Your New Identity
When you are saved, God no longer identifies you with your old flesh, but with Christ Himself. In God the Father's eyes, when he looks at his children, he sees his Son. This precious truth means your salvation is eternally secured, allowing you to rest in Christ's finished work on the cross, rather than striving through your own performance. Understanding this new identity in Christ enables you to work from salvation, rather than working for it. This empowers you to extend true charity, resulting in good works born from a thankful heart, not obligation.
Who Am I?
First and foremost, you are now a member of the Church: the body of Christ; also called the "New Man."
But what does that mean?
Ephesians 5:30 connects us to Christ as being members of his body, his flesh, and his bones. Colossians 3:3 says that our life is hid with God in Christ.
Simply put, our salvation in the dispensation of grace is to be fully identified with Christ in the eyes of God, sealed unto the day of redemption, which is our future hope of forever being with the Lord.
The seal of the Holy Spirit cannot be broken, because the Spirit will not leave us. For if he could leave us, he would never be grieved (as described in Ephesians 4:30) when we fall short.
When we are placed into the body of Christ through faith in his finished crosswork on our behalf, 2 Corinthians 5:17 identifies us as a "new creature" because old things have passed away, and all things have become new.
Your Old (Fleshly) Adamic Identity
Before Salvation
Your New (Heavenly) Christly Identity
After Salvation
How Our Identity Changes From the "Old Man" (Adam) to the "New Man" (Christ) When We Believe The Gospel
Death
"...Christ died for our sins..."
As a result of believing the Gospel of our salvation, we trust Christ to have fully paid for our sins upon the cross through his sacrificial atonement.
In trusting Christ, we are crucified with him and therefore counted as dead with him instead of dead without him.
This is how the death aspect of the gospel works effectually in our own salvation.
Burial
"...and that he was buried..."
When we trust Christ to have fully paid for our sins upon the cross (referred to as receiving the Atonement in Romans 5), and believe that he was buried for 3 days, we are counted as buried with him in baptism.
In being buried with him, the operation of God, which is the circumcision of Christ, is performed on us. This separates our body of sin from our redeemed spirit man.
This is how the burial aspect of the gospel works effectually in our own salvation.
Resurrection
"...and that he rose the third day..."
When we have been crucified with Christ and buried with him, we are counted as risen with him on the third day.
In being risen with him, we are no longer seen by God the Father as dead in the trespasses and sins of the "Old Man." Instead, the righteousness of God is imputed to us by virtue of being identified with Christ, because the body of sin was put off by the circumcision made without hands, and left in the grave.
This is how the resurrection aspect of the gospel works effectually in our own salvation.
Eternal Security: Resting in God's Grace
Our assurance of eternally secure salvation is tied directly to our understanding of our new identity in Christ. We must know who we once were (before salvation) to understand who we are now (after salvation.) Who we are as saved members of the body of Christ is inseparably linked to the gospel of our salvation: Christ's death for our sins, his burial, and resurrection.
When we believe the gospel, it literally becomes the mechanism for how we became who we now are. The reason why we cannot lose our salvation is because we didn't earn it to begin with. Christ did. We are only saved by virtue of becoming a member of the church which is his body; not by our own merit, and in spite of our old identity.
Being identified with the "New Man" means the "Old Man" has passed away. It means that instead of being seen in death that dwells in Adam, we are seen by God the Father as he sees Christ, God the Son: Justified unto eternal LIFE.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
-- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
To lose salvation, all of the aspects of the gospel with which we are now identified, would have to become undone. -An utter impossibility.
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. -- Galatians 2:20
Common Questions About Your Identity in Christ
New believers may have questions about assurance of salvation and their new identity in Christ. Understanding these truths brings peace and hope. Here are some common questions concerning the eternal security of the believer.
If I can't stop sinning does that mean I was never saved?
No. A saved person's identity is no longer tied to their sinful nature in God's sight. While we still struggle with sin in this life, our salvation is secured by Christ's perfect work, not by our own behavior.
2 Timothy 2:13, Romans 7:14-25
Can I lose my salvation?
Your salvation is eternally secure through your identification with Christ. God sees you in Christ, and Christ's work is finished and perfect. This means you cannot lose what God has eternally granted you.
2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30
But I didn't get emotional when I believed. What if I don't "feel" saved?
Salvation is a matter of faith in Christ's finished work, not an emotional experience. Your feelings can fluctuate, but God's truth and your identification with Christ remain constant. Always trust his word above your emotions.
Romans 8:34-39, Titus 3:4-5
Can I lose fellowship with God if I disobey him?
Once saved, disobedience cannot break your eternal status as His child. You are sealed with the holy Spirit unto the day of redemption. You are in Christ and Christ is in you. You are a member of the body of Christ. You cannot lose fellowship with God any more than Christ can lose fellowship with his body.
Ephesians 5:30, Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27
What if I stop believing?
Your salvation is not dependent on your continuous belief but on Christ's eternal work.
Ephesians 2:4-7, Romans 5:8
What about those who Paul said were "fallen from grace?"
Although mainstream Christianity has used this term to describe those who have "fallen out of favor with God," the context of this phrase has nothing to do with losing salvation. Rather, it has to do with those in Galatia who were persuaded to turn from the grace that Paul preached to them, back to the law of Moses as a means to obtain and maintain righteousness.
Galatians 5:4; 4:9
This wonderful truth about our new identity in Christ teaches us to work from salvation instead of for it, living a life of peace and gratitude.
Now, let's learn the practical application of walking in this glorious truth.