When the world, whether it's on television or in magazines of the radio or just in the office,

attempts to leverage your decision, by holding up an identity to draw you into it,

to make you feel inadequate, incomplete, because you don't have that body

or ever will. You don't have that bank account or ever will. You don't have that car or those

things or that brotherhood. And so leveraged into decision for the world. You are a free agent if you know the

grace in which you stand and who you are by the will of God for the glory of Jesus Christ.

So what defines who you are, your possessions, achievements,

or something greater? In this episode of Light and Truth, John Piper opens 1st Corinthians

1, 1 to 9 to urge us to root our identity in God's calling and faithfulness which frees us to live boldly for his glory.

This sermon was originally delivered at Bethlehem Baptist Church on January 17, 1988.

Almost all of Paul's 13 letters begin with his identifying himself in relation to God and his identifying us in relation to God.

That's very different from what you'll see on television.

The automobile commercials on television will want you to identify yourself and define yourself

and get your meaning in relation to a thing.

The beer commercials will want you to think of yourself

and define yourself in relationship to a brotherhood at the pub or the cafe.

The life insurance commercials will want you to define yourself and get your meaning

as you think about the deep and significant meaning of your family.

And they'll show these moody shots about the little baby being born and graduating from high school and getting married and having their first home.

And all the soaps and deodorants and foods will want you to think of yourself in terms of your body and get your meaning

by whether you fit that mold or could. The Bible is very different. The Bible calls you back

again and again not to reject the reality of bodies or brotherhoods or things,

...