What you do comes from who you are.
We often attempt to separate person from performance. And with good reason: we all long to be accepted for who we are. We don’t want our identity to be tied to what we do or fail to do. That close a connection between actions and character creates a lot of pressure.
But we’re overlooking something extremely significant. What we do has only one source. It doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It comes from somewhere.
It comes from who we are.
I certainly don’t mean that one act, whether regrettable or respectable, defines us. One mistake doesn’t sum up our self. And one startling success doesn’t mean we’ve arrived. But over time, our actions prove to be far more than merely fragmented pieces of information. They tell a coherent story: the story of who we are.
Jesus said, A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit… Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions (Matthew 7:17,20 – NLT).
How should we respond to this? By acknowledging that if there’s ongoing sin in our lives it’s not just some random anomaly. It comes from who we are. If I have a habit of yelling at my spouse, feeding my lust, envying my coworker, or (insert your sin here), that says something about who I am. That doesn’t mean we should feel condemned or hopeless about it! It means we should get thoroughly honest with God and others, and stop treating our sin as if it’s somehow disconnected from our character. It’s not that we just “need to stop sinning” (tried that lately?): some part of our actual self needs to be transformed by the Spirit.
The flip side of the coin is true as well. If goodness is emerging in our lives, it’s not an indiscriminate twist of fate. It comes from who we are. If I’m kind and patient with my spouse, resist lust, celebrate with others, or (insert your sign of spiritual growth here), that says something about who I am. That doesn’t mean we should feel arrogant or smug about it! It means we should recognize it as part of the process of being reshaped by the gospel into the righteous people of God. It’s not that we’ve just started “doing what’s right”: some part of our actual self has been transformed by the Spirit.
Because what I do comes from who I am.
The good news? God isn’t intimidated by what we’ve done or are doing. What he did for us (the cross) comes from who he is (love). He’s full of grace to forgive and change us when our hearts are humbled before him. And he’s full of grace to affirm and celebrate us when we get it right.
What you do comes from who you are. So before you do anything else today, good or bad, stop and ask yourself: “Who am I?”
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