Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
It was only a few years ago when the vast majority of people in our culture would not have uttered the question, “How do you identify?”—we couldn’t even imagine what that would have meant. Today, though, this question is not only understood by people of all ages, but it’s being pushed as normative. (Some even demand it be a requisite inquiry—because any assumptions are otherwise seen as “hateful”.) And the potential answers? Well, that’s something else altogether…boys say they’re girls, girls say they’re boys, some say they are neither…or both (that’s for today, though, and it may change tomorrow). Or someone could tell you they’re a “furry”—a cat, dog, or some anime character. Yup, Satan is having a grand ol’ time confusing young people, dividing families, and creating emotional and psychological misery that’s leading more young people than ever to consider suicide.
Humans, however, are all made in the image of God—Imago Dei. “Male and female, He created them” (Genesis 1:27). And you are fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14), despite the filtered looks of those whom you emulate or how social media “friends” react to pics you post.
Even more amazing, once we surrender to Jesus as Lord and Savior, another wonderful thing happens at that moment: We become a new creation in Christ—the old has passed, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).
But is this how we identify as we walk through the world? Or, although a Christian, do we still battle with who we were before, identifying ourselves as we were pre-salvation?
I don’t know about you, but I didn’t come to Christ until age 30. And, until that time, I was definitely living according to my flesh—doing what felt good and trying to satisfy the God-shaped hole is my soul with everything but God. Not that anyone asked how I “identified” (again, that wasn’t a thing), but there were definitive characteristics I could have used: drunk, promiscuous, drug user, party girl. Of course, all these came with another set of associated identities: ashamed, burdened, humiliated, weary. Ah, then…but God. Being rich in mercy, because He loved me, even when I was dead in my sins, He made me alive with Christ, by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:1-10). Now, although I immediately became a new creation, taking on the righteousness of Jesus while He took my unrighteousness, it would have been easy to glom on to my previous self-identifiers. I could have put on my “Christian” nametag, while maintaining some or all of my other labels.
Think about your own walk with the Lord…how do you identify? Although you love Jesus, are you “angry”, “addicted”, “burdened”? Oh friend, you must correctly self-identify! Remember who you are in Christ: You’re chosen by God and adopted as His child (Ephesians 1:3-8); you’re redeemed and forgiven of all your sins (Colossians 1:13-14); you are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:9-10); you’re free from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2); and you’re a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20).
The enemy of your soul loves to hiss condemnation in your ear, wanting nothing more than for you to forget these truths—and stay shackled to your past (in self-beliefs or behaviors). But, beloved, you have one true identity: You are who He says you are.
Father, I stand firm in my Christ-bought identity as a child of God. Help me walk confidently according to this truth, despite the world around me shouting otherwise.
encouraged by grace 