Click HERE to download the “Who I Am in Christ” Handout
Romans 10:17 | NKJV (17) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
If there is a lack of faith in any area of our lives then it can be found in a lack of understanding from the Word of God or we could say, a lack of knowledge.
Hosea 4:6a | NKJV (6) My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.
Hosea 4:6a | MSG (6) My people are ruined because they don’t know what’s right or true.
If we will receive knowledge, then we can have faith.
Our faith grows with our understanding of God’s Word:
- Understanding the New Birth
- Understanding our Redemption
- Understanding our Righteousness
- Understanding our place in Him
- Understanding how to act upon God’s Word
- Understanding our right to the use of the Name of Jesus
- Understanding what the Word says about the power of our words and our confession of God’s Word
If you are going to understand who you are in Christ, you must understand the Doctrine of Identification.
In this doctrine, believers see that not only Jesus paid the price as our SUBSTITUTE, but that He identified WITH us and we can identify WITH Him.
- When Jesus came to the earth, He identified with us in that He became flesh and blood like we are.
John 1:1-3 | NKJV (1) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2) He was in the beginning with God. (3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
John 1:14 | NLT (14) So the Word became human and made His home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.
- When He hung on the Cross and God laid our sin upon Him as our substitute, is when we identified with Him.
Galatians 2:20 | NKJV (20) I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.
So, our “in Christ” began when He was on the Cross.
Some “In Him” Realities
- We were “in Him” when sin was laid up on Him at the Cross, because it was our sin that put Him there.
2 Corinthians 5:21 | NKJV (21) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
- We were “in Him” during those awful hours when He was separated from God and under condemnation, when the judgment for our sins fell heavily upon Him.
Matthew 27:46 | AMPC (46) And about the ninth hour… Jesus cried with a loud voice…My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me [leaving Me helpless, forsaking and failing Me in My need]?
- We were “in Him” when He went down to the place of suffering and torment.
Psalms 16:10 | KJV (10) For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
Ephesians 4:8-10 | NKJV (8) Therefore He says: “WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE, AND GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.” (9) (Now this, “HE ASCENDED”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? (10) He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
- We were “in Him” when He had paid the price and God legally justified Him and raised Him up from the dead.
1 Peter 3:18 | NLT (18) Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but He died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but He was raised to life in the Spirit.
- We were “in Him” when He conquered Satan and the host of hell and took from him the keys of death and hell.
Revelation 1:18 | NKJV (18) I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.
Colossians 2:15 | NKJV (15) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.
- We were “in Him” when He rose triumphantly and defeated the grave.
Romans 6:8-9 | NKJV (8) Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, (9) knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.
- We were “in Him” when He took His blood into the Heavenly Holy of Holies.
Hebrews 9:12 | AMPC (12) He went once for all into the [Holy of] Holies [of heaven], not by virtue of the blood of goats and calves [by which to make reconciliation between God and man], but His own blood, having found and secured a complete redemption (an everlasting release for us).
- We were “in Him” when He ascended and sat down in the highest place in the universe.
Hebrews 10:12 | NLT (12) But our High Priest offered Himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then He sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
(Ephesians 2:6 AMPC) And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Jesus is still identifying with us!
Hebrews 4:14-16 | NKJV (14) Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. (15) For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Confession (Greek: Homo-logeo) – means “saying the same thing.”
- We need to be saying the same thing about us that Jesus is saying about us!
What is He saying about us?
- He became as we were, so that we might become as He is.
- He died to make us alive.
- He was made sin to make us righteous.
- He became weak to make us strong.
- He suffered shame to give us glory.
- He went to hell in order to take us to Heaven.
- He was condemned in order to justify us.
- He bore our sickness that healing might be ours.
- He was cast out of the presence of God to make us welcome there.
- He became one with us in death, that we might be one with Him in life.
- There is a two-fold oneness: first His oneness with our sin on the cross; second, our oneness with Him in His glory on the throne.