We live in a world that tells us we must earn our worth. From a young age, we are conditioned to believe our value is determined by our talents, possessions, accomplishments, and appearance. The message heard loud and clear across society is that we are only as good as what we can offer.
As Christians, however, our identity is not found in anything we do or have, but in who God says we are. The Bible tells us that we have been set apart and chosen by God. Despite our flaws and failures, He has called us and anointed us for purpose. Here are some key truths to remember about your identity in Christ:
Key Takeaways:
- You are loved unconditionally by God
- You have been set apart for His purposes
- God knew you and chose you before you were born
- You have been adopted into God’s family
- You have direct access to God through Jesus
- God has gifted you uniquely to serve His Kingdom
- You are a new creation in Christ
- You have the Holy Spirit living within you
- You are forgiven and redeemed by Jesus’ sacrifice
You Are Unconditionally Loved
The world strives for love through personal effort, but God’s love is freely given without cost or condition. His love is not earned by good behavior or lost through mistakes. Here is what the Bible says about God’s unconditional love:
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. (John 3:16)
God loves the entire world, including you. His love is not limited to certain ethnicities, social classes, or moral achievers. He loves the world unconditionally.
The Father also loves you as His precious child. Jesus said:
For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. (John 16:27)
You may have had earthly parents who fell short, but God will never stop loving you. He loves you fully for who you are.
Nothing you do can make God love you any more or any less. As Romans 8:38-39 (ESV) affirms:
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Revel in the truth that Almighty God loves you unconditionally!
You Have Been Set Apart
As someone who follows Jesus, you have been set apart for God’s purposes. You are not part of the world anymore but called to live differently.
The Bible often refers to believers as “saints,” meaning those who are set apart or sanctified:
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:1)
To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints (Romans 1:7)
Sainthood is not something you earn. It is simply the state of being set apart for God through faith in Jesus. This set-apart status is meant to shape every aspect of your life. As Romans 12:2 explains:
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
You are called to live differently than the world by pursuing God’s will, not fleeting worldly aims. Of course, you will continue to stumble, but your overall trajectory is changed.
As one set apart for Christ, your decisions, goals, ethics, priorities, and lifestyle should align with His purposes. You have a new identity that calls you to live distinctly.
God Knew You Before You Were Born
Long before you took your first breath, God knew you. He did not simply foresee that you would exist, but personally selected you.
The prophet Jeremiah received this word from the Lord:
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:5)
God knew Jeremiah and had a plan for his life before conception. He also foreknew you and the good works you would walk in one day:
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)
There has never been a time when God did not know you or love you. Your life is the fulfillment of His purposes set in motion long ago. You matter profoundly to Him!
You Have Been Adopted by God
Sin separates us from God, but Jesus came to reconcile us to the Father. When you put your faith in Christ, you are adopted into God’s family:
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12)
You gain all the privileges of being God’s adopted son or daughter. The Apostle Paul marvels at this in Galatians 4:4-7:
But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.
Through Christ, you have direct access to the Father as His beloved child. You relate to Him with the intimacy of a child calling out “Abba Father.” You also become an heir to God’s eternal promises.
This adoption fills what was missing from your earthly family. You gain the perfect Father who will never leave you. You also join a vast family of brothers and sisters in Christ. Belonging to the household of God gives you an unshakeable identity.
You Have Direct Access to God
Before Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, only the Jewish high priest could enter God’s presence in the temple’s most holy place. A heavy curtain separated God’s glory from sinful man. But Scripture records what happened when Jesus died:
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. (Matthew 27:50-51a)
The torn veil symbolized that we can now approach God directly through Christ’s atoning work. You no longer need a human priest as an intermediary.
The book of Hebrews urges us to draw near to God without hesitation:
Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus . . . let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings. (Hebrews 10:19, 22)
You have direct access to the throne room of heaven. Come boldly and faithfully before your Abba Father!
God Has Gifted You Uniquely
God designed you with specific gifts, talents and experiences to serve His purposes on earth. As 1 Corinthians 12:7 states:
Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
The Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts among believers for the good of the church. You likely have gifts you have yet to discover.
Ephesians 4:11-13 tells us the Lord gifted some to be:
- Apostles
- Prophets
- Evangelists
- Pastors
- Teachers
As each part of the body does its work, the church matures and expands. You have a vital role to play.
Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal your gifts, and then steward them diligently. The church needs you! Do not bury what God designed you to offer.
You Are a New Creation in Christ
When you made Jesus your Lord and Savior, you did not simply turn over a new leaf. You began a new life as a new person!
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The old sinful you is dead. Your new identity is alive in Christ! Colossians 3:3 affirms this truth:
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.
The old habits and mindsets may still tempt you, but they no longer define you. You have put off the old self and put on the new self (Ephesians 4:22-24). You are a new creation in Christ!
The Holy Spirit Lives Within You
At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live within every believer. This is an incredible gift! God’s Spirit guides, comforts, convicts, transforms, and empowers you from within.
The Apostle Paul uses the metaphor of a temple to describe the Spirit’s presence:
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
Just as God’s presence filled the Old Testament temple, the Spirit now fills you. You can sense the Spirit’s leading and respond in obedience. The Holy Spirit is God living within you!
You Are Forgiven and Redeemed
Your identity is not based on your sinful past. All your wrongs died with Christ on the cross. You are now clothed in His righteousness alone.
Colossians 2:13-14 says:
When you were dead in your sins . . . God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.
All sins – past, present and future – are nailed to the cross! You are fully pardoned and made alive through Jesus.
First John 1:9 gives us this promise:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
You are not defined by sin or shame but by Christ’s complete redemption. You are free because He has forgiven you!
Conclusion
The world will tell you that you must prove your worth. But your identity in Christ is unconditional. You are loved, chosen, called, gifted, and saved by God Almighty!
No earthly achievement or shame can alter who He says you are. You belong to the King of Kings. You have been set apart for His purposes. Walk boldly in your God-given identity!
