Establishing Identity in Christ

When the rhythm of our lives is centered on who God is and who we are in Christ,  good things happen! This section outlines one effective way to read and inwardly digest the Word of God, which Scripture declares is “living and active”  (Hebrews 4:12).   The way: study and meditation of the Word, seeking to know God as He reveals Himself in the Bible and through communion with the Holy Spirit.  Then, growing in knowing who we are as believers, because Jesus lives in us!  The outline below and concept of pairing Scripture in this way is drawn from Revealing the Treasures of Who I Am in Christ, Because of Who God Is, by Sylvia Gunter.  

Directions for finding your true identity: 

          1.  Read and Listen

          2.  Meditate

          3.  Pray

          4.  Respond

1. Read and listen: Slowly read the Biblical pairs below regarding Who God Is and Who I Am, because Jesus lives in me by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

            What is God saying to me in this passage or verse?

            What does God want me to know at a new and deeper level?

2. Meditate: Read the verses again, listening inwardly for any response to the Holy Spirit that may rise up in your spirit. 

            What emotion rose up in me?

            What memory, or image, or thought came to mind?

            How can this help me to better know my true identity in Christ, and love Him more dearly?   

3. Pray:  Express any of this back to God in prayer and praise.

            How is God using this word to touch/change my deepest self?

           What does God want me to remember?

            What parts of myself am I to offer to God that I have not known that He wants?

            What joy or consolation does my Farther want to minister to me?

            What is God’s Word illuminating for me that I need to attend to or believe to receive it?

            What major concern in my life right now does this relate to?

            Is God asking me to grow, triumph, or endure in an area?

            Ask God, “How am I doing living into this truth”?

            What is my prayer for myself in light of God’s word(s) to me?

4. Respond: God is inviting you into His embrace.  Allow yourselves to respond in whatever way the Holy Spirit leads as you read and meditate on His promises to you:

            What is my experience of God at this moment?

            What is my response to God?

            How can this experience of God’s presence become the norm of my experience?”  (1)

Bible verses on Who God is and who I am in Him.

                        I AM ACCEPTED         

God is Abba, Father.

Mark 14:36 “Abba, Father, for you all things are possible”

Romans 8:15 “we cry, “Abba! Father!”

I am Abba’s child.

Galatians 4:6 “And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba!, Father!”

He is God our Father.

John 1:12 “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God”

I have been adopted into the family of God.

Romans 8:15-16  “When we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’  it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God,”

Jesus is the Beloved Son of God.

Matthew 3:17 “ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

John 20:31 “ But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name”

I am accepted in the Beloved.

Ephesians 1:6 NKJV “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

I AM the Bread of Life.

John 6:35 “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

I am filled with good things.

Luke 1:53 “he has filled the hungry with good things”

I AM the Light of the world.

John 8:12 “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”

I have been transferred into God’s Kingdom.

Colossians 1:13 “He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,”

I AM the Good Shepherd.

John 10:10-11 “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (NKJV).

I am resting in Him.

Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

I AM the Resurrection and the Life.

John 11:25-26 “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

Yes, Lord, I believe.

John 11:27 “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.”

I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.

John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

I am raised to walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:4 “Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

Before Abraham was,  I AM.

Exodus 3:14 “God said to Moses, “I am who I am.”

I am His.

Isaiah 43:1 “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

I AM the True Vine.

John 15:1  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.”

I am chosen and appointed by God to bear fruit.

John 15:16 “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.”

Jesus is my friend.

John 15:14 “You are my friends if you do what I command you"

I am a friend of God.

John 15:15 “I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father.`

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them.”

Luke 23:34 “Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

I am forgiven and cleansed.

1 John 1:9 “ If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Jesus is the friend of sinners.

Matthew 11:19 “the Son of Man…a friend of tax collectors and sinners!”

I am free from condemnation.

Romans 8:1, 5b “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus… for those who live according to the Spirit”

He is our tower of strength.

Proverbs 18:10 “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run into it and are safe.”

I belong to Christ, my Beloved. 

Song of Solomon 6:3 “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine;”

John 17:9 “ I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.”

He is above all.

Psalm 135:5  “For I know that the Lord is great; our Lord is above all gods.”

I am a citizen of heaven.

Philippians 3:20  “But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ”

He is the God of your fathers.

Exodus 3:15 “‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you’: This is my name forever, and this my title for all generations.”

I am a chosen generation.

1 Peter 2:9 “ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light"

He is the blessed and only Ruler.

1 Timothy 6:15 “he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”

I am His treasured possession.

Malachi 3:17 “ On the day when I act,” says the Lord Almighty, “they will be my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as a father has compassion and spares his son who serves him.”

Jesus is my brother.

John 20:17b “…go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

I am the brother of our Lord.

Hebrews 2:11 “For the one who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father. For this reason Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters,”

He is the refiner’s fire.

Malachi 3:2 “For he is like a refiner’s fire”

I am holy and blameless.

Ephesians 1:4 “just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.”

God is the Holy Spirit.

John 14:16-17 “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you for ever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.”

I abide in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”

Our Father in heaven loves all His children.

1 John 3:1 “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are.”

My Father in heaven loves me!

Isaiah 43:4 “you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.”

                                                     I AM SECURE

He is alive forevermore.

Revelation 1:18 “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” (NKJV).

My future is asssured.

