“Many Christians … don’t understand the dramatic change that occurred in them the moment they trusted Christ.”
Imagine for a moment two typical high school guys. Let’s call them Tank and Turk. These guys are into the whole high school scene. They see themselves as skin-wrapped packages of salivary glands, taste buds and sex drives. They eat anything and everything in sight, not caring about its nutritional value, and chase anything in a skirt that doesn’t have hairy legs.
Tank and Turk have a special gleam in their eyes for the Barbie twins, Bobbi and Betty. Tank and Turk were chasing the sweet little Barbies around campus one day when the high school track coach noticed them. “Hey, those guys can really run!”
When the coach finally caught up with them, he said, “Why don’t you guys come out for the track team?”
“Naw,” they answered, watching the two Barbie twins bounce away. “We’re too busy.” But the coach wasn’t about to take “naw” for an answer. He finally convinced the boys to at least give track a try.
So Tank and Turk started working out with the track team and discovered that they really could run. They began to eat properly instead of wolfing down three Big Macs apiece for lunch each day. They refused to party all night so that they could get proper rest. And soon they started winning some races.
Finally, Tank and Turk were invited to the big race at the state tournament. They arrived at the track early to stretch and warm up. Then, just minutes before the event was to start, guess who showed up: the sweet little Barbie twins, looking more beautiful and desirable then ever. They pranced up to Tank and Turk in their scanty outfits that accentuated their finest physical features. Each one was carrying a scrumptious piece of homemade Dutch apple pie with ice cream piled on top of it.
“We’ve missed you,” they sang sweetly. “If you come with us now, you can have all this and us too.”
“No way,” said Tank and Turk in unison.
“Why not?” pouted the Barbies.
“Because we’re runners now, and we’re here to win this race.”
What’s different about Tank and Turk? What happened to their drives and glands? They are still the same guys who could pack away three burgers, two bags of fries and a liter of Dr. Pepper without batting an eye. And they are still the same guys who were just itching to get close to the Barbie twins. But their perception of themselves has changed. They no longer see themselves as a bundle of physical urges. Instead they see themselves as disciplined, lean, mean running machines. They came to the tournament to win a race. And the Barbie twins’ offer was in conflict with why they were there and how they saw themselves.
The reason so many Christians are not enjoying the victory and freedom that is their inheritance in Christ is because they hold the wrong self-perceptions. They don’t see themselves as they really are in Christ. They don’t understand the dramatic change that occurred in them the moment they trusted Christ. If we don’t know what God says about us and who we are in Christ, we will suffer from a poor self-image. We must get a handle on our true identity in Christ and lose our old identity in sinful Adam.
THE LIFE-CHANGING DIFFERENCE OF BEING IN CHRIST
Too many Christians identify only with Adam, whose sad story of failure is found in Genesis 1–4. We see ourselves banished from the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. We know we have blown it and given up paradise forever. And we can’t seem to keep ourselves from repeating Adam’s failure every day of our lives.
Those who have trusted Christ are no longer identified with Adam and his sin, but with Jesus and His righteousness. We are not locked outside God’s presence as Adam was. We are seated with Christ in the heavenlies (see Ephesians 2:6). The difference between Adam and Christ in our personal life is eternally profound. We need to be sure we’re identifying with the right one.
Unending Dependence on God
The first thing we notice about Jesus is His complete dependence on God the Father. Adam depended on God to a point. Then he became very independent, choosing to believe the serpent’s lie about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
But Jesus was totally dependent on the Father. He said, “I can do nothing on My own initiative” (John 5:30); “I live because of the Father” (John 6:57). Also, John 8:42 and 14:10 tell us that Jesus came from the Father to do His work and to speak the words the Father wanted Him to speak.
Jesus never once depended on anything or anyone other than the Father. Even at the close of His earthly life, Jesus could say that He had done everything that God asked Him to do (see John 17:7). Jesus modeled for us what it means to live a life that is 100 percent dependent on God.
Uninterrupted Spiritual life
Another big difference between Jesus and Adam relates to spiritual life. Adam was born physically and spiritually alive; when Adam sinned, he died spiritually. After the Fall, every other human born on the planet has been born spiritually dead except for Jesus Christ. Like Adam, Jesus was born spiritually alive as well as physically alive.
Jesus did not keep His spiritual life a secret. He boldly proclaimed, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:48); “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25); “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). The apostle John got His message. He declared about Christ, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men” (John 1:4).
But unlike Adam, Jesus did not give up His spiritual life at some point through sin. He kept His spiritual life all the way to the cross. There He died, taking the sins of the world upon Himself. He committed His spirit into His Father’s hands as His physical life ended (see Luke 23:46). Then after three days, Jesus was raised from the dead. He is alive today and for all eternity. And if you have accepted Christ as your Savior, you are no longer spiritually dead but alive in Christ now and forever.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE CHRIST’S
DIFFERENCE MAKES IN US!
The difference between our sinful ancestor Adam and our Savior Jesus Christ spells the difference between life and death for us. This life-giving difference is shown in 1 Corinthians 15:22: “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.”
