Why Your Identity in Jesus Changes Everything

You might be wondering why I emphasize your identity in Jesus. Maybe you’re asking yourself why it matters, you believe, isn’t that the finish line? Oh, my friend, it is only the beginning. Your identity in Jesus will fundamentally change how you understand and navigate life.

Let’s start with a simple question. Who are you? Fundamentally, at your core, who are you? Do you answer this question with:
I am a mother.
I am a wife.
I am an addict.
I am a CEO.
I am a bookstore owner.

How have you been defining yourself?

Before we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, most of us define ourselves by our occupation, our experience, our failures, our achievements, etc. This is completely normal human behavior. Everyone has an identity. We define ourselves by what we have done. Maybe we define ourselves by things we experienced in our childhood. Maybe our successes and failures. Some of us will define ourselves by the trauma we’ve walked through. Maybe we define ourselves by the relationships or careers that we have. And increasingly common today, we define ourselves by comparison. We look at what we perceive others’ lives to be and compare ourselves that assumption. Sometimes, even after we accept Jesus, we still define ourselves this way. This way of defining who we are, it’s unstable and subject to change depending upon our circumstance or life experience.

You see the question isn’t really if you have an identity, it’s what is your identity build on. Scripture would tell us that we are to build our identity on Jesus. Romans 12:2 states, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (NKJV) I’d like to ask the question of how do we adjust our identity when we come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, however, I believe the more accurate question here is actually, have we begun to adjust our identity or are we still living under our old identity?

The problem is that our old identity is built in a falsehood. What do these look like you might ask? Some common examples are:

“I’m not enough.”
“I’m too much.”
“I’m unlovable.”
“I’ll always be broken.”
“I have to earn love.”
“I have to perform.”
“I have to keep everyone happy.”

Whatever falsehood or combination of falsehoods it is that you believe, they will influence everything. They will influence your relationships, parenting, work, anxiety, boundaries, decisions, and your faith. Remember Romans 12:2? We are to be transformed by renewing our minds. We are to renew our minds because our actions will follow. The renewal of the mind enables internal transformation and functions as the faculty through which you can test and prove what God’s will actually is (Peterson, 1995).

The beautiful think about following Jesus is that He replaces the lives that we’ve believed with truth. This is where our identity begins to change. It begins to change as we begin to see ourselves the way that God sees us.

Take a moment. Let’s think about that. The Creator of the universe, the One who knows your every thought, every mistake that you’ve ever made, every fear you’ve ever carried, and every part of your story you’d rather forget, He is the One who tells you who you are. Shouldn’t His voice carry more weight than anyone else’s? More than your past? More than your feelings? Even more than your own self-talk?

When we begin to believe what God says about us instead of what the world, our experiences, or our emotions tell us, something begins to change. We stop striving to earn what has already been given to us through Christ.

Scripture paints a beautiful picture of who we are in Him.

If you are in Christ, you are loved.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NKJV)

You are chosen.
“ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,  having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:4-5, NKJV)

You are forgiven.
“And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:13-14, NKJV)

You are redeemed.
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” (Ephesians 1:7, NKJV)

You are God’s workmanship, crated for good works that He prepared beforehand.
“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10, NKJV)

You are a new creation.
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)

You are a child of God.
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:” (John 1:12, NKJV)

You are never abandoned because He has promised to never leave you nor forsake you.
“Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”(Hebrews 13:5, NKJV)

Take a moment, take a look again at the list of truths from God’s word. None of them depend upon your performance. They don’t change when you’re having a bad day. They aren’t based on your occupation, your marital status, your bank account, or your past. They are true because of what Christ has done, not because of what you have done.

This changes everything. Everything! When you know you are loved, you no longer have to spend your life chasing the approval of others. When you know you are forgiven, you can stop allowing shame to define your future. When you know you are God’s child, rejection no longer has the final word. When you know you are His workmanship, you no longer have to compare your life to everyone else’s.

Does this mean that you will never struggle with insecurity again? No, of course not. We are all human and all in the process of being transformed. There will be days when the old lies seem to be louder than God’s truth. There will be moments when your feelings try to convince you that nothing has changed. That is why renewing our minds is not a one-time event. It is a daily decision. Each day we choose whether we will believe what God has said or what our circumstances are telling us. Each day we decide whose voice will shape our identity.

This is one of the reasons that I am so passionate about Biblical counseling. So many women come into counseling believing they know who they are, but the identity they’ve been living under was never given to them by God. It was shaped by painful experiences, unhealthy relationships, disappointments, trauma, criticism, or unrealistic expectations. Together, we being identifying those false believes and replacing them with God’s truth. That process doesn’t happen overnight, but it is one of the most freeing journeys a person can experience.

So let me leave you with a few questions to prayerfully consider this week.

• What words immediately come to mind when you think about yourself?
• Where did those beliefs come from?
• Are those beliefs rooted in what God says about you, or are they rooted in something else?
• What would begin to change if you truly believed who God says you are?

Friend, your identity is not found in your past. It is not found in your mistakes. It is not found in your title, your relationships, or your accomplishments. Your identity is found in Jesus Christ. The more you understand who you are in Him, the more every area of your life begins to change. That is why your identity in Jesus changes everything.

Sources
New King James Version. (1982). Thomas Nelson.

Peterson, D. (1995). Possessed by God: A New Testament theology of sanctification and holiness (D. A. Carson, Ed.). InterVarsity Press.