When law enforcement is sent to investigate a crime, one of the first and most important questions they need to resolve is the identify of the possible suspect and victim of the crime. Some of the first steps they may take are asking witnesses information as to what they have seen, obtaining fingerprints from the scene or facial recognition from a security system. However, once they have a name, or even better a name and date of birth, they can quickly identify the person they are looking for. If the victim in the crime is initially considered a “Jane Doe” it takes further investigation into the mystery of solving and confirming the identity.
As Christians, in heaven our names are written in the Lambs Book of Life and we are born-again (our spiritual birthday, Revelation 3:5). This is what identifies us. As is sometimes the case, there are numerous born-again Christians that falter in how significant their identity in Christ really is. Many walk around almost as a “Christian Jane Doe.” You may have heard the phrase “I’m just a sinner saved by grace”, but in reality that is not an accurate or Biblical way a Christian should identify or view themselves. We were sinners (Romans 5:8), but we are now saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8). We were under the old law and it’s demands, but now we are under the new covenant which is IN Christ Jesus (Hebrews 8:12-13). This passage referring to the new covenant in Christ applies to both Jews and Gentiles that receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Will Christians still sin. Of course! As long as we are living in this fallen world, we still have and battle a flesh nature, even though we are alive with the Holy Spirit living inside of us. But when God looks at us, he does not identify us as “sinners” any longer. He has blotted out our sins as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). He does not focus on the old self, even though while we are still on earth he is in the process of sanctifying and renewing us for His glory, but rather he sees us as if looking on Christ himself – His Beloved Son! Perfect, acceptable, and holy! What an encouragement that is to my soul.
To unravel the mystery of a Christians true identity we can look at five truths from the Word of God.
WHO
It is important to know who we are in Christ. Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” We were slaves to sin, but now we are redeemed. How refreshing to see that the old is gone, past tense, only to be drenched in the perfect grace of Jesus Christ. Many years ago, I was told an analogy of how God sees us in Christ. It depicted a man standing in a white robe under a waterfall. The water was flowing all around him, covering his entire being, and didn’t stop flowing. That is a beautiful picture of how we are continually washed in the blood of Jesus, covering all of our sins. The flow of grace never ends! When we let really let the grace and mercy of Jesus drench us in the never ending flow of love and forgiveness what a joy to our hearts and outlook that should be. Paul also went on to say in Ephesians 1:7-8, “In him (Christ), we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.” Jesus calls us soldiers, and more than conquers. In Christ we are the Beloved, the redeemed and children of the Most High God. We are blessed and highly favored. We are a royal priesthood. And this list goes on and on with beautiful promises of who we are because we are in Christ!
WHAT
Throughout the New Testament, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ have many titles; Saints, servants, brothers and sisters, little children, soldiers, and the Elect, to name a few, that identifies our standing in Christ. This completely changes a person’s identity in both the earth and heaven for all of eternity!
When you are a child of God, if someone asks you what you are, and you answer that you are a Christian, that would be correct. But it is highly important to recognize your standing and position with God. You are part of a family, the family of God. You are a citizen of Heaven and Ambassador of the Most High God. You represent the Kingdom of Heaven, and that is even more of a reality than just being a citizen of an earthy country because God’s kingdom is everlasting. If you were a United States Ambassador in another country, you have been granted the position and authority to make and execute decisions for the best of your home country and are backed by the United States government. How much more important are we to the Kingdom of God. He is our King, giving us orders to carry out. He tells us to take authority over the enemy, and how to accomplish that directive (Ephesians 6:10-17). He tells us to give to the widow and orphan, and to show hospitality. The orders are coming from our true home and from the King of Kings himself. What an honor that is to be in right standing, through Christ, as a citizen of the majestic Kingdom of heaven. Paul wrote, in the letter to the Colossians, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” Remember your position in Christ, and humbly accept your assignment from Him.
