After an Encounter Sample

Day 8: Who I Am in Christ

Each of us has a cultural identity. Whether you were born in Australia or overseas, you have a culture that you are a part of and it is a part of you.

When you were born-again, however, you become a part of the Kingdom of God – you have a new culture and a new identity. You are in Christ.

In the ancient world where the first believers lived, people were highly conscious of their culture. Jews, in particular, seemed to others to have a superior religious attitude. Paul preached that regardless of their racial or cultural background, it was surpassed by a new nature and a new identity in Christ.

Colossians 3:10-12 (NLT)

Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.

There are 3 declarations that summarise who we are in Christ:

I am accepted.

I am secure.

I am significant.

Each of these phrases speak to the deepest needs of the human heart. Human wisdom has identified these as important but cannot really supply the answer to these needs. Thank God, through Jesus Christ, all our needs are met!

Renew your mind with this wonderful truth. Renewing your mind with the Word of God is an important practice for every believer. The rewards are great. This doesn’t come naturally; it is something you must deliberately do.

Some of the phrases on this list, along with other wonderful truths in the Word of God, will speak more specifically to you than others. You might consider memorising these as they speak most deeply to your heart.

Replace old negative thoughts about yourself with God’s true perspective. What you believe often determines what you do. Soon you and others will notice the change as you consciously believe the truth of who you are in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17-18 (PHILLIPS)

This means that our knowledge of men can no longer be based on their outward lives (indeed, even though we knew Christ as a man we do not know him like that any longer). For if a man is in Christ he becomes a new person altogether—the past is finished and gone, everything has become fresh and new.