IDENTIFICATION

  IDENTITY IN CHRIST
2Corinthians 5:17 says,  “Therefore if any man be in  Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;  behold, all things are become new.”  The phrase “in Christ” is a terminology that is used over 300 times in the New Testament, always referring to a vital union relationship with God. Once that takes place, you become  a  new creature. Some  translations  actually say “a new creation.” This leads to  a critical issue that I believe is imperative to  understanding your new identity in Christ: It did not take place in  the physical realm. It  isn’t talking about your physical body, saying that it completely changes, that your looks change. If a person was fat before they were saved, they’ll still be fat afterward, unless they go on a diet. It also isn’t talking about your mental or emotional  part—what most people  consider to be the real “them.” If you weren’t too smart before  you were saved, you won’t be too smart after you’re saved, but you will still have a lot of the same memories and thoughts. There is a third part, and according to  this scripture, by process of elimination, it has to be the part of us that  is changed—our spirit man. A scripture that verifies this is 1 Thessalonians 5:23 where Paul is  praying for the Thessalonians,  “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  That passage shows that we have a spirit, soul, and body.  The body part is very obvious. It’s the part of us that is seen, our outward persons. We  all recognize that there is another  part beyond that; our emotional, mental part; which Scripture calls the soul. We  know that even though a person may not physically touch you, they can  touch you by their words, either in a positive or negative way. Most people are in tune  with the physical  and soulish parts,  but according to  Scripture, there is another part, which is the spirit. The spirit is the part of us that is changed and is new after salvation. It is actually the life-giving part. James 2:26 says,  “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”  That shows that it is  the spirit that actually breathes life into our physical bodies. It is where our life comes from. In Genesis 2 when God created Adam and Eve, Adam’s body was complete, but  then God breathed into him the breath of life. This word “breathe” in Old Testament Hebrew was the exact same word that we use for breath, and it is translated  “spirit” in other places. God created the physical body and the soulish person of Adam, but then He breathed into him  the breath of life and he became a living soul. The spirit is the part of us that gives life. Prior to salvation, before a person made  a total commitment of their life and the Lord coming into them, the spirit within them  was dead. Ephesians 2:1 says,  “And you hath he quickened  [made alive], who were dead in trespasses and sins”  (brackets mine). We know we were alive before we were born again, but the word “dead” is speaking of spiritually. Death in the Bible doesn’t mean ceasing to exist, as some people today think of it. It literally means “separation.” When a person physically dies, they don’t cease to exist. The Bible teaches that they go immediately into the presence of God or into the presence of hell. The soul and spirit continue  to live, but there is a separation from  the physical body, which dies and decays. When Genesis 2:17 says  “In the day that thou eatest  thereof thou shalt surely die,”  it didn’t mean they would die physically  but spiritually, that  they would become separated from  God. The spirit,  the part that God breathes into us, which actually gives life and motivation, became  separated from  God’s supernatural life…His holy and complete life…what the Bible calls “zoe” life  or “life in an absolute or abundant sense.” Man then began to degenerate. He still functioned, but he was functioning independent, separated from  God. That’s really what causes all the problems in our lives…all of our emotional stress. When a person comes to the Lord, they  receive a new spirit and are born again, which is the terminology Jesus used in John  3:5. In the same  way man is born physically with a spirit, soul, and body, when he is born again, he receives the Spirit of Christ. Galatians 4:6 says,  “And because ye are sons, God hath  sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”  God literally places His Spirit inside of us, and we now have a new quality of life, a new identity, and are a totally new person in our spirits. The rest of the Christian life is learning in your soulish, mental realm  what has taken place in your spirit. The truth is, one-third of  your salvation is over when you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord. Your spirit becomes completely changed. It is the exact same  spirit you will have throughout eternity. It already has love, joy, peace, and is full of the presence of God. There is no lack or  inadequacy in your spirit, but you have to perceive that, which is the reason studying the  Word of God is so vital to the Christian life. You are a totally brand-new person, but  until you get knowledge, you won’t change. Victory in the Christian life comes when you  are able to look into the Word, which is Spirit and life, see who you are, see what  God has done, and begin to believe it.

Discipleship Questions

Read 2Corinthians5:17. If anyone be in Christ, they are what? ________________________________________________________________________

Read 2Corinthians5:17. What  happened to the old things? ________________________________________________________________________

Read 2Corinthians5:17. What things have become  new? ________________________________________________________________________

Read Ephesians2:1. What was your condition before you were born again, or made alive? __________________________________________________________________
Read Ephesians2:2. As an unbeliever, how did you walk, or live? ________________________________________________________________________
Read Ephesians2:3-5. What is God rich in? ________________________________________________________________________
Read Ephesians 2:4. Why is God so merciful? ________________________________
Read Ephesians 2:5. What did God do for us  while we were still dead in trespasses and sins?  ________________________________________________________________
Read Ephesians 2:5. How did God save us?  __________________________________
Read 1Corinthians 6:9-10. Can you relate with any of these descriptions on this list? ________________________________________________________________________
Read 1Corinthians 6:11. Is  the word “were” a past, present, or future condition? _______________________________________________________________________
Read 1Corinthians 6:11. When you became “born again,” what three things happened to you? ________________________________________________________________________
Read 1Corinthians 6:11. Is this a  past, present, or future condition? ________________________________________________________________________
Read 1Corinthians 6:17. “He that is  joined unto the Lord is __________ with Him.”

Scriptures To Use With Questions
2Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
Ephesians 2:1 – “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Ephesians 2:2 – “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that  now worketh in the children of disobedience.”
Ephesians 2:3-5 – “[3] Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of  wrath, even as others. [4] But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, [5] Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;).”
1Corinthians 6:9-10 – “[9] Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of  themselves with mankind, [10] Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,  shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
1Corinthians 6:11 – “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” 1 Corinthians 6:17 –  “But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.”

Answer Key
Read 2Corinthians 5:17. If anyone be in Christ, they are what? A new creation.
Read 2Corinthians 5:17. What  happened to the old things? They are gone.
Read 2Corinthians 5:17. What things have become new? All things.
Read Ephesians 2:1. What was your condition before you were born again, or made alive?  I was dead in trespasses and sins.
Read Ephesians 2:2. As an unbeliever, how did you walk, or live?  I followed the ways of the world, I obeyed the devil (the prince of the power of the air), and I lived in the spirit of disobedience.
Read Ephesians 2:3-5. What is God rich in? Mercy.
Read Ephesians 2:4. Why is God so merciful? Because of His great love for us.
Read Ephesians 2:5. What did God do for us while we were still dead in trespasses and sins? Made us alive together with Christ.
Read Ephesians 2:5. How did God save us? By His grace.
Read 1Corinthians 6:9-10. Can you relate with any of these descriptions on this list? Yes.
Read 1Corinthians 6:11. Is the word “were” a past, present, or future condition? Past.
Read 1Corinthians 6:11. When you became “born again,” what three things happened to you? You were washed, made holy, and justified (made righteous) before God.
Read 1Corinthians 6:11. Is this a past, present, or future condition? Present.
Read 1 Corinthians 6:17. “He that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit with Him.”