Sammy Davis Junior and others made hits out of the song entitled “I Have Got to Be Me.” Other songs like “I Did It My Way” carry a similar theme. The theme is that the very best way forward is to be who you are. Of all the things God wants from us in life, the one important thing is that we be ourselves. He created us with all the unique characteristics that make us one in about eight billion people. We have all heard it. We are as unique as each snowflake, and we will start seeing a lot of it soon here in Nebraska. We all have unique fingerprints and unique DNA. God wants us to be who He created us to be. And yes, this includes those of us who have strong coffee preferences, talk to our pets like they understand full sentences, and occasionally pretend we can still hit a high C in the shower.
Being saved by grace and not by works ensures that we will be counted as righteous before our God and Savior. We are united with Christ, and His righteousness is imputed to us. In Christ, we are perfectly acceptable and righteous in God’s eyes. For every Christian, this is who we really are. God calls us to be ourselves. That is not easy, because we are in a constant battle with sin in our lives. We cannot live up to God’s view of us in this life, but it is a battle we are called to fight. Sin is the battleground. We are all called to fight the good fight. It is the battle of becoming who we truly are in God’s eyes. The Bible makes this perfectly clear. You have already died with Christ (Romans 6:5–6); therefore “consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). You have already been made alive together with Christ (Ephesians 2:5); therefore, “seek the things that are above” (Colossians 3:1). You are already holy in Christ (Colossians 3:12); therefore “be holy in all your conduct” (First Peter 1:15). You already are the light of the world in Christ (Matthew 5:14); therefore, “let your light shine” (Matthew 5:16).
We should never sign a peace treaty with sin in our lives but continue to fight the good fight. Paul talks about pressing on toward the mark “of God’s high calling in Christ Jesus.” It is a battle, and it begins with faith in Jesus Christ. Through our relationship with Him, His righteousness is ours, and because of that, we receive a new impulse (a new Spirit) to become who we really are. That is the greatest weapon in our arsenal. We are accepted by grace through faith alone. It is not our works or deeds that make us acceptable. It is His performance, not ours, that wins the ultimate battle for us, but by our battle with sin we gradually become what we are in Him because of Him. We often lose our battles in this life, but we are guaranteed to win the war. The battle is won in our thought life. Paul says, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” Colossians 3:1-2