Who Do You Think You Are?

Who Do You Think You Are?


How to Find Your True Identity in Christ

Who are you? That’s a question many people struggle to answer.

Too often, people base their identities on what they do (from their jobs to their roles in relationships), defining themselves by those pursuits. But by doing so, they significantly limit their lives. The truth is that God intends for all people to find their identity in Christ.

If you’re a Christian, your identity encompasses all the abundance of being a beloved child of God. Here’s how you can start living your life fully in Christ, keeping in mind that:

You’re a saint. The fact that we’ve placed our trust in Jesus Christ is enough to qualify us to be a saint. Even though we’ll still struggle with sin (Even the Apostle Paul said “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Romans 7:15) while we live in this fallen world, our core identity as a Christian is as a saint, not a sinner – and we can always count on Jesus’ help to overcome sin in our lives. As John tells us, “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ,..” (1 John 2:1) Rely on His help to resist temptation. When we do sin, confess and repent. ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ (Luke 24:47b)

Maintain attitudes of humility and gratitude for God’s grace.

You’re blessed. God has given us the greatest blessing of all – Himself. No matter what other blessings God may or may not choose to send into our lives, we can always be confident that God Himself will be with us, loving us, and working everything in our life out for good purposes when we trust Him to do so. This leads us to a scripture that is sometimes the hardest for us to understand: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28)

God also brings many different, specific blessings into our life regularly. We should make a habit of reflecting on those blessings every day and thanking Him for them. The Psalmist writes “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people he chose for his inheritance.” (Psalm 33:12)

You’re saved. Thanks to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we’re saved from: sin, death, Satan, our old human nature, and a pattern of worldly living. Paul writes to the church in Rome that, “Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.” (Romans10:13) We can respond in gratitude to our salvation by doing good works that God has prepared for us to do, to help others discover relationships with Him and help redeem this fallen world.

You’re reconciled. Jesus has spiritually reconciled us to God and other believers. “For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19)

Since God plans for all Christians – from all the diverse types of backgrounds on Earth – to live harmoniously together in heaven forever, we should do our best to live harmoniously here and now. We need to let the Holy Spirit help us be peaceful, humble, and compassionate toward other people.

You’re afflicted. Everyone in this fallen world – Christians and non-Christians alike – must endure suffering. Jesus Himself told us this in John 16:33 that “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows”. However, as a Christian, our suffering can accomplish good, redemptive purposes. Rather than asking “Why?” when we suffer, ask “Who?” instead, shifting our focus from trying to figure out something that we may not be able to understand and toward seeking God Himself, who promises to always be with us. “The sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Rom. 8:18) And, “If we endure we shall also reign with Him.” (II Tim. 2:12) We need to ask Jesus to use the suffering we experience to make us more like Him and point more people to Him.

You’re heard. God always hears and responds to our prayers when we’re connected to Him through Jesus. We can feel free to confidently express any of our thoughts and feelings to God at any time, expecting Him to listen to us and answer our prayers according to what’s best for us. The Apostle John tells us we can approach God and “that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us” (1 John 5:14) And the Psalmist says that “I love the LORD because he hears my voice and my prayer for mercy.” Psalm 116:1

You’re gifted. God has given each of us special abilities that He wants us to use in the Christian ministry work He calls us to do – both inside our church, and out in our community. You can discover those gifts by asking yourself questions like: “Whom/where do you have a passion to serve?”, What do you have a burden to do?”, “What needs do you see in the church?”, “What do you find joy in doing for others?”, “What opportunities has God already provided for you to serve others?”, “What things are you best at and have the most success in?”, “What have godly people commended you for doing?”, and “What acts of service have given you the deepest sense of satisfaction?” The Bible has a lot to say about gifts. This is just one scripture that focuses on our Spirit given gifts: “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” (Romans 12:6-8)

You’re new. Jesus placed a new spirit within us when we began a relationship with Him, so, at our core, we’re a new person than who we were before we became a Christian. Look at what the Bible says: “…. anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17) Wow!!

However, we will keep learning and growing every day for the rest of our life as we gradually become more like Jesus.

You’re forgiven. Since Jesus paid the price that God’s justice demands for our sin and took God’s wrath for us upon Himself, we were forgiven for all of our sins when we placed our trust in Jesus. Just look at this powerful scripture: ‘if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9)

We can thank Jesus for forgiving us by obeying His commands to forgive others who have harmed us and to seek forgiveness from people we’ve harmed. Forgiving others is big deal with God. Jesus said “… if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins” (Matthew 6:15)

You’re adopted. As a Christian, we’ve been adopted into God’s family. The work of our big brother – Jesus – on the cross has made it possible for us to become one of the sons or daughters of God the Father. The Bible says “you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.” (Romans 8:15-17) So we need to make it our main goal of life to learn how to know, love, and trust God as our Father.

You’re loved. While the people who love us can’t do so completely unselfishly, continually, or perfectly, God does. As a Christian, nothing can ever separate us from God’s great love for us. Look at this wonderful promise: “And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons] neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

You’re rewarded. God will reward us for everything faithful and holy that we do as a Christian. Although we can’t earn our salvation, after we’ve been saved we can earn rewards in heaven for the work we do serving God on Earth. “Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” (Colossians 3:23-24)

You’re victorious. Jesus has given us the power to ultimately overcome evil, sin, and death. We must use the spiritual weapons at our disposal as a Christian (truth, righteousness, the Gospel, faith, salvation, scripture, prayer, and the strength to stand) in spiritual battles, trusting that we can always emerge victorious. And this is backed up by scripture: “For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)