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If someone asks you, “Who are you?” what do you say? Your answer to that question is important, because having a firm understanding of who you are is critical to your ability to be all that God has created you to be. I’m looking to Scripture for a clear understanding of our identity when we are born from above. We are God’s intentional creation, we were created for his pleasure and his glory, and when you come to saving faith in Christ, the great news is:
You are a new creation.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17 we read:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
The day that you recognized your sinful state before God and accepted his Son as your own personal Savior, that very day you were transformed into a new creation. Now, this new person that you have become because of Jesus Christ is someone you can feel good about.
This new person is righteous. Not self-righteous, because in ourselves, the Bible says, all our self-righteousness is like filthy rags to God. But Philippians 3:9 tells us that we have a righteousness now which comes through faith in Christ, not a righteousness of our own. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is credited to you and God sees you wrapped up in his righteousness.
And here’s more wonderful news about who you are in Christ:
You are no longer under condemnation.
Romans 8 tells us that the new person has been set free from the law of sin and death. It says you are no longer condemned for what that old person is or was. You’re free! There’s no condemnation against you! Good news! Great news! Incredible news! Feel good about yourself; you should.
You know, when you intentionally remember who you are in Christ and because of Christ, it truly makes a difference in the way you face life, the way you face the day ahead. Regardless of what’s going on in your life, what other people think of you, even what you think of yourself, if you remember who you are, it will give you strength and encouragement. So don’t forget: You are a new creation in Christ and you are no longer under condemnation.