Worthy: Embracing Your Identity in ChristSample

On day 1 of this plan, you considered how you would define yourself. When asked to consider this, you likely thought of a list of terms that describe your personality, relationships, and accomplishments. But, no matter how well this list represents you at this moment, it is still an imperfect description of who you are.

Because…

Relationships change.
Skills fade.
Careers transition.
Likes and dislikes shift.

So, where can you go to find your true identity—one that will not shift or change? The answer is the Bible, God’s Word.

The Bible doesn’t use a list to describe our identity like we tend to do. Instead, it tells us a story. This story starts not with us, but with Adam and Eve in Genesis 1–2. As Scripture tells us in Genesis 1–2, Adam and Eve originally had a harmonious relationship with God. Their perfect relationship with God was the foundation of their identity! However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s Word and took on a new identity: “children under wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). Sin corrupted their identity.

The story continues with us. We, too, have sinful natures inherited from Adam and Eve, and we, too, were once guilty in the Lord’s sight. Ephesians 2:1–3 tells us that we were so disobedient that we were considered dead in sin — unable to please God and save ourselves. Disobedience corrupts our identities and leaves us wondering who we are.

But, God has loved us despite our sin and sent Jesus Christ to make us alive in Him (Ephesians 2:4–5). Through Jesus’s atoning death and resurrection, those who have faith in Him experience God’s forgiveness and reconciliation. When we trust in Christ, our corrupted identity is redeemed. Our true identity in Jesus will not change with circumstances. Jesus never leaves; the impact of His saving work never fades.

Reflect and Respond

What would it look like to root your identity in Christ’s unchanging character rather than your changing circumstances?