Who am I in Christ? Christians are coming under increasing attack in western culture. It’s no longer an advantage to be seen in church like it was as recently as the late 1900’s—in fact, it seems like most of society doesn’t care. We are often lumped in with the “far right” and categorized as a fringe element by some media outlets and prominent political figures.
Many Christians seem to flounder under the new societal persecution because they don’t have a solid knowledge base of what God says about them. If what we hear about Christians from the secular world isn’t true, then what is, and why does it matter?
Why It's Important to Know Your Identity in Christ
We hear a lot about authenticity and transparency today. Nobody is more transparent than the Lord Jesus Christ about His mission and what He intends for His people. This is what we need to let others see when they interact with us. Faith is not a result of any political persuasion, but of a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.
It’s important to know who we really are in order to be authentic. Rather than allow a cultural narrative to stereotype us, we need to understand why we are different—and what those differences are.
It is difficult for others who don’t know Him to understand us. Unfortunately, sometimes I think we don’t understand ourselves. And that makes it easy to feel intimidated or insignificant. Unfortunately, in this swirling, manic, media-driven era, it’s easy for us to forget who we are.
Our identity is wrapped up in Jesus, but what does that mean? Instead of relying on a person to tell us who we are in Christ, let’s turn to the Bible for our answers. To help organize our thoughts, I’ve developed a list from A to Z.
Who I am in Christ - A Complete List
I Am Adopted.
This way of understanding my relationship with God is especially meaningful to me because I have three adopted sisters—and we’ve been a family for about 50 years. Adoption is a permanent, legal change in familial status. As believers, we’ve been adopted into the family of God (Romans 8:15-16).
I Am Born Again.
It might seem contradictory to consider that new birth and adoption both happen to us when we accept Jesus as our Savior. But really, if we think about being born spiritually as our second birth, then adoption into a new family is the next logical step. We are like butterflies awaiting release from our cocoons to live a new life (1 Peter 1:3, 23).
I Am Created.
I’m not a random accident, or the mere product of two cells interacting. I am an intentional creation of God (Psalm 139:13-17).
I Am Destined for Heaven.
I don’t have to worry about what will happen after I die. I am assured of my home in heaven (John 3:16 and 14:1-3).
I Am Elected.
I was chosen to belong to Christ. Everyone who gives their life to Him does so because He first loved them (John 3:16 and Romans 8:29-30).
I Am Forgiven.
When we trust Christ with our lives, He forgives us completely of all our sins—including our very sin nature (Luke 11:4 and 1 John 1:9).
I Am Gifted.
Jesus didn’t plan for us to be saved and then sit around just soaking in His love. He has work for us to do, and has equipped us with individual gifts in order to carry out our assignments. (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:11-12).
I Am Holy.
Another word for holy is sanctified. This means to be set apart for a purpose. We are both commanded to be holy, and made holy by Jesus’s work on the cross. Thus, we should live like what we are. John 17:13-19 is a beautiful prayer that Jesus prayed for us.
I Am Identified.
Because I wear the name of Christ, I am identified with Him. I cannot be mistaken for anything other than His child. My adopted sisters took our family name as their own and we became “the McKinney girls.” Everyone in town knew who we were. Similarly, “Christian” makes me known to others by my heavenly Father’s name (Ephesians 1:13).
I Am Justified.
This word means “to be made right.” I am assured that nothing will be held against me on Judgment Day because I am right with God. This is not a product of what I did, but what Jesus did for me. It’s not something I can boast about—He gets all the credit (Romans 4:3-5).
I Am Known.
God knows me—all the way to my core. Psalm 139:1-6 and Jeremiah 1:5 confirm that I’m not invisible or just another number.
I Am Loved.
Because God knows me as an individual, and because His very nature is love, I can rest assured that He loves me (John 13:34, 15:9, and 17:23; 1 John 4:8).
I Am a Member of the Body of Christ.
I became part of His body when I asked Him to come into my life. I’m a branch on the vine that is Jesus. When He adopted me, I was grafted in. I can’t survive without Him, just as a branch depends on the vine for sustenance. This beautiful illustration is described in John 15:1-8. We are also commanded to remember our part in His body that was sacrificed for us when we celebrate communion (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
I Am New.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17 that all things have become new—including me. Isaiah said in 43:19 that the Messiah would do something new and Jesus Christ accomplished it when he set up the new covenant in His blood (1 Corinthians 11:25 and 2 Corinthians 3:6). Romans 12:2 and Galatians 6:15 confirm that the old me died when I became a Christian. I received a new nature and frame of mind (Ephesians 4:24). I don’t have to think in old ways. I even got a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26).
