Worthy: Embracing Your Identity in ChristSample

When was the last time you took a personality test? What did the results of the test tell you about yourself? No matter what the results were, it’s likely that the idea of unlocking your inner identity and finding new information about who you truly are is what prompted you to take the test.

But where does this intense desire to know ourselves come from? Could it be designed to put our focus on something or someone else? The doctrine of union with Christ makes us consider that our desire to know our identity is really our desire to know Jesus.

We defined the theological phrase “union with Christ” as our intimate relationship with Jesus that allows us to benefit from His saving work and reflect His identity. Because we are one with Him, our knowledge of self is completely tied to our knowledge of Jesus. Though we are still imperfect sinners, all that He is covers us if we cling to Him. So, in order to discover the fullness of who we were created to be, we must look to Jesus. Ultimately, knowing our identity relies on knowing who Jesus is. So, what would it look like to turn our curiosity about our identity into curiosity about knowing Christ instead?

The Apostle Paul writes about this very thing in Philippians 3:8. He says that we can all strive to make knowing Jesus the goal of our lives while considering everything else a loss. As redeemed people who have also been taken hold of by Christ, we can pursue Jesus with just as much passion as Paul. How do we do this? We grow in our understanding of His identity and character by studying Scripture.

We investigate the depths of His love.
We search the heights of His grace.
We explore the fullness of His goodness.
We uncover the perfection of His holiness.
We discover all of who He says He is in Scripture.

When we behold these truths, we will see not only Jesus more clearly, but also ourselves. We will see what we are to become as we follow in the example of Christ.

Reflect and Respond

Ask God to give you a desire to know Jesus more and more.