I was 28 years old when I came to faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not the path I would choose if I could do it all again. I would prefer to live my entire life as a follower of Christ, yet I can see how coming to faith as an adult has given me a unique perspective on my own transformation. Faith in Christ has changed me. I am no longer the person I was. The change was not immediate, nor is it complete. It’s messy, ongoing, and gradual, but the change has been profound nonetheless.
At first I realized my own value—“How important must I be to God that he would send his Son to be crucified for me? How deep and powerful must his love be?” The answer was beyond my ability to comprehend. Then I wrestled with my view of our world, and of those around me. I thought to myself, “If I am so important to God, then others must be as well.” You see, I began to look at the world through a lens of Scripture, and Scripture reveals the heart of God.
Make no mistake, God is love. Now that does not mean that he accepts all that we are. If that were true, there would have been no need for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. But it does mean that God gave himself for us. The Scriptures tell us, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
Love has changed me. Love has changed the way I see others. I understand that this is not my love, but the love of God shining through me.
In this issue of identity magazine you will be challenged to see humankind, yourself and others, through the lens of Scripture—through the eyes of God. It is my prayer that your eyes will be opened to see God’s desire for you—a being created in his image, a person transformed by his love.