If someone were to ask you the question "Who are you?" how would you answer? This illustration shows two ways people answer that question. The first circle demonstrates the most common way people try to answer the question. They look at their (or others) actions and determine their identity, worth, or value as an individual. For example a teacher may say "I'm a teacher, that's what I do!" or another "I'm a secretary!" again based on what job they perform. If you try to answer the question using this method, it is common to look at your performance for a sense of worth or value. So if something happens in life that restricts your performance, you feel useless, worthless, etc. What we do as an individual IS very important!! But looking at performance as a measure of identity, worth, and value leads to P.B.A. (Performance Based Acceptance). In Galatians 3:22 we are taught that one purpose of the Scriptures is to show us that we can't live perfectly and that we cannot meet the perfect demands of the Law. Therefore it is not our performance which pleases God -- it is Christ's.

In the bottom circle we see that God intended that what we do is to come from who we are. In fact that is how He has always intended it. I was raised on a farm. I learned that pigs oink. Why? Because they be pigs. I've seen pigs born in a chicken coup, and guess what sound the newborn pigs made? They oinked even though all they'd ever heard was the cheeping of little chicks. What does this have to do with us?

God made us His holy children. When we choose to sin we are actually being hypocrites. It's like God comes to us and says "Why are you sinning you holy child of God?" Conversely, Satan will tempt us to believe that when we obey God we are being hypocrites. It's like Satan comes to us and says, "Why are you trying to be holy you sinful person!"

Now examine the two name tags below. Which one of these name tags would you like to wear? If believers believe that their performance determines who they are they feel like someone who wears the left name badge around for others to see and read. Believers who know who they are in Christ, know that they aren't perfect and when they sin they are denying who they really are. Sin takes on a whole new seriousness. As believers we can wear the tag on the right. Are you ready to put it on? Could you put the tag on without feeling guilty or unworthy? Would you feel like you are bragging and arrogant if you put on that tag? Try it on. If you feel these things that I've alluded to, confess the truth.

* I am worthy because Christ made it so, not by my performance.

* I don't have to feel guilty -- in fact I should feel guilty if I don't put the badge on.

* I am not bragging because it is just the truth. I am not saying I'm better than everyone else, I'm just God's child and this is what is true of all Christians.

Why is knowing the truth about who we are important? We act out of what we believe to be true about ourselves.

Satan desires to corrupt our image of ourselves and our image of God so that he can deceive us into acting out his will rather than God's will.

Re-read the name tag on the left. Is that what the mind of Christ would tell you? Yet God tells us that believers already have the mind of Christ ( I Corinthians 2:16).

Whenever we wear the name tag on the left we are saying that Satan has told us the truth, and we are saying God has lied to us!

It's a sneak attack disguised in terms of our past history and wounded emotions to keep us from the healing and freedom of the truth.

Watch out, be alert, put on the armor of God, stand fast, and resist the evil one. Refuse his lies and allow the Holy Spirit to renew your mind with His TRUTH. Listen to the mind of Christ.

I would like to continue on the same topic about being and doing. There has always been a tension between who we are (BE) and what we do (DO). One can visualize these two elements as a wing of an airplane (see the illustration below). If one wing was named BE and the other named DO, which wing would you say is most important? Can you see how the discussion of such a thing would be fruitless? Why? If you took either wing away the plane would crash!!! How does one balance the tension between BE and DO??

Perhaps it would be helpful to examine the imbalances which occur when one aspect is emphasized over the other. Lets say that someone emphasizes the DO wing over the BE wing. This type of emphasis naturally puts stock in performance. Emphasis of performance tends to stress doing the right thing or in the case of the believer to obey the Word of God. Is obeying the Word important? Of course it is!! It is not only important but essential!! Overstressing doing right is what is referred to as legalism. A legalist will take the Word of God and demand that others, as well as themselves, follow the "rules." Jesus in John 5:39 says "you search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life." Jesus pointed out an error that the religious establishment had made concerning the Scriptures. Jesus said they were looking to the Scriptures in order to have life. The religious establishment believed spiritual life simply to be correct doctrine. Jesus said that Life is a Person. Legalism always seeks spiritual life by knowing right, believing right, and doing right, instead of receiving life in the Person of Jesus Christ. Receiving the Person of Christ must come first, and this enables one to know right, believe right, and do right.

Through the years I've noticed that most churches will tolerate a legalist and often invite them back to teach again, but most churches will not tolerate someone who teaches license (and rightfully so). The point being that the church shouldn't tolerate a legalist as well.

That brings us to the BE wing. While sharing this concept with a young man who had been discipled for years (over a decade) he made this comment, "I haven't realized until this moment that there was a BE wing!!" What imbalance can be created by overstressing the BE wing?? If one just looks at the BE wing and excludes the DO wing then the result is something called license. License says God forgives, so don't worry about obeying the Word. License doesn't even listen to the commands of Scriptures. Why would it be important to listen if one wasn't going to be held accountable? There were those in the Apostle Paul's time who began to believe and say "since the grace of God covers sin, why not sin all you want?" Read how Paul responds in Romans 6:1-2 "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace might increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it?" Paul points out the utter absurdity of such thinking. Since the believer has died to sin why would he want to live in sin? How can one be dead to sin and live in it? Just the thought brings a disgust to Paul. Why? Let me answer the question with a question. Why would a holy child of God choose to live in sin? You see if I understand that I am a holy child of God why would I want to act unholy? Wouldn't Christ's life create in me a discontentment with sin? God's children have a "holy" discontentment with sin. Sin makes them miserable!! Why? Because they are holy!!! That's the importance of understanding the BE wing.

The BE and DO wings must go together. If either wing is missing an imbalance occurs and your spiritual life is grounded!! Once we hear and believe the Word of God, we are responsible to obey. We don't obey to become acceptable to God, we obey because we are acceptable to God. The action could be very hard and tedious, but it could also be something as simple as "trust Me and praise Me while you wait." How can we balance Being and Doing? I believe the perfect balance can only be found in one person -- Jesus Christ. John 1:14 says "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." Only in Christ can the balance between His grace and His truth be realized. The balance is a Person!