Through our eyes, our identity seems to be everchanging. They change on a whim, and a single moment, perhaps even a second of time can change the way we identify ourselves.

We’ve been talking about the difference between the Old and the New testaments, and this is one of the most dramatic shifts. The shift from the old identity to the new identity.

The Old Identity

The Old Testament is filled with violence and war, and as we discussed last week, Israel often came out on top. Not because of military strategy, weaponry, or numbers, but because of the grace of God. This can be shown from just biblical history.

In the book of Joshua, we see that the Lord helped the Israelites win many battles. With the Lord’s aid, Joshua and the Israelites got the promised land and overtook 31 kings! That’s incredible!

However, we see in the book of Daniel that the Israelites are back in captivity. Those books are set many years apart, but you would think that the Lord would be on their side still, right?

In Joshua, the Israelites obeyed God and He aided them. In Daniel, the Israelites disobeyed God and put themselves in the position they were in.

So, in the Old Testament, the identity of the people was based on how well they followed the law. When they were in right-standing with God and the law, they were on top. If not, they weren’t.

This may make God sound like a cruel and spiteful being, but it’s obvious through a few key attributes that he’s not.

God is Love

This will seem super contradictory to what we can see, but we can’t always see the full picture. 1 John 4:16 says “God is love”, plain and simple. That alone should tell the whole story, but it’s very helpful to get the full picture.

One major argument for God not being loving, lies in the fact that he helped the Israelites kill many other nations. Another is that the Israelites were put back into captivity and killed when not following the law. To fully understand why both of these happened we need to look at the beginning of the Israelite nation.

It all started with Abraham and a promise to make him a great nation. The main purpose of that nation was to bring about a Messiah that would save humanity (Isaiah 49:5-6). This means that the Israelites must be protected, in order to bring about a Messiah from that nation. In protecting the Israelites, and fulfilling his promises, He loves the world, because it all ends in salvation through his son, Jesus.

Another reason that the Israelite nation was formed was to show the world that God is real (Isaiah 43:10). The world at the time of the Abraham was very unbelieving and there needed to be a change. When you act according to the law, when you are set apart from the crowd, people see. By following the law, or not following it, the Israelites show the world that their God is real.

This is shown through the story of Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel. Daniel and his friends stayed true to the law and didn’t confirm, and God protected them from the fire they were tossed in. This showed Nebuchadnezzar that God is real.

The purpose of the Israelite and God relationship was not unloving, but purposeful.

He is a Father

When we begin to understand who God is, it gives us a better picture of who we are. Not only because we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), but also because He is our father (2 Corinthians 1:3).

This is key to understanding who God is in our lives. It gives a great picture of his position in our lives, and it gives a great illustration of how we can see our heavenly father. Here a few attributes of a father, and of God.

• He comforts. God comforts us in our afflictions. While we are not promised an easy road, with no bumps, God is always there to comfort us through the bumpy roads. (2 Corinthians 1:4).

• Active in our lives. Contrary to some’s belief, God is very active in our lives. (Hebrews 4:12). He sees what we may not see and understands our concerns.

• He teaches. God is able to teach and show us different things, whether that’s by way of signs and wonders, or the Holy Spirit, he is always trying to teach.

While there are so many more attributes of God and his fatherly nature, these examples really show a lot about who God is and how he can relate to us. They also show very well that God is not spiteful or cruel at all, but very loving to his children.

What Caused the Shift?

These recent posts have been about the difference between the Old and the New Testaments, so it’s only reasonable that the shift would be found in the gospels, with Jesus.

The shift from our old identity to our new identity is the sacrifice of Jesus, the crucifixion, and the time he lived after. This marked a dramatic shift in all of history, because with Jesus, we could now receive salvation.

Not only could we receive salvation and forgiveness of sins, but we received something else that’s pretty great too. 1 John 4:13 says this:

“By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.”

This is powerful. This means that God’s spirit, when we receive salvation enters into us. With that new spirit, we are able to live out of a new identity!

Because of Jesus, we no longer base our identity on everything we see around us or the law. We don’t base our identity of how well we behave and follow the law. Our new identity is based completely on who we are in Christ and our new self. How great is that!

The New Identity

If you read any of my posts on Spirit, Soul, and Body, then you may know that living through your new identity is crucial. It is one of the most vital steps that leads to a successful Christian walk and mindset. It has also been very helpful in my experience with depression and insecurities.

In Spirit, Soul, and Body, we discussed that in the spirit we are conquerors, heirs, righteous, and a few other qualities. Now, I find that it’s important to specifically discuss how our new identities completely take the weight off.

In the Old Testament, God wasn’t after performance. He didn’t give the Israelites a long list of laws concerning war, so they could fight better. He was only ever after obedience. God wanted the Israelites to obey him and obey his instruction.

Now, from what I’ve read and seen from my relationship with the Lord, I can see that He is really after us. Though he wants us to obey him and not sin, His strongest desire is a relationship with his children.

This is reflected in what our new identities really are!

So, here are a few things we’ll focus on when it comes to our identities:

• We are redeemed.

• We are justified by faith.

• We’re seated in heavenly places.

Our Redeemed Identity

Ephesians 1:7 says this:

“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”

This means that through his blood, we have complete freedom from our sins and are essentially debt free. We are redeemed by the blood that was spilt and his grace forgives all of our sins.

Now, we are not identified or punished for any of our sins, but we are alive and redeemed through Christ Jesus.

Justified by Faith

Galatians 2:16 says this:

“Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”

That is a very long and kind of confusing verse, so let’s break it down first.

So, a person cannot be justified by their works. They can’t be justified by the good they do or how well they follow the law.

They can only be justified by faith. One has to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be justified, but that is the only requirement.

This means that we are made righteous just because of our faith in God, nothing more, nothing less.

Seated in Heavenly Places

This will surely sound crazy and even unbelievable, but we are really seated in heavenly places. Ephesians 2:6 says this:

“And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

I know what most of you are thinking. You’re probably confused about what that really means, and definitely not believing it, but it must be true.

What does that really mean? It probably won’t surprise you that this isn’t referring to our physical body being seated there. What it is really referring to is our position in Christ. In Christ, we are already given a spot in the heavenly places. We don’t have to earn it or deserve it; it’s already given to us.

This scripture also gives us insight on our position with Christ. It says that God “raised us up with him”, and that we are seated “with him”. God’s grace not only pardoned our sins, but also put us with him in those heavenly places, meaning that we are not to identify as a Christian, but someone who is like Christ.

Meet your New Identity

The Holy Spirit, and our new identity go hand and hand. When you become more acquainted with the Holy Spirit, you can begin to identify who you really are.

If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, you’re pretty aware; I talk about scripture a lot. I believe that, outside of a relationship with God and the Holy Spirit, it is the most essential thing in life.

Not only are there towers of wisdom stacked up in the Bible for us to take in, but it also bridges the gap between us, and the father. In the Bible, is almost all of what you really need to learn about your new identity and grow closer to God.

While I may sound like a broken record at this point, the only practical application I really have for you it this:

Read the Bible and begin to learn more about your new identity in Christ Jesus.

Final Thoughts

At the heart of this topic, we just need to recognize ourselves in the right way.

The world says we can identify ourselves whatever way we want.

The enemy wants us to identify with our sin.

Some would have you to identify with whether you’re a good Christian or a good person.

But there really is only one true identifier, and that is what the cross says you are.

Ask yourself, have I really given my life to the Lord yet? That is the only determining factor in who you really are as a person.

Check out the past post on this concept here.