The promise of the gospel is this: when we come to Christ in repentance of our sin and confess that we need Jesus to save us from our sin and make us right with God, he does! Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, we are pardoned from our sin, made right with God, given Christ’s righteous status before the Father, brought into God’s family, made new, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is a glorious and unshakable promise repeated time and time again throughout the pages of God’s Word.
As we begin this study of our identity in Christ, we will see with fresh eyes all of these gospel truths which proclaim that, at the moment of our salvation, our identity before the Father changes completely – forever.
We are saved by Christ’s death and resurrection – nothing that we could earn in and of our own efforts! And as we are in Christ, we are not only saved for eternity, but we are secured in our identity now. The moment you are united to Jesus in faith, God welcomes you as his beloved, delights in you, forgives you, washes you clean, and frees you from sin. The joy of the gospel is that you don’t have to wait until eternity to enjoy these identities – you can live in them here and now!
In Christ, we are brought into the very family of God. We are made sons and daughters in the Son! And because that is true for all who are in Christ through faith, this radical statement is also true: all that belongs to Christ is ours through faith. We are given a righteous status, made co-heirs with Jesus, have the presence of God with us at all times, are made alive in him, and are befriended by God through Christ. The glorious inheritance of Christ is ours – all because of Jesus.
God is remaking us in his image day by day. The Spirit of God is working in your heart – even right at this very moment – to equip you to better bear his image and mirror his character in this world.
As God is at work in your life, he delights in you. In Christ, you are wonderfully made, being sanctified, invited to be bold toward God in your prayers, and crucified with Christ. And, by his grace, he is writing every chapter of your story for his glory. And this identity is unflappably yours – it cannot be taken from you! God is not waiting for you to earn this identity; he invites you to embrace it by the power of his Spirit dwelling in you.
So much of our identity in Christ challenges us to rethink how we view ourselves today. As you study, you are learning to rewire your thinking and, by God’s grace, more deeply rooting your identity in Christ rather than in your own efforts.
As we enter this last week of study, we are going to consider the identity we have in Christ that commissions us into this world. Our salvation is by grace alone through faith alone, but it does not remain alone! Our salvation not only changes our status before God, but it also gives us a new mission of living for God in this world. We look toward the horizon of heaven with great joy and anticipation of all God will do, embracing his call to make him known in this world as we hold a secured future, live set-apart lives, live as ambassadors for Christ, work as his co-laborers, and serve as a sweet-smelling aroma to those around us.