I Am the Offspring of Christ.
Acts 17:28 tells us we are His offspring. This brings us back to our adoption into His family. But even more than that—it’s as if He forgot that we were adopted and treats us like biological children. After all, that’s what human parents of adopted children do. Luke 6:35-36 refer to followers of God as His children. John 1:12 assures us that those who have accepted Him have the right to be His children and Galatians 3:26 confirms that we are.
I Am Peculiar and Protected.
The word peculiar in the King James version of 1 Peter 2:9 means unique. I’m not like the rest of the population at large. I’m part of a select group who follows Christ. He is our shepherd and protects us (Psalm 23).
I Am Quiet in Spirit.
There is a profound peace and quiet inside my mind because I know whose I am. This exercise of remembering my identity calms and assures me that I’m not alone and I am going to be okay (Isaiah 30:15 and 32:17-18).
I Am Redeemed, Rescued, Ransomed and Remembered.
Redeemed carries the idea of being bought back from slavery or unlawful ownership. This is also reflected in the word ransomed. Jesus mounted an epic rescue operation when he came to earth as a man, died on the cross, and rose from the dead (1 Peter 1:18-20, Hebrews 9:12, and Revelation 5:9). I was on His mind when He came. He remembered that I needed to be redeemed (Psalm 136:23-24).
I Am Saved and Sealed.
Jesus Christ saved me and the Holy Spirit seals me. Acts 2:21 declares that when I called on the name of Jesus to save me, He did. Later in Acts, we discover that everyone is saved the same way—by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus. Romans 10:9 also confirms the truth of salvation for those who believe. The Spirit is my ink stamp of authenticity (Galatians 3:2, 5; Romans 8:16).
I Am Transformed and Treasured.
We’ve already mentioned how we become new in Christ, and this truly is a total transformation, as 1 Corinthians 5:17 and 2 Corinthians 3:18 describe. It’s a from-the-inside-out kind of change. But I also want to include something I don’t think we ponder enough—God treasures us. Deuteronomy 7:6 and Malachi 3:17 assure us of this wonderful concept. Especially in the Malachi verse, we see how, because we are God’s children, we fit the description as His own special treasure.
I Am United with Christ.
We not only gain a new identity when we choose Christ, but we are actually united with Him. We become part of Him. This goes even beyond becoming part of His family. We need to read and own the power of Romans 6:5-11. Romans 7:4 expounds further on the concept, and these together give us incredible comfort and assurance.
I Am Victorious.
The victory Jesus won over the powers of the air became my own when I trusted Him. Now I can pray with His power (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). I share His victory over death and hell (1 Corinthians 15:54). What can mere men do to me? (Psalm 59:16-17). I have nothing to fear and this gives me courage to face whatever comes my way. I’ve read the happy ending to the story (Revelation 5:5).
I Am Washed.
I don’t ever have to feel dirty or “less than” in any way because I’ve been washed by the blood of the Lamb (Titus 3:4-5) and made as clean and pure as new-fallen snow (Psalm 51:2, 7).
I Am Exonerated.
I know this word technically starts with “E”, but bear with me here. The beginning phonetic sound is like an “X”. My sins have been blotted out (Psalm 51:1 and Isaiah 43:25). God will never think of them again! Humans don’t have the power to forget. Absolutely everything is filed away in our heads. Oh, we might not be able to recall facts on demand, but they are up there. However, God can—and He does—forget our sins after He forgives them.
I Am Yoked.
I am no longer isolated or considered a stray. I’m part of a group. I love knowing that I’m not just hanging out there all by myself to figure things out and make it on my own. I am part of the body of Christ, one with Him, and a member of the family of God. This family is forever. I love how Jesus describes it in Matthew 11:28-30.
I Am on My Way to Zion.
This is the same as saying I know I’m going to heaven when I die. John 3:16 and 14:1-3 remind me that heaven is my destiny because I believe in Him.
I have personally been so encouraged by this little study. Now when life gets dicey or circumstances threaten to overwhelm me, I will read back over these truths.
Power coupled with peace comes from understanding what God says about who I am in Christ.
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Dingzeyu Li
Kathryn Graves, author of Woven: Discovering Your Beautiful Tapestry of Confidence, Rest, and Focus, and Fashioned by God, holds a BA in Psychology, is a pastor’s wife and Bible teacher, and spent 15 years in the fashion industry. Kathryn is Mimi to five grandsons, and loves to play with color—including interior design, clothing, and painting with pastels. In addition to her website, find her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.