Happy tension: Identity + performance (part 1)
This one is difficult to introduce because, well, I am not an expert of having a right view of self, God, and all things. I am a recovering perfectionist, one in need of the Gospel to astonish and transform me from being so task-oriented and dependent upon my view of self worth being related to what I do (performance). That is the "default" mode and must be overcome daily with the Gospel of God’s Christ in Jesus.
Hopefully I’m on a trajectory that direction, and I trust moving closer to having my identity fully identified with/in Christ. This conversation (identity, performance, making idols of things in our lives) comes up many times a week with others, if not daily. And I don’t know if I have met a person who doesn’t resonate with or feel this tension. (At least among those who are willing to be honest and not just show a false facade of religiousness.)
Instead of trying to explain this in more detail, I will let Darrin Patrick, Lead Pastor of Journey Church in St. Louis give a brief snapshot of what it means to be a Christian living a Gospel-centered life.
The main premise: "I don’t think Christians understand that the Gospel is for Christians."
Here’s a short interview with Darrin Patrick at the recent Whiteboard Sessions:
[Also see Religion v. the Gospel]
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