What is my identity in Christ?
The amount of input that travels into our brains through our senses every day is astonishing. The fact that we can identify smells wafting through the house as well as recognizing a neighbor’s voice talking to his dog is all part of the wonderful bodies our God created for us.
We also have a lot of input in the form of words going into our brains. Some input is positive and some is negative. Have you ever given more attention to the negative and lost yourself in it? If so, it is time for us to talk about your identity in Christ.
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What Does The Bible Say About Your Identity in Christ
Jesus states it simply.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. Matthew 16:24-25 NIV
Our identity comes not from ourselves, but from being grounded in Christ. Let’s take a step back and discuss the meaning of the word identity.
- the fact of being who or what a person or thing is
- a close similarity or affinity
According to Psychology Today “Identity encompasses the memories, experiences, relationships, and values that create one’s sense of self. This amalgamation creates a steady sense of who one is over time, even as new facets are developed and incorporated into one's identity.”
Jesus did not mean that we lose who we are when we follow him, only we become so closely related to him that we find our purpose, goals, and contentment through him and his work in our lives.
In John chapter 15, Jesus explains this with an illustration of a vine and branches. He tells us that he is the vine and we are the branches. Our life and subsistence come from him and if we refuse it, we die.
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. John 15:4
He goes on to say
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. (John 15:9-11)
Which answers our next question…
Why Is It Important to Know Your Identity in Christ
Why is it important to know your identity in Christ? Jesus explains it. That we might dwell in his love and joy.
We know that love comes from above and we love at all because God first loved us. We can say the same thing about joy. True joy comes from God, not handed to us in a wrapped package, but developed through time as he works in our hearts and we surrender to him.
People worry that by following Christ they lose their own identity. Jesus isn’t taking away the personality, goals, purpose, and emotions that make you who you are. He is joining with you, his spirit dwelling inside of you, as you draw closer together.
We gain our confidence from him.
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit. John 15:15-16
We are not puppets with God pulling the strings. We are in Christ and he in us. We are not his servants, but his friends.
Meditate on everything God says you are with this I Am – My Identity in Christ coloring book!
Bible Verses About Our Identity in Christ
Remember we were talking about the negative and positive input we are bombarded with every day? Sometimes it is hard to filter out. Far too often we believe the negative and form an inaccurate picture of who we are. Stated plainly, we believe the lies told us.
We begin to identity with those lies rather than the truth we find in scripture.
You Are Loved As You Are
We all want to feel loved and goodness knows, satan is going to try everything he can to prevent it. The more unloved we feel, the more we dislike ourselves, have trouble showing love to others, and sink into depression. Never doubt that God loves you.
- For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
- Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
You are Forgiven
Far too often we identify with our past sins or current struggles and believe that they make us who we are. If we lose our temper and yell at our kids, we are a bad mom. If we selfishly don’t want to share, we are a bad friend.
You are not your sin. If you repent from your heart and do not turn back into that sin, it is gone. It no longer has power over you. There is no reason to identify with it.
One of Satan’s favorite tactics is to throw our past sins and failures into our face. The next time you face those negative thoughts, remind him of these verses.
- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
- For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16-17
You Belong to Christ
God treasures you. He knew you before you were born and loved you before you took your first breath. He has walked beside you through all of your joys and sorrows and has promised to never leave you.
The same God who put the sun and stars into place, created you. He makes no mistakes.
- For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. Romans 8:14-16
- Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; Isaiah 49:15-16
- The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17
- Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13
You are Special
How can God have so many children and love them all the same? Especially when I keep messing up or when I am not doing as important work as so-and-so?
Remember your identity in Christ. You are you, created special with a specific purpose.
- “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16
- “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
God is speaking to Jeremiah here about his prophetic ministry, but even if we are not called to be a prophet, God has a plan for our lives. We are special in his sight.
- For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11
You Are Heard
When you pray and God remains silent do not be discouraged, you are heard. You may be tempted to doubt but hold fast, God has promised that he hears His children when they call unto Him.
- Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:12-13
- This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15
You Are Victorious
Because Jesus conquered death on the cross, we are victorious with him over sin. Because we serve an all powerful God and are called His children, we are victorious in our daily lives.
- You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4
- Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4
- I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
So often, the lies tell us that we cannot do it. We feel overwhelmed with anxiety, fear, uncertainty, and stress. With these negative emotions we doubt who we are in Christ as we look more to the world around us than we do to the only one who can give us victory.
You Are Saved
This world can take a lot from us. It can leave us broken and discouraged, but it cannot take away who we are in Christ. We are saved through the blood of the lamb, called by our Heavenly Father to believe in His son, unto salvation.
- For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13
- For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8
I Am Who God Says I am
Never forget who you are, my friend. Satan will take every opportunity to make you question and doubt, but your identity in Christ is solid. It is not dependent on circumstances, feelings, world events, or the opinions of others. You can rest in this confidence!
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