Identity in Christ

What Scripture Helps Us Understand

Our identity cannot be understood rightly apart from the gospel.

Jesus Christ lived the righteous life we could never live, died the death our sin deserved, and rose again in victory. Those who place their faith in Christ and repent are united with Him and declared righteous before God—not because of their own goodness, but because of the righteousness of Christ.

This is justification.

We do not earn God's acceptance through better behavior, religious performance, or becoming a more impressive version of ourselves. Our standing before God rests upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.

And justification is not the end of God's work in us.

Having been justified, believers are now being sanctified.

Through His Word and the work of the Holy Spirit, God is progressively changing His children to become more like Christ. Our remaining sin is confronted. Our desires are transformed. Our minds are renewed. We learn to put off the old ways of living and increasingly walk in obedience to God.

Sanctification is not an attempt to earn the salvation we have received.

It is the fruit of belonging to Christ.

This changes the way we think about identity.

We are no longer ultimately defined by what we accomplish, what others think of us, what has happened to us, what we possess, or even by our greatest failures.

For the believer, our deepest identity is found in belonging to Jesus Christ.

And Christ is not simply a means to a better identity, a happier life, greater confidence, or the fulfillment of our personal dreams.

Jesus Himself is our treasure.

He is enough for us.

He is not merely someone who helps us obtain what we ultimately want. He is the end of all our pursuits—the One for whom we were created and in whom true life is found.

Questions to Consider

• What most influences the way I think about myself?
• Whose approval or opinion carries the greatest weight in my heart?
• What accomplishment, relationship, role, possession, or ability would be especially difficult for me to lose?
• Do I tend to define myself more by my failures or successes than by what God says is true?
• Am I trying to prove my worth to God or others through my performance?
• What does the gospel teach me about why I can stand accepted before God?
• Where is God currently calling me to grow in Christlikeness?
• Do I desire Christ Himself, or primarily what I hope Christ will give me?

These questions help us consider whether something other than Christ has begun to occupy a place in our hearts that belongs ultimately to Him.

Scripture to Consider

• Genesis 1:26–27

  Human identity begins with God as Creator and mankind as His image-bearers.

• Romans 3:21–26

  Our righteousness before God comes through faith in Jesus Christ rather than our own merit.

• Romans 5:1–2

  Having been justified by faith, believers have peace with God through Jesus Christ.

• 2 Corinthians 5:17–21

  Those who are in Christ are new creations and have been reconciled to God through Him.

• Galatians 2:20

  The believer's life is now inseparably connected to Christ.

• Colossians 3:1–4

  Our lives are hidden with Christ in God, directing our hearts toward things above.

• Philippians 3:7–10

  Paul counts everything else as loss compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ.

• Romans 8:28–29

  God's purpose for His children includes conforming them to the image of His Son.

A Simple Next Step

Take a piece of paper and make two columns.

On one side, write:

Things I am tempted to use to define myself.

Perhaps that includes being a wife, mother, professional, successful person, attractive person, needed person, respected person, good Christian—or perhaps even being defined by something painful from your past.

On the other side, write:

What is true because I belong to Christ?

Then choose one of the passages above and carefully compare the two.

Ask yourself:

What have I been asking to give me an identity that only Christ can ultimately provide?

Then bring that before The Lord.

Thank Him for the finished work of Christ. Ask Him to expose places where you are seeking identity, worth, security, or purpose apart from Him, and pray that He would continue His sanctifying work in your heart.

The goal is not to think more highly of ourselves.

It is to think rightly about God, rightly about ourselves, and increasingly treasure Christ above everything else.

When You Would Like Someone to Walk Alongside You

Questions of identity often reach into many areas of life—relationships, comparison, approval, shame, failure, perfectionism, past experiences, and the expectations we place upon ourselves.

Biblical counseling provides a place to examine these struggles through the truth of Scripture and the gospel, learning to see ourselves rightly in relation to God and to live increasingly from the reality of belonging to Christ.

If you find yourself struggling with identity, approval, worth, or purpose, I would be honored to walk alongside you as you learn to rest in the finished work of Christ and pursue the sanctifying work God is doing in you.