In His Name Devotionals
A NEW IDENTITY
In His Name Devotionals
A NEW IDENTITY
“God...has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3 NIV)
Some people mistakenly believe that religious preference is irrelevant. They sometimes say, “All religions eventually lead to the same spiritual destination.”
Such thinking is sheer folly, however, because Holy Scripture declares that no one comes to God apart from Jesus (John 14:6). He is the only source of salvation (Acts 4:12) and the only One powerful enough to redeem us and hold us secure forever (John 10:28).
Every Christian shares a common supernatural union with Christ. Paul said, “The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). If we are Christian, then we are in Him and He is in us. His life flows through us by His Spirit, who indwells us (Romans 8:9).
As a non-Christian, we were: In bondage to evil (Romans 3:10-12);
Enslaved to the will of Satan (1 John 5:19);
Under divine wrath (Romans 1:18);
Spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1); and
Without hope (Ephesians 2:12).
But, at the moment of our salvation a dramatic change took place. We became:
A new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17);
Alive in Him (Ephesians 2:5);
Enslaved to God (Romans 6:22); and
A recipient of divine grace (Ephesians 2:8).
When we were born again, we were “delivered...from the domain of darkness, and transferred...to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13). We now possess His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21), sharing in His eternal inheritance (Romans 8:16-17). All these blessings and many more are ours because we are in Christ. What a staggering reality! In a sense, what He is, we are. What He has, we have. Where He is, we are.
When the Father sees us, does He see us in Christ? If so, then He blesses us accordingly. When others see us, do they see Christ in us? “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
