PART 1
In a world where identity is constantly questioned and redefined, the Bible provides a secure foundation of our identity and a clear purpose for those who follow Christ. We can and should know who we are as children of God. For in Christ, we are not what the world says we are—we are who God says we are. Understanding our identity in Christ is not just about knowledge; it transforms how we live, worship, and relate to others. Over the next few weeks, we will look at 12 foundational truths about your identity in Christ.
First, you and I are the children of God, Paul writes, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” (Galatians 3:26). Being a child of God means you are entirely accepted, deeply loved, and part of God’s family and citizens of the kingdom of God. All this comes by our faith in Jesus alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). J.I. Packer wrote, “If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child.”1
A second consideration is that you and I are loved with a Divine Love. John writes, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1, emphasis added) We are the children of God by faith, and therefore a family of faith seeking to love God and one another deeply. You see, God’s love isn’t just sentimental—it’s transformational. Tim Keller said, “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is a lot like being loved by God.”2 Keller writes this in the context of marriage relationships, but as he points out, to fully know and fully love is how we are loved by God as His children.
We are loved by Jesus more than anyone we will ever meet in our lifetime, and this leads us to our third point. We are valued to such an extent that the full price was paid for our sin, for us, by faith, to enter into a salvific relationship with God. Paul writes to the Romans, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). You see, our worth is not determined by our achievements, appearance, or approval. It’s anchored in the cross and the cross alone. Charles Spurgeon put it this way: “God loved you before time, and He will love you when time is no more.”3 Next time, let’s talk about being chosen, wanted, and called.
PART 2
We examined our identity as Christians, the beloved children of God, who are fully known and loved by God. We acknowledged that we are so valued by God that Jesus died on the Cross for us all. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16-17, also see Galatians 3:26; 1 John 3:1; Romans 5:8). Never forget how much you are loved by God.
Moving on to our fourth point in our series is that you and I are chosen. That’s right, God chose you and me, simply because He loves His creation. To clarify, we did not do anything to deserve it. Paul said, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love…” (Ephesians 1:3-4 emphasis added).
God’s choosing is not based on our performance, but on His purpose (See Ephesians 2:10). In Romans 5:8-9, we read, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.” Please note again that our salvation is by faith alone in Jesus alone through His finished work. John Piper notes, “God’s choice to love you is not based on your loveliness but on the greatness of His mercy.”4
Regarding God making a choice purely out of His mercy, consider the following passage from Isaiah 41:8-10, “But you, Israel, are My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, The descendants of Abraham My friend. You whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its farthest regions, and said to you, ‘You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not cast you away: Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (emphasis mine).
This could lead us to a conversation about predestination and what we find in Romans 9-11. But for now, please remember this: you are loved and chosen by God for salvation despite all your faults. He chose you because of His great mercy, not your goodness. For there is none good (Romans 3:10). We went long on this one, so next time we will continue with our being wanted and called.
PART 3
We explored the aspect of our identity that we are chosen by God and are His beloved, blessed children (see Ephesians 1:3-4; Romans 5:8-9). John Piper’s comment that “God’s choice to love you is not based on your loveliness but on the greatness of His mercy.”4 This seems to sum it up. Now, we move on to the following few points.
Fifth, you and I are wanted. God does not rescue us out of pity; He cares deeply for us, and all of His creation, and has done everything that was required for us to enter into a relationship with Him by faith alone in Christ alone (see Ephesians 2:8-9). In his book, The Explicit Gospel, Matt Chandler reminds us that, “God isn’t in love with some future version of you. He loves you now.”5 The Apostle Paul writes as we have seen earlier that, “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:4-5 emphasis added).
The reality of adoption is genuinely based on real sacrificial choice. We do not end up with an adopted child. We choose, and in today’s world, pay a steep price to love and care for a child with no family. Adoption is near the heart of God, for it is what love does and is pure and undefiled religion (c.f. James 1:27, see below). Never forget that God wants you, and also has a reason.
This brings us to the sixth foundational principle of Christian identity, that we are called. This reality lets us know that we have a purpose that flows from God’s design and His image bearers. You and I are not just saved from something; we are saved for something. Paul writes, as we have seen, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).
This helps us understand James better when he writes, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world” (James 1:22-27). We are chosen and called to participate in the kingdom of God. The answer to why we are here.
PART 4
We are the beloved and blessed children of God who are chosen, wanted, and called for God’s divine kingdom purposes (recall Ephesians 2:10). In other words, there is a clear biblical answer to why you and I are here. God made us for His divine reasons. Now, however hard we try, we cannot fully comprehend the plans of God. Why? The prophet Isaiah makes it clear, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the LORD. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.’” (Isaiah 55:8–9)
So when you feel like you are holding on to life by a thread, remember who you are (the reason for this series) and that God has a reason for you and all you may encounter in this life. No, not all things we go through are good, but He can work all things for our good (Romans 8:28). Why, because He is good. However, moving on in our conversation, we would do well never to forget that, because of God’s love, we are forgiven. The reality of our forgiveness is the seventh point of our identity in Jesus.
