Who am I? Discovering Your Identity in Christ

As a Christian in today's society, it is very important to understand your identity in Christ. You need to know who you are and whose you are.

Your identity was established way before the beginning of time.

Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said, Let us make man in our own image, after our likeness.”

God said He wants you to look like Him. We have people out here who are trying to look like certain celebrities and taking on other people’s identities and we have the all powerful God in the heavens saying He created us to look like Him.

So how is it that we can sit around and overly criticize ourselves?

Genesis 1:31 says, “And God saw everything that He made, and behold it was very good.”

God was basically saying that He doesn’t make bad stuff. In other words, He doesn’t make junk. You are seen by God as good, top of the line, precious. Not only did He make you all of that, He made you unique and one of a kind. In addition to Him creating you in His image, He also created you with a purpose. God has a special purpose that He wants us all to accomplish in this life. We may not know if yet, but He will reveal it to you as you develop a more intimate relationship with Him by spending more and more quality time with Him.

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

Psalms 139:14 says, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.

I know we hear this all of the time but do we actually believe it? You can’t believe it unless you understand your identity in Christ and have a relationship with Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away behold, all things are become new.”

There is your identity in Christ. When you accepted Him as Lord and Savior of your life, you took on the identity of a new creature. You took on the identity of being saved and justified by the blood. Because of this, you don’t have to run around searching for acceptance from others. According to Ephesians (Ch 1, vs 4-6) you were chosen before the foundation of the world, adopted as children by Jesus to himself, and accepted into the beloved. Nothing anyone can say about you will change this identity but here comes the enemy ready to make your believe that’s not true.

The devil is out to attack your identity. He wants you to walk around constantly questioning who you are even though you know who you are in Christ. He wants you to feel bad about yourself. He want you to feel hopeless. He wants you to throw a pity party. He wants you to take on another identity other than Christ. Break that chain!

I’m going to give you 4 places in which your identity isn’t found:

1. Your identity is not found In social status or achievements
   1. Many people in society identify themselves by social status and materialistic values such as popularity, how many followers or likes they have, wealth, friendships/relationships, clothes, houses, cars, degrees, etc.
   2. These things are temporary. If your identity is planted in these things, it’s easy to feel empty inside. Once these things perish or “go away”, you will feel like you have nothing else to hold you or define you.
   3. You will start comparing your lives to others based off of what you have. Comparison is the thief of your joy. You start feeling like you’re not good enough. Knowing your identity is rooted in Christ brings contentment. I Timothy 6:6 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. Vs. 7 goes on to say, “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
2. Your identity is not found in other people’s (or even your own) opinion of you
   1. In this world, people are going to judge and talk about you. People are always going to have something negative to say about you. You could be doing the best job in this world but we live in a society where people are going to “nit-pick” every part of you to make themselves feel better or simply because they don’t like you. Other people’s opinions are not your business. You can’t let people make you feel inferior. You can’t afford to take that on as an identity. You also can’t afford to make yourself feel worthless. God says so many good things about us in the bible. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can so the good things he planned for us long ago.
3. You identity is not found in generational curses
   1. A generational curse is defined as a defilement that was passed down from one generation to the next and so on. This could be alcoholism, teen pregnancy, domestic abuse, etc. You are not defined by what your parents or other family members have done in the past. When you accepted Christ, that chain was broken! You are a new creature and you are not held in bondage by a generational curse. Galatians 5:1 says, Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
4. Your identity is not found in your mistakes
   1. No one sitting in this room is perfect.  If that was the case, John 3:16 would have never happened. It states, “For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son that whosoever shall believe on him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Then it goes on to say in vs. 17, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved.” So why is it that we always condemn ourselves to the point you can’t get up and do what God has called us to do? You don’t have time to beat yourself up every time you make a mistake. That’s what the devil wants you to do. He wants you to start beating yourself up and making your feel like you’re not good enough or worthy enough to approach the throne of God’s grace or even accomplish what it is that God has you here to do.
   2. God wants you to repent, get up, and hit the ground running working the purpose He has set before you. Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. You may not always get it right, but you are intentional about your walk with Christ.  One thing for sure, you are not defined by your shortcomings.

 

You identity is rooted in Christ and Christ alone. Your worth and value is found in Christ. Nobody can take your identity in Christ from you once you have accepted Him in your life. He is your firm foundation. In order to understand your identity in Christ, you have to read your bible DAILY and pray, in order to develop a close relationship with Him. That way you will be able to drown out the noise and lies of the enemy. Instead, choose to lean on the truth! Cast down what comes against the word of God. 2 Corinthians 10:5 says, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;