“You need to put your identity in Christ” – a phrase that never actually appears in the Bible. Yet, believers toss it around all the time. Why is that? And what does it mean to put your identity in Jesus? I believe that putting your identity in Christ means to live as though the most important thing about you is who Jesus is. In order to understand more fully, let’s look at a few things:
- What is identity?
- Can you put your identity in something?
- What the Bible teaches about our identity.
- What it means to put our identity in Christ.
- Why we need to put our identity in Christ.
What is identity?
The following are a few of the definitions in Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary*:
“1 a : the distinguishing personality or character of an individual : INDIVIDUALITY”
Identity could be your way of thinking, speaking, and living that makes you unique from your next door neighbor.
“2 : the condition of being the same with something described or asserted”
To identify someone could be to recognize the man who stole your pizza rolls (identifying a previously unnamed suspect). Jesus identified himself as God when he said, “before Abraham was, I Am” (John 8:58).
“3 a : sameness of essential or generic character in different instances”
You could also think of identifying with someone. I can identify with someone who developed sensorineural hearing loss at a young age, as that is an experience I share with them.
“b : sameness in all that constitutes the objective reality of a thing : ONENESS”
Jesus Christ and the Father are one, not two separate deities or individuals.
Identity has to do both with our unique qualities and how we fit into the world socially. It has to do with who we are. That is most apparent in the definition of an identity crisis: “Identity Crisis: psychological conflict [especially] in adolescence involving confusion about one’s social role and one’s personality.”
I think it is fair to say that western culture places an emphasis on individuality as identity. Think about the first questions we tend to ask when we meet someone new:
“What do you do for a living?”
“What’s your college major?”
“What do you like to do for fun?”
We build our identities around what makes us happy and what sets us apart from the people around us. Yet, we also ask those questions seeking something in common. We flock to people who share similar interests and character traits.
Can you “put your identity” in something?
Maybe think of it in terms of individuality: there are two ways we develop our individuality. There are the things outside of your control that shape your individuality, such as genetics and certain aspects of your environment. Then there are things that you choose to cultivate. People choose to join sports teams or participate in hobbies or become doctors, so on and so forth.
A lot of the time these are just things about you, really. They don’t define who you are, although they do make you distinct from others. That’s a good thing! Sometimes people put a great emphasis on things about them, to a point that it does become what they perceive is “who they are.”
I remember working with a gal at summer camp who was everything I wanted to be. She was confident, easy going, and an avid rock climber. I wanted to wear the chacos, get the nose ring, and have people tell me I’m granola (the outdoorsy kind, not the vegan hippie kind). Thank God, He gave me the wisdom not to cave in to the temptation to copy her every movement.
Eventually, I recognized that I wanted so badly to be what I saw around me instead of learning how God really made me. When you try to find meaning and purpose in the things you do or the place you live, you are putting your identity in that thing. I suspect those things are at play when we follow and imitate instagram influencers. It’s also behind people that push so hard for their version of success that it leaves a trail of knocked-over things and people.
What the Bible teaches about our identity
What if there is something deeper than the things we make and do? Deeper than heritage, tradition, and national pride? Jesus’ calling for our lives lasts longer than we will live, and can even make the things we do richer and more meaningful. But, does the Bible say that we are identified in Christ? While you won’t hear a phrase just like that, here are a few passages that represent examples of identity relating to Jesus:
A “distinguishing” character:
2 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
These are only two of dozens of New Testament passages that describe our distinguishing qualities as Jesus followers. Jesus gave many examples that are recorded in the Gospels. Read the New Testament letters to find even more directives and encouragements that describe a clear difference between who you were before you were saved and who you are now, and passages that describe the difference between those who believe and those who don’t.
“…being the same with something asserted or described.”
Romans 8:16-17 “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”
Dude, look at that. This is an example of God identifying us. God’s SPIRIT identifies you as children of God and co-heirs with Christ if you believe. The presence of God’s Spirit is also an identifying characteristic (if you can call it that?) of believers, if we peek back at the first definition from Mirriam-Webster.
“sameness of essential or generic character…”
Philippians 2:4-5 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus…”
John 15:8 “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”
If you draw back the focus from the individual believer, we have the collective, the church. Many New Testament scriptures describe a clear “essential character” believers have in common – one that obeys Jesus’ commandments in loving God and loving one another. Many epistles (New Testament letters) instruct believers to encourage one another in this very thing.
“Sameness in all that constitutes the objective reality of a thing : ONENESS”
Toward the end of Jesus’ prayer before he was arrested, in John 17:20-23, he says:
”I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”
Only Jesus can claim to be One with God, but here is the other instance of ONENESS; that of ours with Christ! And if we are one with Christ that affects our entire life, our choices, our beliefs, and how we do what we do. Think of Jesus’ analogy to a grapevine in John 15. Isn’t a branch one with the vine? So we are a part of Christ.
What does it mean to put your identity in Christ?
All these examples show us that who we are is unchangeably connected to Christ and his kingdom when we place our faith in Him. Putting your identity in Christ is to live as though the most important thing about you is who Jesus is. When you believe that is true, you measure your desires and actions against what Jesus commands. Putting your identity in Christ is part of sanctification, God’s work to perfect our faith, which will be completed only when we join Christ in the resurrection.
Why do we need to put our identity in Christ?
God made you wonderfully with passions, interests, desires, and abilities. Those things are good and there is no reason to think that focusing on who you are in Christ means you must give them up (unless, of course, you are pursuing sinful interests). However, the reason we need to see who we are in Christ first is that all those other things are fragile and temporary. Living out of who we are in Christ means we are motivated by things of eternal truth and value. We can remember our worth in Jesus before striving to be like someone else to feel better about ourselves.
So, do you ever think about what is most important about who you are? Do you know what your faith in Jesus gives you a new identity as God’s child? Have you thought about how your unique traits equip you to proclaim God’s excellencies in a way only you can?
The last thing I want is for this post to be a big fat “YOU SHOULD…” and leave you feeling guilty and inadequate. I hope that my writing comes across as an invitation to explore who you are in light of God’s gift of salvation to you. Jesus came to give abundant life to people. I love the idea that you could begin to live fully into who you are for eternity. I do not doubt that many of you who read this are wholeheartedly on that narrow road.
To sum up:
- We looked at identity as distinguishing qualities, being “as described,” identifying with, and oneness.
- While the Bible doesn’t say “Put your identity in Christ,” we did find several passages that identify believers with him in each of the different identity contexts!
- Putting your identity in Christ is to live as though the most important thing about you is who Jesus is.
- We need to “put our identity in Christ” because everything else is temporary, but Christ is eternal and we want our actions to be worthwhile at that level.
Thank you SO MUCH for reading this. It was a really challenging post to write, and I hope that it teaches or encourages you in some way. You are a beautiful individual! If you liked this post, please join my email list so you won’t miss the next one. Bye for now!
– almost a walrus
*Note: I attempted to request permission from Merriam-Webster to use these definitions. The link provided on their website to request permission led me to an error: 404 page. If anyone has an issue with my use, please direct me to the proper channel for requesting permission.
