What defines you?
Take a moment to think about the different titles that characterize your sense of self. Many of us may consider our relational status, skills, or work. For example, you might have answered this question with phrases like “I am a mother,” “I am an artist,” or “I am a restaurant hostess.” Identity can be rooted in many things, but it is important for our identity to be rooted in the right thing. Knowing who we are shapes our character, values, and how we navigate the world. An improper understanding of our identity can distort our worldview and lead us to behave contrary to the way we were designed.
To understand what defines us, we must look to our designer. God, the Maker of heaven and earth, is our Creator, and He has given us a name. He knows us intimately. We must read God’s Word, the Bible, to discover our true selves. The pages of Scripture direct us to our union with Jesus Christ as the source of our identity. Christ’s saving work is the solid ground on which we know who we are and for what we were made. In Worthy | Embracing Your Identity in Christ, we walk through selected verses that highlight the titles we have in Christ and discover how these titles impact our life’s journey for God’s glory.
Below is just one entry, taken from our new Worthy | Embracing Your Identity in Christ Bible study.
Chosen
John 15:16
Romans 8:16–17
Hebrews 1:1–4
Tales of knights, queens, and kings captivate our hearts. At a young age, we may have even imagined ourselves in these epic stories, using cardboard boxes as makeshift swords or bathroom towels for regal capes. These quests intrigue us because they reflect a greater aspiration, which is that we all want to be valuable. Whether through a worthy task or a noble title, we want to possess dignity and authority.
We demonstrate this feeling in our search for identity. Often, we explore the things of this world. We traverse years of education to reach the mountaintop of career success. We peer under rocks to find treasure, seeking to accumulate enough wealth for our bank accounts. Career ambitions and financial security are not bad, but they do not have lasting value. They do not give us the dignity and authority we imagined ourselves having in our childhood fantasies. Currency depreciates, and achievements are forgotten. But, for those of us who place our faith in Jesus, we can give up the search and know that we have been sought. God chose us to receive a royal inheritance, which He reserved and sealed for eternity.
We are heirs in Christ. An heir is someone appointed to receive something of value or continue a significant legacy. Through Jesus, the Lord selected us to receive these gifts: salvation, eternal life, and a place at Christ’s throne (Revelation 3:21). This week, we will discuss how, through Jesus, we have become heirs, chosen to bear the precious titles of firstborn, bride of Christ, citizen of heaven, and priest.
We continue Jesus’s legacy as we bear witness to His glory and spread the truth of His saving work. Before the earth was laid on its axis, before the stars hung in the sky, before the atmosphere was formed, God chose us for this inheritance. This concept is called election. Election refers to God’s sovereign choice to cover us in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ so that we could receive a valuable gift. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit had this plan from eternity past, and it lasts into eternity future. We were destined to bear this identity as heirs. In John 15:16, Jesus states, “You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit….” Here, Jesus reveals to His disciples the power of God’s divine selection. Our identity as heirs of God is not something we can receive in our own strength.
We have to be united to Christ in order to receive this identity. When He appointed us, God did not see people worthy of such an inheritance. We were not righteous kings and queens. We were not brave knights who vanquished evil with God’s Word. We were sinners who rebelled against the Lord. We abandoned our inheritance and forfeited honor for our own wants. We were poor in spirit and fell victim to Satan’s lies. But God sent Jesus Christ to be the hero of this tale.
Jesus is the anointed Son from all time; all value and nobility are in Him. Hebrews 1:2 tells us that God ordained Him as Heir and gave Him authority over the universe. The Father sent Jesus into the world with a mission. His task was to save us from sin and reconcile us to God. Jesus was perfectly obedient to the Father. He defeated spiritual evil and brought down the kingdom of darkness. He accomplished the plan of redemption and now sits at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 1:3). As the King of kings, He reigns over an everlasting kingdom. Jesus proved Himself worthy to be called the Heir of God.
Jesus shares His inheritance with us, calling us His co-heirs (Romans 8:17). Through faith, Jesus wraps us in His robe of dignity. He places His crown of authority on our heads. He gives us His sword of truth, the Bible, to fight darkness. Therefore, we can proclaim His Word with authority. We receive the Holy Spirit, who guarantees our inheritance for future possession; we can be sure that salvation, eternal life, and a place in Jesus’s presence are ours. This appointment should impact how we view ourselves. It is not wrong to seek value. Value is what we were called to obtain. However, we must know our worth comes from Jesus Christ. God appointed us to rule as royalty under His governance. Because He chose us for this task, we do not have to be dismayed when others dismiss us or when we fail. We can look to our heavenly inheritance, which is based on the imperishable and never-fading value of Jesus.
Learn more about Worthy | Embracing Your Identity in Christ
The above is an excerpt from our new Worthy Bible study. Worthy is a 4-week study on identity in Christ. It explores the titles we have through our relationship with Jesus: child, heir, slave, and saint. Jesus Christ alone is worthy to bear these titles. In our fallen condition, our only identity is rebellious sin. But, by His grace, Jesus unites us to Himself, covers us in His image, and bestows worth to our fallenness.
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We want to invite women to join us in our conversation about our great God, and be encouraged to seek a deeper knowledge of God that leads them to live their lives for God’s glory as they grow in love and awe in response to who He is.