Romans 8:18, 28 “the glory which shall be revealed in us… And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (NKJV).

Jesus is the sure foundation.

Isaiah 28:16 “See, I am laying in Zion a foundation stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation:  “One who trusts will not panic.”

I have a sure foundation.

Isaiah 33:6 “He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge;”

Jesus is mighty to save.

Zephaniah 3:17 “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory;  he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”

I have the helmet of salvation.

Ephesians 6:17 “Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

He is freedom.

2 Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.”

The Truth (Jesus) will make me free.

John 8:32 “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

He is my healer.

Exodus 15:26 “I am the Lord who heals you.”

I am being healed.

1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.”

He is the restorer of my soul.

Psalm 23:3 “  he restores my soul.  He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.”

I am being restored.

1 Peter 5:10 “the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.”

He is high above all rule and authority and power.

Ephesians 4:8 “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;”

I have God’s mighty weapons.

2 Corinthians 10:4 “for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds.”

He is the stronghold of my life.

Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

I am being blessed by His power and love.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV).

He is the God of peace.

Romans 16:20 “The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”

I am guarded by God’s peace.

Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

                                 I AM SIGNIFICANT

Jesus is the beginning and the firstborn.

Colossians 1:18 “he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,”

I am created in the image of God.

Genesis 1:27 “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

He is my rock of salvation.

Psalm 89:26 “You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation!”

I am clothed with Christ in garments of salvation.

Isaiah 61:10 “he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,… he has covered me with the robe of righteousness.”

He is the gardener/vinedresser

John 15:1  “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower.”

I am chosen and appointed by God to bear fruit. 

John 15:16 “You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.”

He is the Spirit of Jesus.                                                                           

Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death."

I am alive with Christ.

Ephesians 2:4-6 “God…made us alive together with Christ.”

I am filled with the fruit of the Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.”

He was crucified.

Acts 2:36 “God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

I am crucified with Christ. 

Galatians 2:20, TPT “My old life was crucified with Christ and no longer lives; for I was fully united with Him in His death. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for Christ lives His life through me! My real life is Christ--we live as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that He gave Himself for me, and dispenses His life into mine!”

He is the high and exalted One forever.

Ephesians 1:19-21 “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.”

By grace I have been raised up with Him.

Ephesians 2:4-6 “But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,”

He has all authority.

 Matthew 28:20 “And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’”

In the name of Jesus, I have authority to overcome:

Mark 16:17-18 “And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; …they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

He is eternal life.

Romans 6:23 “…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

I have eternal life.

Romans 5:21 “so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (NIV).

Jesus is the power and wisdom of God.

1 Corinthians 1:24 “… Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”

I am coming to know Him.

Ephesians 1:17 “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him,”

Jesus is the Lord of glory.

Revelation 5:12 ““Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (ESV)

I am the image and glory of God.

2 Corinthians 3:18 “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega.

Revelation 1:8 ““I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

I am being completed in Christ.

Philippians 1:6 “ And I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

God is my inheritance.

Ephesians 1:11 “In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will.”

I am an heir of God.

Romans 8:17 “and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ--if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.”

Galatians 4:7 “Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of[a] God through Christ” (NKJV).

He is our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

I am complete in Christ.

Colossians 2:9-10, NLT “ For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. 10 So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

He is holy.

1 Peter 1:16 “for it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’

I am called to a holy life.

2 Timothy 1:9 “who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace. This grace was given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.”

Jesus is the worthy Lamb of God.

John 1:29 “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

I am blameless at His coming.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 “May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 Affirm in Prayer:  “Thank You, Abba Father for adopting me as a child of God, forgiving me of all my sins, and blessing me with every spiritual blessing in heaven.  

Thank You for Your Spirit filling me with wisdom and power to live into these truths today!”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 (1)    Revealing the Treasures Of Who I Am in Christ Because of Who God Is, by Sylvia Gunter.  Pages 8-9.

(2)  All Bible verses from New Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) unless noted otherwise.  Bible verses marked as NKJV are from the New King James Version.  Bible verses marked as TPT are from The Passion Translation, Bible verses from the English Standard Version marked as ESV. Bible verses marked as NLT are from the New Living Translation. 

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The above was compiled by Fred A. Vyn of the Lamb's Hands Ministry,

Hosea prophesied, "My people perish, they are destroyed because of lack of knowledge". Hosea 4:6

St. Jerome firmly insists, "Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ."

Jesus said, "It is the thief who comes to kill and steal and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full." John 10:10

Could it be that we have been robbed by the thief who comes to kill and steal and destroy because we lack knowledge? 

Are we victims of identity theft because we do not know Jesus and what He did for us?



Jesus knew His identity. He stood as Son of God because He knew His Father. He had the knowledge He needed to have life and have it to the full. He chose to lay it down for the love His Father has for us.

Do you know, comprehend, understand your identity in Christ, or are you sick, depressed, worn out, sad and defeated? Has joy been stolen from you? Has health been stolen from you? Do you have life to the full?

Isaiah 53:5 tells us that "by His stripes we are healed," and 1 Peter 2:24 reiterates, "by His stripes we were healed."

Proverbs 3:1 says, "My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; for length of days and years of life and abundant welfare will they give you," while Proverbs 5:20-23 proclaims, "My son, be attentive to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not escape from your sight; keep them within hour heart. For they are life to him who finds them and healing to all his flesh."