Text: Ephesians 2:4-7
We need to understand our identity in Christ Jesus. It’s not just about claiming Bible verses for you! Having your identity in Christ means that you place your trust in living the Christian life in what the Lord Jesus accomplished for you.
Being in Christ means that you learn to do everything you do with Jesus in the Kingdom of God. This means that you are yielding to the life of God in you and that you are living the life led and led by the Spirit.
Gal. 2:20 says I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless, I live, Yet, not I, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loves me and gave Himself for me.
Christian individuality is not defined in terms of who we are and ourselves. It is defined in terms of what God does to us and the relationship He creates with us and the destiny He designates for us.
God has been the one who made us who we are so we need to make known of who He is. Our identity is used to make His identity known.
One of the most important revelations we can get from God’s Word is to understand who we are in Christ. Identifying with Christ will change the way we live and make us overcome adversity. Failure to understand our identity in Him will make us live far below our rights and privileges in Christ.
What does it mean to identify with Christ? It is normal for us to identify with something or someone. It makes us feel connected and gives us a sense of belonging.
In our daily lives, we identify with a person, an organization, a profession, a nationality or a church. We also have an identity in the spiritual realm. The scriptures say that we were crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20). Not only do we die with Him on the cross at Calvary, but we also rise with him. We can see this in our Bible passage:
Ephesians 2: 4–7
According to the passage, we are seated with Christ in heavenly places. Unfortunately, some Christians are going through an identity crisis. They do not know who they are in Christ or where they are sitting. Instead of identifying with Christ, they identify with the problems they face. You can say that they do this because they call themselves their problems: divorced, bankrupt, etc.
Some are identified with a profession. They say things like “I’m a lawyer” or I’m an Engineer.” But their profession is not who they are; that is what they do. Others identify with the disease that attacks their bodies. Some called themselves diabetic or asthmatic patients; they called themselves different kinds of names.
Once we understand our identity in Christ, who we are in Him; this changes the way we think and live. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV) says, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are past; behold, all things have become new.”
Before we were in Christ, we have been destined for death and destruction. We are now destined for eternal life (1 John 2:25).
Before we were in Christ, our lives were destined for despair, degradation, and poverty. But in Christ, we are destined to have life and to have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
It is in Christ that our identity must be. It is in Jesus that we are somebody!
Have you ever noticed in the scriptures that God often changed people’s identities?
They looked at each other in a way, but God told them who they really were. That’s what happened with Gideon. He was so terrified of the Midianites that he hid in a press to thresh his wheat. He believed that the Midianites would accept what little they had if they saw him threshing grain (Judges 6: 1–11).
One day the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). Gideon acted like anything but a powerful warrior! However, when he finally saw himself as God saw him, he went on to deliver the Israelites (Judges 7: 1–25).
God also changed the name of Abram. It was impossible for Abram and his wife Sarai to have children. But God said – You will no longer be called Abram; your name will be Abraham because I made you the father of many nations. (Genesis 17: 5). God also changed the name of Sarai to Sarah (Gen. 17: 15). The word of God was fulfilled when Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
God calls these things that are not as they were (Rom. 4:17). In the natural realm, what God calls us may not exist. But in your eyes that’s it. Therefore, we must speak of ourselves in the same way as God.
What God says about us is in His Word. Here are some things we are and have in Christ:
– We are new creatures (2 Cor. 5:17).
– We are the righteousness of God our creator (2 Cor. 5:21).
– We were healed (1 Peter 2:24).
– We have been enriched (2 Cor. 8: 9).
– We are accepted (Ephesians 1: 6).
– We are free from sin (Romans 6: 20-22).
Psalm 23:4 says, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. I like to say that verse like this: though I walk through all of the mess that the devil tries to put on me, I will fear no evil. Through my identification with Jesus Christ, I can walk on scorpions and not be harmed. I can walk on whatever that tries to hinder my way and come out victoriously.
It’s time for us to stand up and be whom God says we are. And we need to let the devil understand that we know who we are in Christ Jesus. Anytime he tries to attack us, we can throw our shoulders back and say, don’t mess with me devil. I’m identified with Christ!