GCV Blog

Grace Church of the Valley blog.

Who Am I? (Part 2)
by Pastor David

Last week we began considering who we are according to God. We are not our own, and we are alive even though we used to be dead. Here are a several more Gospel-informed realities that frame the core of our identity.

I am in Christ
Judging from the number of times he uses it, it seems that “in Christ” was Paul’s favorite shorthand way to describe being a Christian. Over and over he refers to himself, to the believers he writes to, to the believers he writes about, as being “in Christ.” This expression so richly describes Gospel truths. We are united in Christ, we are dead to our sins and alive in Him, we are to live no longer for ourselves but for Him, we are clothed in His righteousness, we are connected to His promises. And if any of us are in Christ, we are a whole new creation. A total transformation has happened. The grand truth of being “in Christ” lifts us from our broken, fallen, sinful identity and makes us holy, set apart for God, uniquely suited to bring God glory.

I am free from God’s condemnation
Your conscience might tell you repeatedly that you are guilty. Satan certainly accuses you and the rest of the brethren night and day. But the one place you are guaranteed freedom from condemnation is before God. If He has declared you righteous, He will never simultaneously declare you guilty. You are either right before Him legally or under His wrath. So if you are in Christ, you are uncondemned. You are guiltless before God, just as righteous as His Son, accepted in the Beloved. All of these realities are yours if you are in Christ, won not by your own works but by the work of Christ.

I am God’s son
I am proud to be my dad’s son. I treasure my last name and I thank God for a godly and faithful dad who teaches and lives the Gospel. I respect my dad for his lifetime of love and sacrifice for my family and his ministry to others. But that family love and respect for my dad is really just a tiny earthly taste of the honor and joy and privilege to be God’s Son. What kind of love is this, that we could be called God’s sons? That the creator God of eternity would adopt us, would make us His own special family, would call us His? I am thrilled when my dad tells someone, “that’s my son.” But infinitely more, I have a heavenly Father who for all eternity has said, “that’s My son.”

Who am I? I am God’s son, free from His condemnation because I am in Christ. I used to be dead but now I’m alive. I am God’s purchased possession. No other identifications should even come close to inspiring and defining us as these.