Who Am I?
Overview
Using New Testament passages, Thomas examines how the Christian is to think, and explains how a correct, biblical view of self should radically transform our Christian living. Starting from the premise that how we think has everything to do with how we behave; he emphasizes our need to understand the death/life paradox in order to be able to live lives appropriate to our new identity in Christ. Thomas goes on to examine various aspects of the Christian life, including: our relationship to the Law, family tensions and responsibilities, the enticements of the world, suffering for our faith, witnessing to others, fruitfulness and its implications, Christian submission, following the will of God, and biblical definitions of success and failure.
Top Highlights
“A third reason for the need to learn how to think about oneself is the obvious fact that how we think about ourselves determines how we respond to various life-situations. How we respond in turn determines how effective we are in our service for Christ.” (Page 13)
“The way we are to think of ourselves is a biblical paradox, a contradiction, an incongruity, an oxymoron. The New Testament consistently instructs us to think of ourselves as living corpses. We are dead and therefore in a sense corpses, yet we are alive and so we are living.” (Page 14)
“Why then do you find yourself still struggling with temptation? The answer lies in acknowledging that until the time of his physical death, a Christian has two lives, one in this world as he has always known it and another in a spiritual sense that is not visible but is nevertheless quite real. Your ongoing struggle with temptation stems from the life still lived in this world. To the extent that you cater to that former life, you will allow sin to remain as the dominant force in your life.” (Pages 21–22)
“The ‘you’ who now lives is not the ‘you’ who existed before death. The new ‘you’ walks in newness of life because you have been identified with Christ in His life after death. A further step in analyzing the new ‘you’ reveals that Christ lives His life in you through the Holy Spirit whom Christ sent.” (Page 23)
“Another reason for pursuing the biblical teaching on self-concept is the primacy that Jesus gave the subject in His ministry. For Him it was an indispensable consideration. Jesus made it perfectly clear that this line of thinking is the absolutely necessary first step to becoming His disciple. Without it there can be no lasting discipleship.” (Page 13)
Product Details
- Title: Who Am I
- Author: Robert L. Thomas
- Publisher: Christian Focus Publications
- Publication Date: 2002
- Pages: 224
Dr. Thomas studied at Moody Bible institute and at Faith Theological Seminary. From 1956 to 1959, he was an instructor and grading assistant at Dallas Theological Seminary while completing his doctoral program. Dr. Thomas served with the Lockman Foundation as a member of the translation team, on the editorial board, on the Exhaustive Concordance Committee, and on the Topical Reference Bible Committee for the New American Standard Bible. Dr. Thomas has been active in presenting papers at both the regional and national sessions of the Evangelical Theological Society, serving as the president of the national organization in 1990. He has authored numerous articles in journals, magazines, encyclopedias, and dictionaries, and has authored or edited about 20 book-length works. Dr. Thomas is best-known for A Harmony of the Gospels (editor, Moody Press, 1978), and Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Moody, 1992), and its companion volume Revelation 8-22, also published by Moody (1995). Dr. Thomas also served as the general editor for the award winning New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance (Holman, 1981). Dr. Thomas has served on the board of directors for the Orinoco River Mission and for the Bible Church Mission. Throughout his years of ministry, he has been active in his local church, in Bible conference ministries, and in pulpit supply. In 1959 he became the first full-time seminary faculty member at Talbot Theological Seminary. He served at Talbot as chairman of the department of New Testament Language and Literature until 1987 when he joined the faculty at The Master’s Seminary.