Summarizing our true identity in Christ is beyond the scope of my understanding. For me, my true identity in Christ flows from my willingness to surrender myself and my life and everything I have and think and do for Jesus, to His control and His work in me, through me, and as me. For me, it comes from my willingness to constantly abide in Christ.

As I said, my ability to conclude what my (or your) true identity in Christ has to come from those who have lived surrendered lives. Those for whom abiding in Christ is as natural as breathing.One such man who lived the surrendered and abiding life was Oswald Chambers. In his book, My Utmost For His Highest, today Chambers writes on total surrender,

“Peter began to say to Him, ’See, we have left all and followed You’ —Mark 10:28. Our Lord replies to this statement of Peter by saying that this surrender is “for My sake and the gospel’s” (Mark 10:29). (This scripture is from the story of the rich young ruler (Mark 9:17-23). It was not for the purpose of what the disciples themselves would get out of it. Beware of surrender that is motivated by personal benefits that may result. For example, “I’m going to give myself to God because I want to be delivered from sin, because I want to be made holy.” Being delivered from sin and being made holy are the result of being right with God, but surrender resulting from this kind of thinking is certainly not the true nature of Christianity. Our motive for surrender should not be for any personal gain at all. We have become so self-centered that we go to God only for something from Him, and not for God Himself. It is like saying, “No, Lord, I don’t want you; I want myself. But I do want You to clean me and fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I want to be on display in Your showcase so I can say, ’This is what God has done for me.’ ” Gaining heaven, being delivered from sin, and being made useful to God are things that should never even be a consideration in real surrender. Genuine total surrender is a personal sovereign preference for Jesus Christ Himself. Where does Jesus Christ figure in when we have a concern about our natural relationship? Most of us will desert Him with the excuse–‘Yes, Lord, I heard you call me, but my family needs me and I have my own interests. I just can’t go any further’ (see Luke 9:57-62) ‘Then,’ Jesus says, . “Then,” Jesus says, “you ’cannot be My disciple’ ” (see Luke 14:26-33).

True surrender will always go beyond natural devotion. If we will only give up, God will surrender Himself to embrace all those around us and will meet their needs, which were created by our surrender. Beware of stopping anywhere short of total surrender to God. Most of us have only a vision of what this really means, but have never truly experienced it.”

In her book, 31 Days of Prayer, Ruth Meyers writes,

“Abiding in Christ requires God’s continued working, not His once-for-all work (our salvation). We are ‘in Christ’ we don’t have to try to get there, and the words ‘in Christ’ could be translated, ‘in union with Christ’ (or abiding in Christ). We simply agree to a constant dependence on Him. We turn, time and time again, from our own abilities, our own sufficiency, and our own pride that want to do it on our own. We accept His word, ‘without me you can do nothing’–that is nothing sufficient in God’s eyes.

We turn and we trust.

We choose to depend on Christ as our constant source of life, our constant source of all we need for living and growing, for bearing spiritual fruit, for praying. Then we trust Him to keep us trusting and ask Him to help us turn back quickly whenever we slip into going our own way, doing our own thing, or depending on our own resources.”¹

Besides believing in Christ as our Lord and Savior and abiding in Him, if we’re going to know our true identity in Christ we need to believe what God’s word says we are. His word says we are lots of things.

I’ve included this link to a list of things God’s word says we are.

I challenge each of you to read the entire list. You are everything the list says you are. If you read the list and decide, “That may be okay for some people, but not for me,” Satan is feeding you lies. Study the scriptures, meditate on the ones you don’t believe about yourself. Then pray that God will reveal to you what He sees when He looks at you, what His purpose for your life is for creating you. He will show Himself to you and your true identity in Him.

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If you missed any of the earlier posts for our “Who Are You? Series, you can find links to all the earlier messages below:

• Nature Of Man — The Body
• Nature of Man — The Soul
• The Nature of Man — The Holy Spirit – Part I
• The Nature of Man — The Holy Spirit – Part II
• Dead Men (And Women) Walking
• It’s My Nature–Part I
• It’s My Nature–Part II
• What We Died To — The Law
• What We Died To — Sin, Part I
• What We Died To —  Sin, Part II
• Rules And Religion Or Relationship?

¹ 31 Days of Prayer, © 1997 by Warren and Ruth Myers; published by Multnomah Books, Random House, Inc.; Colorado Springs, Colorado; pgs. 186-87.