WHY
A question remains as to why, a holy God, would create us in His image and graciously allow us to be part of His eternal family. One reason would be found in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” God wanted us to become His righteousness. What a loving and merciful God! In Psalm 8, when David asked “What is man that you are mindful of Him?” it was because God had us in mind from all of eternity (Psalm 139:16).
God wanted a family, and human beings were the only part of His creation that was created in His image. Jesus died to save the world, and this pleased His father. An unbeliever or sinner is considered apart from Christ, and until they repent and turn to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, will be cast away forever from the family of God. Jesus came to do the will of the Father and that was to save humanity (John 17; John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:4). We bring glory to God when we receive His Son Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Eternity is made to worship and glorify God, and how marvelous it is to have a multitude of saints in God’s family to forever praise and honor Him. In Ephesians 1:4-6, we are told “Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.” We are blessed in the Beloved Jesus Christ. Our identity will always be sons through Jesus, completing the will of God to be part of his family.
WHERE
Our ability to place our identity in Christ came at the cross. The most precious sacrifice that has ever been made to God was the death of His Beloved Son. It pleased God to crush Him for our sake (Isaiah 53:10), and while that is an alarming statement in a sense, God knew Jesus’ sacrifice was the only way to save His family. By this act of sacrifice He would see his offspring, His family, and the will of the Lord prospered in His hand. It is written in Luke 23:33 “And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.” Jesus endured a horrific death, death on the cross, in order to allow us to be saved for all of eternity. He died the death of a criminal, even though there was no sin found in Him. But, because the power of God raised Christ from the dead, believers are now IN Christ, co-heirs with Jesus. Those 3 days, from Gethsemane, to the cross, to the grave, and raised to heaven is where our redemption took place (Ephesians 2:4-9). We are now seated in heavenly places with Christ. Not someday, but today!
WHEN
It is such a comforting thought to know that from the beginning of time, God was present. It is made very clear when God showed Himself as our only way of redemption, allowing us new identity in Christ. John 1:1-3 states “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) as with God and the Word (Jesus) was God. He (Jesus) was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” I inserted the name of Jesus next to the Word because that is Christ’s identity. He IS the Word. He IS God. And when we are IN Christ, we have His life in us, because He is the light of men. We are now children of light and not darkness (Ephesians 5:8).
Take a moment to meditate on some of the many characteristics of your identity as believers in our Lord and Savior.
IN CHRIST YOU ARE……….
| Love by God (Colossians 3:12) | Bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) |
| Called by God (2 Timothy 1:9) | Chosen by God (1 Thessalonians 1:4; Romans 8:33) |
| Alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5) | One with Christ (John 17:22) |
| Have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) | Are complete in Him (Colossians 2:10) |
| Victorious (Revelation 21:7) | Free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2) |
| More than a conqueror (Romans 8:37) | The head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28:13) |
| Always triumphant in Christ (2 Corinthians 2:14) | Given the blessings of Abraham (Galatians 3:14) |
| Blessed coming in and going out (Deut. 28:6) | Given every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3) |
| Healed by the stripes of Jesus (1 Peter 2:24) | A new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) |
| Holy Spirit filled (1 Corinthians 3:17) | Forgiven (Acts 13:38-39) |
| A royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) | Grace filled (Romans 5:17) |
| An ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20) | Covered in righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) |
| Redeemed (Colossians 1:14) | A child of God (1 John 3:2) |
| Free from darkness (Isaiah 61:1) | Justified by faith (Romans 5:1) |
| Beloved of God (Romans 1:7) | Adopted by God (Ephesians 1:5-6) |
| A member of Christ’s body (Eph. 5:29-30) | An heir of God (Romans 8:16) |
| Filled with the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22) | Rooted in Love (Ephesians 3:17) |
| Reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:18) | Uniquely gifted (1 Peter 4:10) |
| Blessed and highly favored (Psalm 84:4) | Eternally secure (Ephesians 1:13) |