Look at the phrase “in Christ.” Everything that we’re going to talk about in the chapters that follow is based on the fact that believers are in Christ. Being in Christ, and all that it means to the Christian’s maturity and freedom, is the overwhelming theme of the New Testament. We’re not in Adam; we’re in Christ, and being in Christ is the most important part of our identity.
New Life Requires New Birth
“But wait,” you may be saying. “We weren’t born in Christ. We were born in sin, thanks to Adam.”
You’re right! So what is God’s plan for transforming us from being in Adam to being in Christ? Jesus answered that when He said to Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” (John 3:3, NIV). Physical birth only gains us physical life. Spiritual life, the eternal life that Jesus promises to anyone who comes to Him, is only gained through spiritual birth (see John 3:30).
What does it mean to be spiritually alive in Christ? Let’s compare it to physical birth. When you were born into this world, you left the dark womb and entered into a personal relationship with your parents. When you were born again, your inner self or soul left the darkness of sin and you came into a relationship with God.
When you were born physically, your parents wrote your name on a birth certificate and you became a citizen of this world. When you were born spiritually, God wrote your name in Jesus’ book of life (see Revelation 21:27) and you became a citizen of heaven.
Our spiritual relationship with God is the same relationship Adam enjoyed with God before the Fall. But unlike Adam, our relationship with God is complete and eternal because it is provided by Christ. As long as Christ remains alive spiritually, we will remain alive spiritually—and that’s forever.
Eternal life is not something you get when you die. If you have trusted in Christ, you are spiritually alive in Him right now. The only thing that will change when you die physically is that you will exchange your old earthbound body for a new one. But your spiritual life in Christ, which began when you personally trusted Him, will just continue on.
Salvation is not a future addition; it’s a present transformation. And that change started at spiritual birth. The moment you said yes to Christ, the old sinful self you inherited from Adam was gone. Your new self in Christ is here forever. Eternal life is something you possess right now because you’re in Christ
New Life Brings New Identity
Being a Christian is not just a matter of getting something; it’s a matter of being someone. A Christian is not simply a person who gets forgiveness, who gets to go to heaven, who gets the Holy Spirit, who gets a new nature. A Christian, in terms of our deepest identity, is a saint, a holy one, a spiritually born child of God, a divine masterpiece, a child of light, a citizen of heaven. Being born again changed you into someone who didn’t exist before. What you get from God isn’t the point; it’s who you are. It’s not what you do as a Christian that determines who you are; it’s who you are that determines what you do (see 2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 2:9-10; 1 John 3:1-2).
Understanding our identity in Christ is absolutely essential to our success at living the Christian life. We can’t consistently behave in a way that’s different from the way we see or think about ourselves. If you think you’re no good, you’ll probably live like you’re no good. But if you see yourself as a child of God who is spiritually alive in Christ, you’ll begin to live in victory and freedom as He lived. Next to a knowledge of God, a knowledge of who you are in Christ is by far the most important truth you can possess.
Are you aware that there is someone alive and active in the world today who is dead set against us seeing ourselves as spiritually alive and complete in Christ? It’s Satan, of course. Satan can do nothing to damage our position and identity in Christ. But if he can deceive us into believing his lie—that we’re not acceptable to God and that we’ll never amount to anything as Christians—then we will live as if we have no position or identity in Christ. Satan’s deception concerning our relationship with God is his major weapon against our growth and maturity in Christ.
New Life Results in a New Title
Have you noticed that one of the most frequently used words that identify Christians in the New Testament is “saint”? The word “saint” literally means “holy person.” Yet Paul and other New Testament writers used “saint” to describe common, everyday Christians like us. For example, Paul’s greeting in 1 Corinthians 1:2 reads, “To the church of God which is in Corinth … saints by calling, with all who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Did you notice that Paul didn’t say we are saints by hard work? He clearly states that we are saints by calling. Some of us have bought into the idea that a saint is someone who has earned this lofty title by living a good life or achieving a certain level of maturity. No way! The Bible says we are saints because God calls us saints.
Many Christians say, “I’m just a sinner saved by grace.” But are we really sinners? No, that’s what we were before we accepted Christ. God doesn’t call us sinners; He calls us saints—holy ones, children of God who are spiritually alive. If you think of yourself as a sinner, guess what you will do: You’ll probably live like a sinner; you’ll sin. Why not identify yourself for who you really are—a saint who unfortunately happens to sin, sometimes several times a day. Remember: What you do doesn’t determine who you are; who you are determines what you do.
WHAT IS TRUE OF CHRIST IS TRUE OF YOU
Since you are a saint in Christ by God’s calling, you share in Christ’s inheritance. What is true of Jesus now applies to you, because you are in Christ. It’s part of your identity.
The paraphrased list below shows who you really are in Christ since your spiritual birth. You can’t earn or buy these traits. They are guaranteed to you by the Word of God simply because you were born into God’s family by faith in Christ.
Who am I?
