Read more in this series: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12
As temples of the Holy Spirit, we exist to glorify God while we welcome visitors into His presence. Every choice in our lives should conform to this purpose.
In this series we are exploring what it means to be temples of the Holy Spirit. We’re looking at the nine types of people who visit temples so that we can understand their motivation. If we understand what drives them, we will better understand how to help them on their journey towards the Lord.
The Third Visitor - The Torn
Our next two guests are both outside the courtyard, between the cross and the gates, and they are both miserable.
One is sad and lonely. Heaviness seems to follow him around like a cloud. We’ll talk about him soon.
The other is frustrated. He has knelt at the cross, and now he’s trying to move past it, but he can’t. Whenever He takes a step, his arm reaches back towards the cross and grabs hold of something dark that seems to be pinned to it. Whatever he’s holding onto won’t move, and every time he tries to drag it with him, he feels torn in two.
This is our third visitor, the Torn.
The Torn has received salvation from Jesus. He believes, and he wants to have a deeper relationship with God, but he’s struggling to let go of something. He believes Jesus has set him free, but he doesn’t feel free. He feels hurt. Wounded.
He might be struggling with an addiction. He might be holding onto something less tangible, like pride or anger. It could even be that the only thing holding him back is a small bad habit. Whatever it is, one thing is certain:
Whatever he won’t let go of is deeply tied to his sense of identity.
Identity and Salvation
Before the cross, we have no idea who we truly are. We haven’t yet found salvation, so we try to define ourselves by our passions, interests, and expertise. Sometimes we base our identities on other people’s opinions. We even try to identify ourselves based on our weaknesses and insecurities or by things that we lack.
We use all these bits and pieces to build a mask. We call it our identity, even though it’s really just a false version of who we want to be. We wear this mask everywhere we go.
Then life hits us hard, and the mask breaks.
When that happens, we have only two options. We can double down and try to fix the mask ourselves, or we can bring it to Jesus.
Jesus helps by taking the mask away. He says, “You don’t need this. Let me have it. I have created you beautifully and wonderfully. Let me take the mask, and I will give you a true identity in return. Let me show you who I created you to be.”
For many of us, those are the words we’ve been waiting to hear. We accept salvation and surrender the mask, overjoyed at the chance to be genuine.
Then we stand up and take a step beyond the cross—and that’s when fear and doubt set in. We brush up against an old familiar trigger, and suddenly we realize that without the mask, we’ll be exposed. Other people will be able to see the pain, fear, doubt, and anger in our faces. They will see our blemishes. Our wrinkles. Our imperfections. They will see our scars.
Almost by instinct, our hand reaches back to grab the mask.
But the mask won’t budge.
Nailed to the Cross
When we accept salvation, Jesus gives us our true identity, but it doesn’t come without a cost. Living a new life in Christ means surrendering our old one.
Galatians 2:20 ESV - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
When we surrender our lives to Jesus, we are changed. We are no longer sinners in need of grace, we are saints who have received grace.
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
When that happens, the sin—the false identity that once defined us—becomes the property of Jesus. It gets nailed to the cross.
Colossians 2:13-14 ESV - And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
This next part is very important to understand.
When sin gets nailed to the cross, it loses its grip on us. It was clinging to our old identity, our old self, and that self was nailed to the cross when we surrendered our lives to Jesus.
We are not that old person anymore; we are a new person, made righteous by Jesus Christ. Though we are not yet perfected, we are redeemed. The blood of Jesus washes us clean, and sin can’t stick to us anymore.
Sin has lost its grip on us. It can’t touch us.
But we can still touch it.
If we have accepted salvation, but we’re still struggling with a sin that seems to dominate us at every turn, it’s not that sin is holding onto us, it’s that we are holding onto it.
Sin can’t move past the cross. If we try to walk forward while we’re holding onto sin, it tears at us, because it’s like holding onto an anchor. Every time we try to move forward, it hurts. We become torn between two desires—the desire to know God more, and the desire to hold onto what we gave to Jesus.
There’s only one way forward.
We have to let it go.
That addiction that hid the pain for so long—let it go. The control and manipulation that kept others from hurting us—let it go. The pride that hid our insecurities—let it go.
No matter what it is, if it’s holding you back from walking into God’s presence, let it go.
Luke 14:33 ESV - So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.
Letting Go of the Mask
“But who am I without my mask?” we ask. “I gave it to Jesus because He promised to help me, and I need help. I’m so tired of the addictions. I’m tired of the lies. But I’m so scared of the pain. In the past, when something hurt me, I put on my mask. Now God wants me to leave my mask behind. What am I supposed to do when life hurts?”
We build masks to hide emotional, mental, spiritual, and physical wounds. When we surrender the mask, those wounds are exposed. What gives us the courage to abandon the mask is remembering who our wounds are exposed to.
When we visit a doctor, we don’t get the help we need by lying and saying nothing is wrong. We have to confess our pain and let the doctor examine the injury. We might have to submit to surgery or physical therapy, and sometimes those things hurt.
But when we’re obeying the doctor’s words, the pain is only a side effect of healing. It hurts to set a bone or get stitches, but once those things are done, the wounds begin to heal.
Jesus Christ is the Great Physician. He took our wounds upon Himself so that we could experience healing.
1 Peter 2:24 ESV - He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
There are three keys to letting go of the mask.
Step 1 - Trust in Who Jesus Is
Jesus loves us so much that He gave His life to save us when we were still in rebellion against Him. Remembering His great love for us gives us the courage to open up to Him about our pain.
Romans 5:8 ESV - But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Step 2 - Let Him Wash the Wounds
Wounds have to be cleaned before they can heal. Otherwise, infection may set in. Jesus washes us with the water of His word. His word is truth and life. When we read the Bible, the Holy Spirit cleans the wound and applies antibiotics.
Ephesians 5:25-26 ESV - Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word…
Step 3 - Confess and Pray
Confession and prayer are the tools Jesus uses to bandage our wounds. When we confess our sins to other believers and pray with them for forgiveness and healing, it’s like getting spiritual stitches. The wound is examined, washed clean, and bandaged up. Confession and prayer to other believers is like showing your wound to a nurse who wants to make sure your wound is healing properly. That’s called accountability.
James 5:16 ESV - Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
If you’re looking for a good place to find believers to confess to, look for a Celebrate Recovery group near you. They have them all over the nation nearly every night of the week. Chances are, there’s a group happening tonight you could be a part of.
Don’t be scared. The people at Celebrate Recovery are compassionate and kind. They have seen the worst of the worst, and they still show up each week, because God is there, and there is healing in His presence.
Closing Prayer & Blessing
Lord, I ask that all who read this article would be given the courage to let go of their old masks. I ask that you would give them the courage to bring their pain into the light and ask for help. I ask that you would teach them to read the Bible every day so that Your word can wash them clean. I ask that you would bring trustworthy believers into their lives who they can confess to and pray with to experience healing. Finally, I ask that as their wounds are healed, they will be given the opportunity to help others who may have experienced similar pain and trauma. Please be a compassionate voice to the world through them.
May the Lord bless you with freedom. Let go of the mask. Step forward into the light. Walk through the pain of confession and pass through into healing and rejoicing.
Perfect peace be with you.