Why Does Your Identity Matter So Much? (Repost)
I’ve been sharing about the whole idea of who we are in Christ—what it really means to be a child of God. I’m going through this list in Who I Am in Christ, the book I wrote several years ago. It’s kind of one of my sentimental favorites because there’s nothing more important to me than to help people understand what it really means to be a child of God. And why do we need to know that? For one reason, no person can consistently behave in a way that is inconsistent with what they believe about themselves. So if I think I am just a loser or I’m lame or I’m trying to live up to someone else’s expectations, I never ever really truly get there. No matter how hard you try, someone is always going to come along with hostile rejection and criticism to put you down, and then you’re left to pick yourself up by your bootstraps. And it just doesn’t really work.
And secondly, I could tell you from experience, the last thing the devil wants you to know is who you are in Christ. Because the person who knows what it means to be a child of God, to be seated with Christ in the heavenlies, is the most secure person around because you’re in touch and your soul is in union with the God of the universe. 1 John 5 says “Satan can’t touch me, I’m a child of God.” That is critically important because it affects how you live. If you know who you are, you’re just living out the salvation that God has given to you.
I liked what my brother in Christ, John said about that. He said, “In practice, we should constantly be reminding ourselves of who we are. We need to talk to ourselves, ask ourselves question. Don’t you know? Don’t you know that you have been united with Christ in His death and resurrection? Don’t you know that you have been enslaved to God and have committed yourself to His obedience? Don’t you know these things? Don’t you know who you are? We must go on pressing ourselves with such questions until we reply, “Yes! I do know who I am. I’m a new person in Christ. I’m a child of God, and by the grace of God I’m going to live accordingly.”
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.