I am the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).
I am the light of the world (Matthew 5:14).
I am a child of God (John 1:12).
I am part of the true vine, and Christ’s life flows through me (John 15:1,5).
I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15).
I am chosen by Christ to bear fruit (John 15:16).
I am Christ’s personal witness sent out to tell everybody about Him (Acts 1:8).
I am a slave of righteousness (Romans 6:18).
I am a slave to God, making me holy and giving me eternal life (Romans 6:22).
I am a child of God; I can call Him my Father (Romans 8:14-15; Galatians 3:26; 4:6).
I am a coheir with Christ, inheriting His glory (Romans 8:17).
I am a temple—a dwelling place—for God. His Spirit and His life live in me (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19).
I am joined forever to the Lord and am one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17).
I am a part of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:27).
I am a new person. My past is forgiven and everything is new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
I am at peace with God, and He has given me the work of helping others find peace with Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
I am a child of God and one with others in His family (Galatians 3:26-28).
I am a child of God and will receive the inheritance He has promised (Galatians 4:6-7).
I am a saint, a holy person (Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:2).
I am a citizen of heaven seated in heaven right now (Ephesians 2:6; Philippians 3:20).
I am God’s building project, His handiwork, created in Christ to do His work (Ephesians 2:10).
I am a citizen of heaven with all of God’s family (Ephesians 2:19).
I am a prisoner of Christ so that I can help others (Ephesians 3:1; 4:1).
I am righteous and holy (Ephesians 4:24).
I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life (Colossians 3:4).
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4).
I am a child of light, not of darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5).
I am chosen to share in God’s heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1).
I am part of Christ; I share in His life (Hebrews 3:14).
I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5).
I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God (1 Peter 2:9-10).
I am only a visitor to this world in which I temporarily live (1 Peter 2:11).
I am an enemy of the devil (1 Peter 5:8).
I am a child of God, and I will be like Christ when He returns (1 John 3:1-2).
I am born again in Christ, and the evil one—the devil—cannot touch me (1 John 5:18).
I am not the great “I am” (Exodus 3:14; John 8:24,28,58), but by the grace of God, I am what I am (1 Corinthians 15:10).
If you are in Christ, every one of these statements is completely true of you. They won’t be more true when you’re a legal adult and move out of the house. They won’t be more true if you attend a prestigious Bible college. They won’t be more true if you decide to serve in Africa as a missionary. They were true the moment you accepted Christ, and they are true now. They are not true because of anything you have done. They are true because of what Jesus has done for you.
But you can make these traits about you more meaningful and productive in your life by simply choosing to believe what God has said about you. One of the best ways to grow into maturity in Christ is to remind yourself who you are in Christ. In our conferences, we have the audience read the “Who Am I?” list aloud together. We suggest that you stop right now and read the list aloud to yourself. Come on, don’t skip this part; it’s really important. In fact, you should read the list at least two or three times a day for a week or two. Memorize the verses that are especially meaningful to you.
Read the list when you think Satan is trying to deceive you into believing you are a worthless failure. The more you reaffirm who you are in Christ, the more your behavior will begin to reflect your true identity. Believing what God says about you doesn’t make it true. It is true; therefore, we believe it. It isn’t prideful to believe what God says about you, but it is defeating if you don’t.
THE BRIGHT HOPE OF BEING A CHILD OF GOD
As children of sinful Adam, we were helpless and hopeless. There was nothing about us to make us acceptable to God (see Romans 3:10-12,23). But God’s love overruled our unloveliness. Through Jesus, God provided the only way for us to become part of His family. You are no longer a spiritual orphan; you are a child of God. As a child in God’s family, you are given God’s nature and His riches.
If you’re beginning to think you are someone very special as a Christian, you’re right. You are special! You’re not special because you did anything for God. We don’t have the ability or power to do anything for Him. It’s all God’s doing. All you did was respond to God’s invitation to be His child. But as a child of God by being in Christ you have every right to enjoy your special relationship with your heavenly Father.
Look again at how much God loves you. First John 3:1-3 says:
See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God; and such we are…. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.
What is the believer’s hope? That we are children of God now! And the person whose confidence is in being a child of God “purifies himself”; in other words, we begin to live like the children of God we are. We must see ourselves as children of God in order to live like children of God.
Are you a child of God? The Bible says that “as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12). Have you received Him into your life? Do you believe Him? Would you like to receive Him? Simply express your choice by saying the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I believe that You were resurrected from the dead in order that I might have spiritual life. I put my trust for eternal life in You and invite You into my life to be my Lord and Master. I no longer want to live independently of You. Thank You for giving me eternal life. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
TRUTH ENCOUNTER
1. Why do you think it is important that you identify with the last Adam, Jesus? What effect does that have on you?
2. What does your new life in Christ bring to you?
3. How do you think God feels about you now that you are in Christ?
4. What do you think might keep you from walking in Christ?
Note
1. David C. Needham, Birthright/ Christian Do You Know Who You Are? (Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1981), adapted from an illustration on p. 73.