Do you know who you are in Christ? I mean, really, deep down within your heart do you know who you are? And do you know why you were given life?
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus,
who has become for us wisdom from God
—that is our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30
Let me begin by sharing a true story. It’s about Queen Victoria. She was England’s longest-ruling monarch. She became queen when she was only 18 years old and ruled for 64 years. According to Pastor Warren Wiersbe in his book titled Be Rich he writes:
“When she was young, Victoria was shielded from the fact that she would be the next ruling monarch of England lest this knowledge spoil her. When her teacher finally did let her discover for herself that she would one day be Queen of England, Victoria’s response was, ‘Then I will be good!’ Her life would be controlled by her position. No matter where she was, Victoria was governed by the fact that she sat on the throne of England.”[1]
From the moment Queen Victoria discovered the truth of who she was, she determined in her heart and mind to be good. She determined to walk worthy of her calling.
Well, much like Queen Victoria’s teacher, I would like to help you not only discover who you are in Christ but also live out your identity in Christ! For you, too, are royalty. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you are a child of the King of kings. For this reason, you are sanctified. “Sanctified” means to be “set apart”[2] and “to be free from sin.”[3] There are two aspects to sanctification—a positional aspect and a practical aspect. The positional aspect has to do with the moment of your salvation. When you decide to give your heart to God and follow Him, you have immediately been set apart. The practical aspect has to do with how you live out your salvation. Each day, it’s important to make wise choices to be set free from sin. Therefore, sanctification is both a one-time event and an on-going process throughout your life.
In this blog, we will be talking about the positional aspect of your sanctification, of who you are in Christ, the one-time event that took place the moment you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. (If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you would like more information go to our web page at: http://www.sunflowerpress.net and click on the “What We Believe” tab at the top of the page.) In the blog to follow, we will talk about the practical aspect of your sanctification.
You see, the moment you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior you were set apart. Just like Queen Victoria was set apart from the moment of her birth to be the next Queen of England, from the moment of your re-birth, of becoming born again, you were set apart to become all that God created you to be.
With that said, let’s take a look at the amazing transformation that took place the moment you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and positionally became His. I’ll even include some of the Scripture references incase you want to look them up for yourself.
- You are loved by God—Jeremiah 31:3; Romans 8:38-39; Ephesians 3:17-19
- You are a child of the King of kings—John 1:12-13; Romans 8:14-15; 1 John 3:1
- You are royalty—Ephesians 2:19
- You are His work of art—Ephesians 2:10
- You are of worth—Luke 12:6-7
- You are not a mistake—Psalm 119: 73; Psalm 139:13-16
- You are blessed by Him—Psalm 1:1-3; Ephesians 1:3
- You are the Bride of Christ—Revelation 19:7
- You are the temple of the Holy Spirit—1 Corinthians 6:19-20
- You are forgiven—Colossians 1:14; 1 John 1:9; 1 John 2:12
- You are reconciled to God—2 Corinthians 5:18
- You are redeemed—Psalm 107:2; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:18-19
- You are protected by Him—Joshua 1:5-9; Isaiah 43:2
- You are called by God and have a purpose in life—Romans 11:29; 2 Timothy 1:9
- You are the apple of His eye—Deuteronomy 32:10; Psalm 17:8
- You are always in His thoughts—Psalm 139:17-18; Isaiah 49:15-16; Jeremiah 29:11
- You are His—Ezekiel 16:8
This is who you are in Christ positionally. In fact, go back up to the top of the list and read it out loud. As you do so change the words “You are” to “I am” and be blessed beyond measure.
In view of this most marvelous truth, it’s time to move this truth from your head to your heart so that you can become all that God intends you to be.
Think about it: If you really believed that you are the son or daughter of the King of kings would you make different choices for your life? If you knew in the depths of your heart that you are His work of art and are of worth would you make wiser choices? And if you really understood that you are always in His thoughts would you consider the outcome of your choices more seriously?
If you take the time to ponder this truth in the depths of your heart, and more importantly, make decisions based upon this truth then you are moving the truth of who you are in Christ from your head to your heart. It’s time to make decisions based upon this truth and not based upon your feelings. As you do this, your life will be transformed. You will become all that God created you to be.
I know this for a fact! As I began to make choices based upon the truth of who I am in Christ, and not upon my feelings or my desires, my life changed. This is part of the practical aspect of your identity in Christ, but that’s the subject of my next blog. Until then, I’m looking forward to your comments. Share with others some practical steps of living out this truth. Has there ever been a time when you made a decision based upon the truth of who you are in Christ, instead of how you felt? And if so, how did God bless you in that choice?
(c) 2011 by Cherie Fresonke
Adapted from my new book Go in Peace the updated and expanded edition that was released October 15, 2011.
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[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Rich (Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1998), pp. 13-14.
[2] Ibid., p. 10.
[3] Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1988), s.v. “sanctified.”
thank you soo much I will be sharing this!! Such a blessing ! God Bless!
Thanks for the encouragement!