What makes up your identity? Perhaps you have blonde hair, brown hair, black hair, or red hair. Perhaps you are light-skinned or dark-skinned. Perhaps you have green eyes, or brown eyes, or blue eyes. Perhaps you are tall or short. Perhaps you’re quiet or outspoken. Perhaps you’re organized or you fly by the seat of your pants. Perhaps you like to read, or to cook, or to play an instrument, or to play a sport, or to care for animals, or to take pictures, or to write, or to create art, or to hike. Perhaps you’re a mother, sister, daughter, or friend. Perhaps you’re a Christian or just seeking more about what this Jesus thing is all about.
All these things make up our identity. They make up who we are. But those who are Christians have an identity that is far more important and valuable than their eye color or their favorite hobby.
The Apostle Paul talks about this important and valuable identity in his letter to the Galatians. He writes,
“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (ESV)
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, loved us so much that He gave His own life so that we could live! It is because of this that believers receive the Spirit of adoption and become children of God (Romans 8:14-15). This is the Christian’s identity – a child of the One True God. But this identity actually has three parts to it that Paul alludes to in the verse above. The three parts of a Christian’s identity are justification, regeneration, and sanctification.
The first part of the Christian’s identity is justification. Whitney Capps writes, “The legal transaction where Christ pays for our debts and God the Father declares us free and righteous is the essence of justification.”(1) Paul said in Galatians, “I have been crucified with Christ…” Jesus lived a perfect, righteous life and died as an atoning sacrifice for all our sins. When we put our faith in Christ, our old, sinful self is crucified, and Jesus’ righteousness becomes our righteousness (Romans 6:6-7, 2 Corinthians 5:21). It is only by Jesus’ work on the cross and having faith in Him that we can be justified (Romans 5:8-9). No amount of good works could make us righteous enough to become children of God. It is only by grace that we can be saved and have eternal life (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:7).
The second part of the Christian’s identity is regeneration. Whitney also writes that “Regeneration happens when the Holy Spirit makes us a new creation, resurrecting us from being dead in sin and making us alive in Christ.”(1) Paul continues in Galatians by saying, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Just as Jesus was resurrected and made alive, we were given the Holy Spirit and new life when we were saved (Ephesians 2:4-5). When we were washed with regeneration, we were “born again to a living hope” and became new creations (Titus 3:5, 1 Peter 1:3-4, 2 Corinthians 5:17). Christ removed our hearts of stone and replaced them with hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). We have new life, and Christ lives in us through His Spirit. As new, regenerated creatures, we’ve been called to “…put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:10). And this brings us to the third part of our identity.
The third part of the Christian’s identity is sanctification. Whitney defines this term as “…how the Holy Spirit works within us to make us more like Christ… the divine process and the human pursuit of us being crucified and conformed to the image of Christ.”(1) Paul finishes the verse, “And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” When we are justified and regenerated, we are also sanctified. Sanctification is a divine process where God sets us apart as holy and declares us a holy nation, a chosen race, a people for His possession (2 Timothy 2:21, 1 Peter 2:9). He begins the good work of making us more like Christ every day, and this good work of sanctification will be completed when Jesus returns to the earth (Philippians 1:6). But sanctification is also a human pursuit. We were created for good works, so we must strive for holiness and seek the things that are above (Ephesians 2:10, Hebrews 12:4, Colossians 3:1). As we live by faith in Christ, we must obey God’s Word, imitate Christ, and seek God’s will – which is our sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
Christians are children of the One True God. They are justified (declared righteous), regenerated (given new life), and sanctified (made more like Jesus). If you are a Christian, this is your identity. These precious and beautiful truths are a part of your life. If you’re not a Christian, this could be your identity. Don’t be scared off by the long words and lists of Bible verses! It’s actually quite simple. All you have to do is believe that Jesus died as a sacrifice for your sins and resurrected to give you new life, eternal life with God (Romans 10:9-10). When you do this, you will become justified, regenerated, and sanctified. You will become a child of the One True God.
Jesus, I recognize that I sin in my life. I make bad choices. I do wrong things. But I don’t want my identity to be defined by my sin any longer. I want my identity to be defined by You. I trust in You today and believe that You died and resurrected for me. Save me, Jesus. Give me new life and make me more like You every day.
- Whitney Capps, Sick of Me: From Transparency to Transformation (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2019), 39-40, 88.
