Declaration: I am NEW in Christ!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Key Bible Verses: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Genesis 1:27; 1 Corinthians 6:17
2 Corinthians 5:17
17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
Genesis 1:27
27 So God created human beings in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
1 Corinthians 6:17
17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
Devotion
I wasn’t a bad kid in high school, I was just too much fun for my teachers (says every bad kid)! One day, a friend and I decided to change names for a substitute. As she was calling role, she asked if “Drew” was in class. I said, “I’m Drew! Here.” He did the same for me, and what started as a joke quickly turned into how much trouble can one get the other into? Never to be outdone, I had “Drew” heading to the office in five minutes. The real Drew was freaking out, worried about the trouble I had gotten him into. All the while I was laughing thinking I was going to be set free because it “wasn’t me.” I walked into the office and they said, “Where is Drew?” I said, “You’re looking at him!” Our principal didn’t appreciate the creativity as much as I did.
In Christ, we don’t just trade names for a short time but remain the same person. We become somebody completely new. This word new in the Greek is indicating a new birth, becoming a completely new person. The old you is gone. For good. A new life for you has begun.
Genesis 1:27 tells us that God created man in His image. Our identity is found in His image of us. We are separated from that identity through sin. Yet God, by grace through Christ, reunited us with our identity in His image through His Son.
1 Corinthians 6:17 puts it this way, “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.” You’re reunited. Joined. One.
The beauty of your new identity is knowing that nothing on earth can take it away from you. When your identity is in Christ, it’s beyond your situation, it’s not defined by your past, and it’s not stolen by somebody else. You belong to Christ. Your new life is in Him.
Discipline: Form an identity statement. Take time to think about what your new life in Christ has done for you. Write down everything you desire to pursue in Christ. Use that vision to fill in the blanks below.
In Christ, I’m a __________, ___________, ___________ man / woman.
Mine is: In Christ, I’m a redeemed, bold, unashamed man!
Bonus Content — Bible identity statements