Who am I in Christ?
Firstly, who am I?
Who do I say that I am? Who do others say that I am?
Does this matter?
Yes.
Also, no.
To me, it matters who God says I am. It doesn't matter who or what others say that I am (in the grand scheme of things, and at my stage of life). I know that my identity is in God. My self-worth is internal, not based on external circumstances, people, or accomplishments.
“Having a sense of self-worth means that you value yourself, and having a sense of self-value means that you are worthy.”
I am inherently worthy. I am a daughter of God, made in His image with unconditional love.
1 Corinthians 3:16 states, “Do you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
God breathed life into each one of us. His Spirit is alive within each one of us. Every breath breathed is the Spirit living and active in our bodies. There is an exchange between all living beings. We are all Spirit. We are all One in God.
Getting back into the first question of who am I? This is often what we see as our identity: how we exist in the world. Who we are - as humans being. And what we do - as humans doing.
One definition of identity is that “identity refers to our sense of who we are as individuals and as members of social groups. It also refers to our sense of how others may perceive and label us.” (I would provide a reference but I truly forget where I got this. I have it in quotes in my notes so I know it’s not mine.)
To provide examples, our sense of self, or our identity, can be defined by certain personality traits, intelligence, interests, opinions, skills, abilities, beliefs, and motivators. These qualities can contribute to our self-image and how we view our unique identity.
Our identity, self-image, and self-worth evolves over time. As children, we often look to our parents, teachers, peers, etc. for approval and ascribe positive reactions to positive attributes. As we grow and obtain more life experience, we can transition from external validation to internal validation. This is where I want to jump in. I am not dismissing the amount of work that it can take to get here (trust me I know because I’ve lived through this transitional work), but the focus here is our identity in Christ. This is a choice.
Who am I in Christ? What is my identity according to Scripture?
Identity Statements from Scripture
I am a child of God (1 John 3:1)
I am loved (Romans 8:38-39)
I am seen and known (Psalm 139:1)
I am free (Romans 8:1-2)
I am safe (Psalm 32:7)
I am healed and made whole (Isaiah 53:5)
I am redeemed (Ephesians 1:7)
I am forgiven (Ephesians 1:7)
I am filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-14)
I am God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)
I can do all things in Him (Philippians 4:13)
I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)
Our sense of self and identity can and is found in God. A high and healthy sense of self-worth comes from within.
I’ll leave you with a few additional quotes from Scripture:
Mark 10:27 reminds us that “all things are possible with God” and John 15:5 states that “apart from [God] we can do nothing.”
I am His.
xo,
Megan C
