My Identity In Jesus

We Are Given A New Identity In Jesus

Immediately we believe in Jesus our family relationships and our identity are radically changed. This is a truly wonderful "suddenly" in our life, and it starts in our heart.

Jesus brings us to Father God, who He calls "Abba Father", an intimate and very personal name for His Dad, it shows absolute love and trust. Jesus then says, "Abba Father, here is John, (for you, He uses your name), will you make him a son (or her a daughter), just as I am your Son? Will you fully forgive all his (or her) sins and bring him (or her) into your great inheritance?"

Father God always acts on these requests from Jesus, He always says "yes". Straight away we become members of God's family. Jesus is now our big brother .. God becomes our totally reliable Father. We do not lose our earthly family; this will be good news for some and perhaps not so good for others who have a tough or lonely family life. But in God's family, life becomes full and precious.

Do you remember in the film "The King and I", where the king is in a very important meeting with some high officials .. his young son is playing elsewhere in the palace and suddenly has a question; "I'll go and ask Daddy", he says, and runs and runs through the palace towards the council chamber where the meeting is going on. As soon as the king sees his son he asks the others to excuse him; he will help his son before getting back to the matter they are discussing. The king is gracious to all but his focus is immediately on his child. This is how our Abba Father is towards each one of us. Always there for us: ready to help, ready to guard our back. So is Jesus ..

All this is because God loves every person (Galatians 5:22, 1 Peter 1:8, 1 John 3:1); He created you and me out of love, because He is love (1 John 4:16), and wants to spend eternity loving each one of us (Jude 1:21).

"For in Him we live and move and have our being . . For we also are His children" (Acts 17:28).

"Therefore He is able also to save to the uttermost (completely, perfectly, finally, and for all time and eternity) those who come to God through Him, since He is always living to make petition to God and intercede with Him and to intervene for us" (Hebrews 7:25 Amplified).

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new is here" (2 Corinthians 5:17).

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

"But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Corinthians 6:17).

"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3).

"The Holy Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16). 

"In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you" (John 14:20).

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can't bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in me" (John 15:4).

Not only do we come into God's family, we become a part of His body, the Christian Church. This too is very real, and very precious. Most of my life I thought of the church as being partly Anglican, partly Roman Catholic, with Presbyterians, Salvation Army, Pentecostals, and on and on. Now I actively try to go beyond any barriers, real or imagined, and be a part of the whole church. There are now many Christian events which are outside congregational or denominational boundaries, and I have come to love these; I seek them out. We find that we have so much in common and can be truly effective prayer warriors. We see miracles.

"And God put all things under Jesus' feet and gave Him as head over all things to the church,  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23).

Jesus Equips Us By Giving Us Our Identity In Him

Here are some truths which I have gathered together over the years; each of these statements is true for me, they are expressed in Scripture and, because they are my experience, I feel free to personalise them.

They are true for every Christian.

I Am In God's Family

•     I am fully included in God's family, and have a full share of His inheritance (Ephesians 1:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:10, 1 Peter 2:17).

•     Like Jesus, I am God's child (John 1:12).

•    I am Jesus' friend, not His servant or slave (John 15:15).

•     I am united with Jesus and one with him in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17).

•     Like Jesus, and through Him, I always have access to the Father by Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18).

•     My life is hidden with Jesus in God, (perhaps the safest place in the world) (Colossians 3:3).

I Am Complete In Jesus

•     I am created in the image and likeness of God, (who is complete unity in diversity), (Genesis 1:26).

•     I, and every person, man, woman and child, are equal, different and unique (Genesis 1:27, Galatians 3:28).

•     I am a branch of Jesus, the true vine, and will produce much fruit (John 15:1,5).

•     I am more than a conqueror through Jesus (Romans 8:37).

•     I am established in Jesus; anointed, sealed and given His Spirit in my heart (2 Corinthians 1:21).

•    The good work God has begun in me, He will complete .. (Philippians 1:6).

•     In Jesus, (the head over every power and authority (Matthew 28:18)), I am being brought to fullness (Colossians 2:10).

•     I was dead in my transgressions and sinfulness and God made me alive with Jesus (Colossians 2:13).

•     Jesus, who is at the right hand of God, is constantly interceding (praying) for me (Romans 8:34).

I Am Set Free In Jesus

•     The law of Jesus' Spirit has set me free from all condemnation (Romans 8:1-2).

•     Nothing in all creation, can separate me from the love of God in Jesus (Romans (8:39).

•     For freedom Jesus has set me free (Galatians 5:1).

•    Father God has delivered me from the domain of darkness into Jesus' kingdom, and in Jesus I have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:14).

•     God has forgiven me for all my sins and trespasses, past, present and future (Colossians 2:13).

I Have Authority And Power In Jesus

Jesus has all authority and power and He gave it to His Twelve Disciples. Under the New Covenant He asks us, in the same way He asked them, to do His work on the earth, and He passes His authority and power on to us.

"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me'" (Matthew 28:18).

"And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases" (Luke 9:1).

I'm like the band of seventy-two disciples; I can say, "Lord, even the demons are subject to me in your name" .. Jesus has given me authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt me. I am to rejoice that my name is written in heaven (From Luke 10:17-20).

I Am  Given Great Purpose In Jesus

Christians are given purpose and responsibility in the world; we are to participate with Jesus in His great work on the earth.

•   I am a temple of God, a house for His Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16)

•     I am Jesus' workmanship, created in Him for good works (Ephesians 2:10)

•     I am a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18)

•   I am an ambassador for Jesus' gospel (Ephesians 6:19-20)

•    I am God's fellow worker in Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:9, 2 Corinthians 6:1)

•    I can do all things through Jesus who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13).

Grateful

All this is something of what it is which fills me with joy and fills my life with good things. It is much more than agreeing with some ideas or lifestyle choices. I am inherently part of Jesus and what He is doing, and He is inherently part of me and what I am doing.

Upon my conversion Jesus fully justified me, at the same time He began the process of sanctifying me; I still sometimes sin but sin has been defeated in me and in my life. I know that in time I will "attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13).

I'm so very grateful that I belong to Jesus, my Lord, and my big Brother, and to my Abba Father in heaven and am so blessed by all the guidance and counsel from Holy Spirit.

Amen. Hallelujah! Praise Jesus!

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Bless you.