Identity in Christ

Introduction:

Our identity should not be dependent on our job.

I was in Information Security. I am now in Retail. Has my identity changed?

I’m still Male, married to my wife who’s my best friend, and I identify as a Christian. But is this my identity?

Our identity should be constant, unchanging, AND it should come directly from the Bible.

Article from the Biblical Counseling Coalition:

Three characteristics must be considered in the study of personal identity.

First, identity is affected both by oneself and by others, and it is used to distinguish self from others—often used to prove one’s uniqueness and worth compared to others. An individual’s identity is an answer not only to the question “Who am I?” but also to “Who am I according to others?” because an individual’s identity is established through social interaction.

Second, characteristics of a person that can have an impact on one’s identity: gender, race, and disability, marital status, occupation, level of education, and religion.

Third, personal identity constantly changes as people experience various life changes. Changes such as social or economic status, your relationships with others, and your physical health.

For the purposes of counseling, it’s important to establish a solid foundation of identity in people.

Different from worldly identity, we can find our identity in Christ. God sees a believer through Jesus Christ and His redemptive work on the cross.

The Creator’s authoritative answer to a believer’s question, “Who am I?” is more than your race, social status, gender, and nationality. Your new identity in Christ supersedes all the worldly markers of identity.

First, our Christian identity shifts our focus from inward to outward: as believers our purpose in life should be to serve God instead of the world’s purpose in serving ourselves. 

Second, our Christian identity allows us to view our value in light of God’s Word.

According to Brian Rosner, 

“The Bible judges the standard markers of human identity (race, gender, occupation, and so on) to be inadequate foundations upon which to build our lives” because these factors are “insecure and not designed to bear too much weight.”

Third, our Christian identity is strengthened as our relationship with God deepens. While constant personal identity questions due to various life changes can cause confusion and even identity crises, a Christian identity that is rooted deeply in the Word of God gets stronger over time as believers’ divine-human relationship is the only solid foundation.

 Here are some of Scripture’s answers about who a Christian is in the Son of God:

a new creation 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

God’s workmanship Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

a child of God John 1:12 “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,”

Galatians 3:26 “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.”

a fellow heir with Christ Romans 8:17 “and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

a chosen race 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

the righteousness of God 2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

the branch John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

a friend of Jesus John 15:15 “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.”

a temple of the Holy Spirit 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,”

a citizen of heaven Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,”

a member of the body of Christ 1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”

and the list goes on.

My identity should not be dependent on my full-time job.

The Gospel of John is significant in describing our identity in Christ.

Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man. John makes this clear in this book.

I. The Divinity of Christ

Text Reference: John 1:1–3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Explanation:

John establishes the fact that Christ existed before the events of Genesis. A part of what we call the three-in-one or Trinity of God.

It’s the second Fundamental Truth that the Assemblies of God holds.

2. The One True God

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM," the Creator of heaven and earth and the Redeemer of mankind. He has further revealed Himself as embodying the principles of relationship and association as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

Luke 3:22 “and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.””

The Adorable Godhead

 a. Terms Defined The terms "Trinity" and "persons" as related to the Godhead, while not found in the Scriptures, are words in harmony with Scripture, whereby we may convey to others our immediate understanding of the doctrine of Christ respecting the Being of God, as distinguished from "gods many and lords many." We therefore may speak with propriety of the Lord our God who is One Lord, as a trinity or as one Being of three persons, and still be absolutely scriptural.

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

John 14:16–17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

Jesus being fully God is the foundation of His Identity, from which we draw ours as God’s children, and it establishes Jesus authority and His mission.

Application:

Encourage the congregation to reflect on the implications of Jesus’ divinity in their daily lives. How does knowing Jesus is God influence their faith and actions?

Your identity includes being a full inheritor of God’s Kingdom.

II. The Incarnation

Text Reference: John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Explanation:

How did God become man? By sending His Son Jesus.

Why did He send His Son? Because God desires to have a relationship with you.

Jesus lived on earth and endured through more hardship and inconvenience than most Americans experience in their life. He understands firsthand what you are struggling with.

Application:

Encourage listeners to draw near to Jesus, who empathizes with their pain and joys. Share how this understanding can bring comfort in times of trouble.

Jesus has more empathy than you do. Go to Him with your struggles and your celebrations. Jesus, in the beginning with God, dwelling among us, and even now as He waits for us to make Him our personal Lord and Savior, wants to have a relationship with you.

I shared with my wife this week that I’m struggling with this career change. I’m making less money, I’m leaving the industry I understood best, and I can honestly say that I was holding my plans tightly instead of loosely like we learned in James the last couple of weeks.

