us the power to change. Satan showed them lack and got them to work to work to make up the lack. He still does this with many Christians today. He shows them shortcomings in their life and tries to get them to work to be what they already are.
While the law shows us our failure, Grace shows us Jesus! Jesus came to make up the lack and when we believe on Jesus we are recreated in His image! This means we are supposed to rule and reign in life with Him! Jesus restored what the first Adam lost. He restored our identity and our purpose!
Adam and Eve were originally created to rule and reign in life. Remember, God gave them dominion and authority over the earth. They were supposed to multiply and fill it up with children made in the image of God. They lost their purpose when they were conned out of their identity. Praise God that He sent Jesus and our identity and purpose has now been restored!
The day you and I were born again, the spirit of the resurrected Christ entered us and brought us into His kingdom. We were given new rights and privileges that empower us to do life like Jesus! This is our true identity! Our biggest problem today isn’t a sin problem, favor problem, or a power problem. Jesus dealt with that at the cross!
Because of what Jesus did, we have His spirit in us. We are now righteous in His sight and have all the favor and ability we will ever need. Our biggest problem today is a knowledge problem. We don’t know what has been done for us and we relate to ourselves after our old Adamic nature instead of the nature of Christ in us.
Romans 5:12-21 talk about the first Adam and the second Adam (Jesus). The same way we take on the nature of first Adam when were born because of the sin of the first Adam, they day we accept Jesus, we are born again and take on the nature of Jesus. Look at verse 17:
17 For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
Ruling and reigning in life is our destiny when we understand our true identity. Let’s not let Satan con us out of our identities as children of God by getting us to focus on our past or present circumstances, and physical limitations. These things may be true, but the greater truth is the Greater One lives in us and in the spirit we were recreated in His image. He wants us to live out of that identity that has been freely given to us. We don’t have to work for it or earn it. We just have to believe it and receive it!
Let’s go rule and reign in life! If you’d like to learn more, check out this message on “Identity Theft” I taught at Grace Life Church!
