What I Do Vs. Who I Am

What I Do vs. Who I Am

Former Baylor University quarterback Bryce Petty once said, “During my time at Baylor, I’ve learned that football is what I do; it’s not who I am. When I began to truly understand what that meant, the sky was the limit for what I was capable of. It has freed me and given me peace to explore who I am spiritually, who God is, and what He’s doing in my life.”^a

So much of our worth as men is tied to what we do. As a result, we can either derive a sense of well-being or loathe ourselves based on our performance on the competitive fields of life. But answering the question, “Who are you?” shouldn’t be tied to what we do, because doing always flows from being.

Ephesians 1–3 speaks specifically of our identity. We were excluded, dead in our trespasses, foreigners and aliens to the covenants. Now we are in Christ, a union that always describes a life of benefits and an eternal glory. Notice what our identity looks like in Ephesians 1:13: “Now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.”

Five different times in the book, Paul reminds his readers of what they had been like before Christ and what they became after Christ. It isn’t until Ephesians 4 that Paul begins to instruct them on what they need to do because of who they are.

Who are you? From what I see, if you are in Christ, you are identified as a child of God. Now let what you do flow from that understanding.

Now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

Ephesians 1:13