My hope and my identity is in Jesus and not in men and women who insensitively decide to disrupt my family’s life.

III. The Seven Signs

Text Reference: John 2:1–11 ‘On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him. ‘

Explanation:

This is the first of many signs Jesus displayed for mankind. Other signs include:

Cleansing the Temple

Healing the nobleman's son

Healing the lame man

Feeding the 5,000

Healing the blind man

Raising Lazarus

Each sign serves a purpose by demonstrating His authority over nature, sickness, and even death.

Application:

Jesus didn’t stop displaying His signs and wonders two thousand years ago. Are you looking for His miracles today? Are you giving Him the glory when you see blessings in your life?

IV. The "I Am" Statements

Text References: John 6:35 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

John 8:12 “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.””

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Explanation:

These are 3 of the “I AM” statements which reveal His identity and mission.

Each statement addresses a fundamental human need—spiritual nourishment, guidance, and the way to salvation and right relationship with God.

Application:

Are you remembering these “I AM” statements from Jesus when you are in a time of trouble? I’m reading these statements as I learn my job.

Here are some more statements:

John 10:7 “So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”

John 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”

John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me,”

John 11:25 “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live,”

John 15:1 ““I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.”

V. The Importance of Belief

Text Reference: John 20:31 “but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

Explanation:

Faith is the key to experiencing eternal life.

Believers in Christ, that is our identity

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

We forget our identity in Christ but Jesus does not forget us.

We know God’s Word in our mind but we need to believe it in our hearts

VI. Love and Relationships

Text Reference: John 13:34–35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.””

Explanation:

Jesus loves us so we are to love one another. This is our identity. To be Christ-like in a world full of people who don’t know their identity.

When we love people we reflect God’s character and that is how we witness to this world of confused people.

Application:

Challenge the congregation to demonstrate Christ-like love in practical ways within their families, workplaces, and communities.

Can you show your family Christ-like love this week?

How about your coworkers?

Your boss?

Your enemy? Are there opportunities for you to show your enemy, Christ-like love this week?

VII. The Promise of the Holy Spirit

Text References: John 14:16–17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.”

John 16:13 “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

Explanation:

The Holy Spirit is our Comforter and Guide.

The third member of the Godhead is here to renew us.

It’s the fifth Fundamental Truth that the Assemblies of God holds.

5. The Salvation of Man

Man's only hope of redemption is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God.

Conditions to Salvation

Salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life.

We are not alone.

Application:

How can you be a better listener to the Holy Spirit this week?

VIII. The Passion and Resurrection

Text Reference: John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Explanation:

What a great verse to end on. God gave His Son, in place of ourselves, on the cross. Jesus died in our place but defeated sin and death and rose again. This is our identity. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

Application:

Have you accepted this gift? Are you sharing this good news with your family?

Listen to the Holy Spirit who convicts your soul in order to set you on the path to a right relationship with God the Father.

Conclusion:

The Word Made Flesh: John begins with a declaration of Jesus as the Word (Greek word Logos) who was with God and was God.

Signs and Miracles: The Gospel of John highlights seven miraculous signs performed by Jesus, such as turning water into wine (John 2:1-11), healing a blind man (John 9:1-12), and raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-44). These signs reveal Jesus' divine authority and His identity as the Son of God.

Teachings of Jesus: John records several significant teachings of Jesus, including the "I Am" statements, where Jesus describes Himself in profound ways (e.g., "I am the bread of life" - John 6:35, "I am the light of the world" - John 8:12),

The Role of the Holy Spirit: Jesus speaks about the coming of the Holy Spirit, who will guide, teach, and empower believers after His ascension (John 14:16-17, 26).

The Passion and Resurrection: Jesus' crucifixion, His sacrificial death, and His glorious resurrection. John emphasizes the love of Christ and the fulfillment of Scripture through these events.

Call to Belief: Throughout the Gospel, John invites us to believe in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God, emphasizing that through belief, one can have eternal life (John 20:31).

The Gospel of John focuses on the identity of Jesus, His relationship with the Father, and the call for humanity to enter into a personal relationship with Him. It is a powerful testament to the divine nature of Christ and the hope found in Him.

Is your identity in Christ? Is your hope in His words? Do you have an eternal perspective in your daily life?

Close with a prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate the truths of John’s Gospel in their hearts and empower them to live out their faith boldly.

Benediction:

End with a blessing, encouraging everyone to walk in the light of Christ and share His love with the world.