In Christ

– April 24, 2023

Paul David Tripp correctly wrote, “Either you will be getting your identity vertically, from who you are in Christ, or you will be shopping for it horizontally in the situations, experiences, and relationships of your daily life.”

What about you? Are you getting your identity from who you are in Christ, or are you shopping for it elsewhere? That leads to the question, of course: Who am I in Christ? And to answer that question, we should ask the next question, What do the Scriptures say?

Below is a list designed to help us answer that question. It’s categorized under three headings: I Am Accepted, I Am Secure, I Am Significant. To some degree, these are the questions that we’re all trying to answer in life. Am I accepted by someone who matters? Am I secure in my life? Does my life even matter? The Scriptures have something to say to us here, which means God has something to say to you here.

Read over the list below. Take note of the ones that stir something in you. Look up their references in your copy of God’s Word, and meditate on those Scriptures. And take these with you into your day and week, finding your identity from above, and not from the cheap imitations offered from the world around you.

(Full disclosure: I did not create this list, but I have had it on file for nearly twenty years and I have no record of where it originated. If you have seen this before elsewhere, that’s why, and you can feel free to send me the reference. One more note, this list is by no means exhaustive. Search the Scriptures daily, and see what God has to say about who you are in His Son!)

Either you will be getting your identity vertically, from who you are in Christ, or you will be shopping for it horizontally.

Paul David Tripp, Dangerous Calling

IN CHRIST, I AM ACCEPTED

  • I am God’s Child. (John 1:12)
  • I am Christ’s friend. (John 15:15)
  • I have been justified. (Romans 5:1)
  • I have been reconciled to God. (Romans 5:10)
  • I am joined to the Lord. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
  • I have been bought with a price. I belong to God. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
  • I am a member of Christ’s body. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
  • I am a saint. (Ephesians 1:1)
  • I have been adopted as God’s child. (Ephesians 1:5)
  • I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)
  • I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. (Colossians 1:14)
  • I am complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)

IN CHRIST, I AM SECURE.

  • I am united to Christ eternally. (Romans 6:5)
  • I am forever free from condemnation. (Romans 8:1)
  • I am assured that all things work together for good. (Romans 8:28)
  • I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Romans 8:35–39)
  • I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God. (2 Corinthians 1:21–22)
  • I am hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
  • I am assured that God will complete the good work He began in me. (Philippians 1:6)
  • I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, and love, and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)
  • I can find grace and mercy at God’s throne of grace in my time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
  • I am inheriting a kingdom that cannot be shaken. (Hebrews 12:28)
  • I am born of God, protected by Christ, and the evil one cannot touch me. (1 John 5:18)

IN CHRIST, I AM SIGNIFICANT.

  • I am the salt and light of the earth. (Matthew 5:13–14)
  • I am a branch connected to the True Vine. (John 15:1, 5)
  • I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit that will last. (John 15:16)
  • I have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to witness Christ and witness for Christ. (Acts 1:8)
  • I am employed as God’s worker. (1 Corinthians 3:9)
  • I am part of God’s holy temple, the church. (1 Corinthians 3:16)
  • I am a new creation and a minister of reconciliation for God. (2 Corinthians 5:17–21)
  • I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. (Ephesians 2:6)
  • I am God’s workmanship. (Ephesians 2:10)
  • I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)
  • I can approach God with full assurance and a clear conscience. (Hebrews 10:22)

Bert Watts has served since December 2016 as the Senior Pastor at Mountain Creek Baptist Church, where he has been on staff since 2012.

Photo by Miguel Arguibide on Unsplash