2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that in Christ we are a “new creation” and the Bible teaches that those who have committed to follow Christ have been made righteous in the sight of God. This means that we have a whole new identity in Christ. God no longer sees us as fallen sinners, but he sees us in the same way that he sees his son – perfect and righteous. In many ways, to live the Christian life means to be growing into the identity that God has bestowed upon us in Christ. To move forward in this way we like to focus on growing in five main identities:

FAMILY

Through the gospel of Christ, we have access to both God as a father and to each other as brothers and sisters. If we are in him, we can experience life as brothers and sisters in Christ, with God as our Father, because of what Christ has done for us on the cross. As we grow as disciples we will grow closer as a family.

LEARNERS

One of the primary jobs of a disciple is to learn from the master. As we learn about Christ and seek to follow him in our daily lives we will become more like him. First, this means that the study of God’s word is very important for growth as disciples. Jesus said,

“If you abide in my Word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-32 ESV).

Disciples need to immerse themselves in God’s Word and learn to follow His voice daily. As we do this, we will grow in our identity as learners.

LOVERS

When we are in sin, we are not able to love people the way that God intended, but in Christ, we have been made perfect lovers. Jesus summed up the law by saying, “love God and love your neighbor.” He also said to his disciples in John 13:35, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” As we continue learning about God and grow in our realization His love for us, we will only be able to respond with love.

GIVERS

God is a giver (John 3:16), and if we are in Christ, then that part of God’s image in us should be alive and well. This is part of our identity. That means we are generous with everything that we ourselves have been given (time, talents, money, energy, etc.). As believers the Holy Spirit has blessed each of us with gifts that are intended to build up the church. Like Abraham in the Old Testament, we are blessed to be a blessing to others. As we continue to grow in Christ we will realize that loving God and loving others leads us to want to serve others with the gifts we have been given. Believing that we have all been uniquely created and gifted, this requires us to understand our own talents, giftedness, and passions so that we can offer them back to the world (1 Cor. 12:4-11). As we grow as disciples we will grow into our identities as givers.