It is important to note that our past no longer defines us. God’s forgiveness isn’t partial—it’s complete. Hebrews 8:12 reads, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” Regarding this, though, Corrie ten Boom once said: “God casts our sin into the deepest ocean and puts up a sign that says, ‘No fishing allowed.’”6 God forgives and forgets. This is something we have a difficult time conceptualizing because we are unable to do so. But God is able.
Psalm 103:11-12 reads, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” God has removed our sin through the blood of His only begotten Son. The removal of our sins through His Son’s blood is a central theme in our theology. Several verses highlight this, including 1 John 1:7, which states that “the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.” Additionally, Romans 5:8 emphasizes that “God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
I will leave you with this: you are forgiven. That is who you are. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)
PART 5
Last time, we wrapped up with this beautiful truth: you and I are forgiven! It’s not based on anything we’ve done, but entirely because of what God has done for us. Being forgiven is at the core of who you are. As it says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1). You and I don’t face, and never will face, any condemnation from God because “For He [The Father] made Him [The Son] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
As we dive deeper into our identity in Christ Jesus, let’s celebrate the amazing truth that you and I are set free—this is our eighth point of identity! Yes, you heard that right; we are truly free because God is the ultimate chain breaker. Romans 8:2 beautifully states, “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.” Once burdened by the weight of death due to the law, we have been wonderfully liberated by Jesus. This freedom in Christ means that the chains of guilt, shame, and addiction no longer have a hold on us. Remember, Jesus said, “…if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36) And indeed, we are free! Not free to sin, but free from the power and practice of sin. (See Romans 6)
The ninth identity marker of a disciple is that we are a New Creation. What we once were is not who we are anymore. As Paul beautifully expresses to the church in Corinth, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In Christ, our story is lovingly rewritten by grace. Our past hurt and trauma don’t define us any longer; we now embrace a new identity in Jesus. Yet, it’s sad that so many still hesitate to accept this incredible truth and find themselves stuck in the past.
The Bible encourages us to leave the past behind, focus on the future, and embrace God’s new things. Two key verses are Isaiah 43:18-19 and Philippians 3:13-14. Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” So don’t dwell on the past. Philippians 3:13-14 states, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
The best thing we can do every day is move forward in our new identity in Jesus.
PART 6
Last week, we wrapped up by reflecting on how important it is for us to let go of our past and fully embrace our wonderful new identity in Jesus. So far, we’ve discovered that we are cherished children of God, who are loved and valued beyond measure. Each of us is chosen, wanted, called, forgiven, and set free (See Galatians 3:26; 1 John 3:1; Romans 5:8; Isaiah 41:9-10; Ephesians 1:4-5; Ephesians 2:10; Romans 8:1-2). Yet, our journey is still unfolding! Let’s hold onto the amazing truth that we are a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Our final three identities come together at the end. The first of these are connected and can be discussed as a pair because we are secure in our salvation and the promise of eternal life with God. In other words, we are heaven-bound. How is this possible? Faith in Jesus alone. John 3:16 reads, “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.” This is a clear teaching that no matter who we are, where we come from, or the failures of our past, if we believe in Jesus, we are promised eternal life with God. What a wonderful promise.
The Apostle Paul beautifully references Joel 2:32 in his letter, stating, “For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved’” (Romans 10:13). It’s important to understand that not everyone will be saved, as some believe in a concept known as universalism. However, the wonderful promise remains that all who sincerely call upon Jesus in faith will find security in their salvation. For heaven is not just our hope—it’s our guaranteed destination.
Finally, you and I are absolutely complete in Christ. You don’t need to chase approval or identity elsewhere. Jesus is enough. Colossians 2:9-10 teaches us, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (emphasis added). Dallas Willard concluded, “The most important thing in your life is not what you do; it’s who you become.”7 In Christ, you are enough because He is enough.
Here are some final thoughts! Your identity in Christ is so much more than just a collection of truths—it’s the beautiful perspective through which you can view your entire life. Take time to memorize these truths, meditate on them, and truly live by them. Knowing who you are in Christ wonderfully transforms how you live for Christ.
1J.I. Packer, Knowing God (InterVarsity Press, 1973), p. 201
2Tim Keller, The Meaning of Marriage (Dutton, 2011), p. 95
3Charles Spurgeon, Spurgeon’s Sermons, Volume
4John Piper, Desiring God (Multnomah, 1986), p. 56
5 Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel (Crossway, 2012), p. 142
6 Corrie ten Boom, Tramp for the Lord (Bantam Books, 1974), p. 55
7 Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart (NavPress, 2002), p.22