New Identity in Christ
Yet to all who did received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.
John 1:12
In God’s unfolding story there was no new revelation from heaven for more than 400 years when suddenly, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
To the Greek philosophers, the “word” (logos) was the ultimate of intellectual pursuits; the rational principal that governs the universe. Now it is revealed that this highest of philosophical notion had become incarnate—that is, it took on a human form. Jesus not only spoke the truth; He is the truth and in Him there is no darkness at all (see 1 John 1:5). “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4). Notice that light does not produce life; rather, the eternal life of God is the light of the world.
The first Adam was born both physically and spiritually alive, but he sinned and died spiritually. This last Adam was born of a virgin and was also physically and spiritually alive. Unlike the first Adam, he never sinned, even though He was tempted in every way. By His life he accomplished two tasks.
First, He gave us an example to follow in His steps. He showed us how a spiritually alive person could life a righteous life on planet earth. What He modeled was total dependence on His heavenly Father. He said, “By myself I can do nothing” (John 5:30); “I live because of the Father” (6:57); “I have come here from God. I have not come on my own; God sent me” (8:42); “The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the father, living in me, who is doing his work” (14:10); “Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you” (17:7).
Second, Jesus came that we might have life, and receiving that life by faith brings us a new identity. “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13). “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:16).
“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:2-3). Believers are not in the process of becoming children of God; they are children of God who are in the process of becoming like Christ. Who we are determines what we do, and God wants us to know that we are His children.
People cannot consistently behave in a way that is inconsistent with what they believe about themselves. Consequently, we will struggle with a negative self-perception to the degree that we don’t see ourselves the way God sees us. Knowing who we really are in Christ meets our needs for acceptance, security and significance.
questions to consider
What was markedly different between the first Adam and the Last Adam?
Where do natural people derive their identity?
Why is knowing who we are “in Christ” so important?
What does it mean to you personally to know that you are a child of God? What difference does that make?
How has Christ met all of your needs for acceptance, security and significance?
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.