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How am I supposed to know my true identity? Should I know my true identity? What are people’s perspectives on me? These are questions I’m sure we find ourselves asking a lot! We make assumptions every day, whether that be about ourselves and our own feelings, or about what others are thinking. As Christians, we need to remind ourselves daily that our identity is in Christ; but what does this mean, and should it affect the way we live our lives? The bible has the answers to all of these questions! It is important to note, that God doesn’t necessarily reveal his plans for us all in one go or in a specific way; we may not experience a moment of revelation or a sudden realisation. It may be that God is slowly and gradually working things together in your life and that requires patience, stillness and faith to know that he is in complete control; ‘Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails”, Proverbs 19 v 21. For this promise to be instilled in us, prayer is essential! As Christians, some things that are important to understand first and foremost are: who am I now that I belong to Christ? How does God see me? And what does God plan to do in my life? (Romans 8 covers these questions; ‘There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’, Romans 8v1). This in itself is mind-blowing!! Remembering that Jesus embodied perfection and humility, died a painful death on a cross, shed his precious blood and rose again defeating death and sin forever; it is only when we dwell upon the truth of the gospel, that we can truly begin to understand that God is sovereign over all. Christ took the penalty of our sin and shame when he died, this is how we know that we have complete assurance that we are accepted by God and are secure in His love. Romans 8 shows us that the glory of being a Christian does not merely lie in the fact that we are no longer estranged from God because of our sin. It also recognises who we are and who we have become in Christ which is genuinely thrilling! God made us who we are so we could make known who He is. If Christ lives in us, his joy becomes our joy, his peace, our peace, his love, our love, his strength, our strength. ‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; behold, all things have become new’, 1 Corinthians 5v17. This verse describes a complete and full transformation. God does not
merely clean up our old selves; he makes an entirely new self, we should rejoice in this! Knowing our true identity takes on a new meaning when we read these truths in the bible. If we truly have a relationship with Jesus, we should be striving to become more like him with his help through prayer and the intercession of the Holy Spirit; Romans 8v26-27, ‘the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness; for example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for, but ‘the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.’ If we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and have been forgiven, not only are we children of God, but we are citizens of Heaven - ‘But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ’, Philippians 3v20. Through Jesus, we are made new and belong to the people of heaven, this should fuel us to act in a way that is not of this world. We may feel like we don’t know where we belong or what decisions to make, but we don’t need to worry if Christ is living within us! We can be rest assured in the knowledge of God’s omniscient presence and love for us. The bible is a book full of stories of how God took sinful people and used them for his glory. Take Rahab for example, a lower class woman without a reputable profession; people hardly thought she was going to change the world! In Joshua 2, Israelite spies are sent to Jericho to see the land, once there, they meet Rahab, who offers to hide them and even lies to her king’s men in order to protect these strangers. Rahab and the spies were scared, however, Rahab had knowledge of how God had protected the Israelites before against the Egyptians. Rahab was lost, but she listened to God and responded in faithful obedience. The spies promise to spare her and her family when they enter the land, because of the kindness that she showed them. Her true identity changed! If you are a Christian, think about how you came to faith in the Lord. You may have heard stories of friends and family whose lives had been changed. Maybe you heard of the great things God has done in the past, just like Rahab, and with her, you are able to say ‘the Lord is God in heaven above and on Earth below.’ Our response to the gospel will look differently to Rahab’s though, this is because we have a more complete understanding of redemption through Christ. Ultimately, our identity will change the same way that Rahab’s did, because of the great things the Lord has done! Joshua goes on to describe how Rahab and her family were indeed spared; Rahab was also cleansed and was fully included in God’s remnant. That is the last that we hear of Rahab in the Old Testament, however, her faithful obedience is praised in Hebrews 11 v 31; ‘by faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.’ James 2v25, also tells us that she was ‘justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way.’ Our identity being rooted in Christ requires a life change. Our new nature should mean that we are devoted to his service; something that we are incapable of doing or even desiring to do in our old nature. This is talked about in Ephesians 2, ‘once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.’ When we become united with God through Christ, our sin is buried and we are raised ‘to walk in the newness of life’ with Him, Romans 6v4. We
have the choice to either feed the new nature through prayer, reading the word and being obedient to God’s precepts, or we can feed the flesh and our worldly desires by neglecting those biblical pillars. Colossians 3v5 says, ‘Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature.’ It may be a struggle some days. We may feel discouraged in ourselves or downhearted at times due to various situations in life. This is our two natures being at war with one another; however, there is always hope! We now can have a new perspective and can resist sin, in Christ. Matthew 5v3-4 says, ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’ We get to inherit the kingdom of heaven if we seek after it, we are heirs of eternal life.
How exciting is this?! That not only do we get to live for God each day, but we can also be filled with joy and peace. We have been granted true meaning in life. The deeper we go into our relationship with God, the more and more our identity in Him will be revealed, but only if we are continually trusting and pursuing him.
What a wonderful Saviour Christ is!
21 November 2021 JM
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