“They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world. Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world. And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart.” John 17:16-19 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/jhn.17.17-19.NET

Repeatedly the Scripture identifies the people of God as those set apart from everyone else in the world. They are set apart not because they are arrogant or self-righteous but because they live differently and think differently than the rest of the world. Christians should be easy to identify because they are driven by two passions, the same two passions that drove their God when He lived among us as one of us in Jesus the Savior. The first passion is the word of God. This word changes our thinking, sets our desires on godly objectives, and orients our lives to a way of living that is observably different from the rest of the world. Our definition of origin, purpose, meaning, and identity come from this word causing us to think, speak, and act differently from all those who ignore God and refuse His authority. Second, the work of the Christian is different from all others. The Son of God came to seek and save the lost, commanding His disciples, His students, and future followers to do the same by going into the world and teaching obedience to everything He commanded. The true work of the Christian is the reconciliation of all people to Jesus Christ the Savior. We do not work for temporal treasure but for an eternal reward through the proclamation of the gospel and the education of all of Jesus’ commands until we are all perfect in our obedience to Him. The word of God and the work of God is what identifies the true child of God. Those who seek God through His word to become like Him in His work are those easiest to identify as the true children of God, being different from the rest of the world.

my book MAN Up! develops this topic further. get yours here