If I have received the death of Christ on my behalf (to make me right with God) and have surrendered all of myself and my life to Him as Lord, I have a very specific identity in Christ that I must always keep in mind. Any time that the enemy tries to throw me off balance or attack me in some way, I need to go back to the basics of who Jesus is, what Jesus has done for me, and who I am in God’s eyes when I belong to Christ Jesus.
WHO I WAS
- I was a wretched sinner, hopeless, without any ability to do anything good in God’s eyes, unable to make myself right with God and condemned in the eyes of the One True Almighty God. (Romans 3:23, Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:12, John 3:18)
- I deserved and earned hell – eternal punishment and separation from the only God who is completely holy and unable to tolerate any sin in His presence. (John 3:18, Romans 6:23, Revelation 21:8, Revelation 20:15)
- I was a slave to sin and couldn’t possibly do anything that was pleasing to God. (Romans 8:6-8, Romans 6:16)
- Righteousness had no control over me. (Romans 6:20)
- I was controlled by my sinful flesh and my mind was death. (Romans 8:6)
- I was hostile toward God. (Romans 8:7)
What I am about to share below is the Truth from God’s Word. These are ironclad promises to those who are in Christ Jesus. If what I believe about myself does not line up with Scripture, and I belong to Christ, I need to trash my old thoughts and embrace and cling to God’s Truth about me. These are all things I already possess in Christ if I am His!
WHO I AM IN CHRIST NOW THAT I HAVE RECEIVED CHRIST AS MY SAVIOR AND LORD
- God is my Lord and my King! He is my Master. I have fully yielded control of my life to Him and trusted Him with everything.
- God counts Jesus’ life as if it were my life. When God looks at me, because I am in Christ, He sees Jesus’ holiness and obedience and His perfect, sinless life.
- God counts Jesus’ death as if it were my death. I have died to this world. I have died to my mortal life here. I have died to my sin. God counts me as having died with Jesus when He died. (Romans 6:3-14, Romans 8:10)
- God counts Jesus’ resurrection from the dead and His victory over sin as my resurrection and my victory! (Romans 6:3-14, Romans 8:10-11))
- God accepted Jesus’ payment for my sin on the cross. The holiness, righteousness, and obedience of Christ was placed in my bank account. I was a debtor to God. I owed Him “billions of sin dollars” that I could never repay. But Jesus more than paid for all of my sin on the cross. I owe nothing to God now. I am “justified” before Him which is an accounting term. My account has been paid in full. (Romans 8:30) I have complete and total peace with God.
- I am alive to God in Christ! (Romans 6:11)
- I am seated with Christ at the right hand of the Father in heaven. (Ephesians 2:6, Colossians 3:1)
- Jesus gave ALL of Himself for me. He died for me. He paid for my sin. He raised me to new life in Himself. He gave me access to all that He possesses. I am His joint heir.
- I possess all of the riches of heaven. (Romans 8:17)
- I now give ALL of myself to Jesus. I hold nothing back from Him and allow Him full access to all that I am and all that I possess. I pick up my cross daily and follow Him. I yield control to Him of every aspect of my life. He is LORD of all in my life. (Luke 9:23, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Romans 10:9, Luke 6:46)
- No weapon formed against me shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)
- I possess heavenly weapons to tear down demonic and sinful strongholds and every argument and pretension that has lifted itself up against Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
- I can take every thought captive for Christ and not be at the mercy of lies or sinful thoughts but have Jesus’ victory over them! (2 Corinthians 10:5)
- I have the full armor of God – the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of readiness, the belt of truth, the shield of faith, and the sword of the Word of God. (Ephesians 6:10-17)
- In Christ, I have victory over sin and am no longer a slave to sin but now I am a slave to righteousness! (Romans 6:3-14, Romans 8:5-9)
- If I do sin, I can confess my sin and turn from it, turning to Christ and God will forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)
- God no longer condemns me because I am in Christ! I am set free from the law of sin and death!!! (Romans 8:1)
- Christ and His grace are more than sufficient for me in any circumstance. His power is made perfect in my weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
- I can be content in every situation through Christ who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13)
- God’s Spirit is in control of my life now, so my mind is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
- By the Spirit, I have the power to put to death the misdeeds of the body. (Romans 8:13)
- I am led by the Spirit of God. (Romans 8:14)
- I am a daughter of God and I no longer have to be afraid!!! (Romans 8:15)
- I share with the sufferings of Christ now and then get to share in His glory in heaven. (Romans 8:17)
- God’s Spirit Himself intercedes for (prays for) me with groans that words cannot express in accordance with God’s will. (Romans 8:26-27)
- Jesus intercedes for me at the right hand of God the Father. (Hebrews 4:25)
- God knew me before He created the world. (Romans 8:29)
- God predestined me to be conformed to the image of His Son. (Romans 8:29)
- God called me. (Romans 8:30)
- God justified me – made my account right with Him through Christ’s death on the cross and my acceptance of that gift of grace. (Romans 8:30)
- God glorified me – this will happen when I enter heaven. (Romans 8:30)
- God alone is the Judge and He is the Executioner. If God is for me, no one can be against me! (Romans 8:31-34)
- God loved me so much that He was willing to give up His only Son for me before I even loved Him, how much more will He now graciously give me all things? (Romans 8:32)
- Nothing can separate me from the love of Christ! (Romans 8:35-39)
- God is sovereign and has designed everything in my life, including suffering, to mold me more and more into the image of Christ and to bring me into greater maturity in my faith. (Romans 8:28-29, James 1:2-4, Hebrews 12, I Peter, Job)
- I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loved me! (Romans 8:37)
- When I fully submit to Christ as Lord, He fills me with His Spirit and I am overflowing with His supernatural love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)
- I can receive ALL that Christ has done for me and all that He has given to me. No one can take away the joy Christ gives me. (John 16:22)
- God will cause me to continue to grow and mature and will complete the good work He began in me. (Philippians 1:6)
This is not everything that I am in Christ, but it is a good start. 🙂
MORE WAYS I CAN GROW IN CHRIST
- Praise God all throughout every day. (James 5:13) Verses about praising God
- Rejoice in God always. (I Thessalonians 5:16, Philippians 4:4) Verses about rejoicing in God
- Pray without ceasing. (I Thessalonians 5:17) Verses about prayer
- Thank God in all circumstances for this is God’s will for us. (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Verses about thanking God
- Crave His Word and spend much time in the Bible. (1 Peter 2:2, Psalm 119:105) Verses about the Word of God
ON CHRIST THE SOLID ROCK I STAND
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DAVID PLATT SERMON – THE DISCIPLE’S IDENTITY IN CHRIST PART 1
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