There’s a fascinating story about a man who discovered something shocking while checking his credit report one ordinary day. As he scrolled through the information on his screen, he noticed something was terribly wrong—according to the report, he was dead.

Despite being very much alive and staring at the screen, every system, every bank, every agency insisted he was deceased. No matter what documentation he provided, no matter how much effort he put forth, he couldn’t seem to fix his identity. He was trapped by a false label that didn’t match reality.

This story mirrors a profound spiritual truth: identity is not given by effort—it’s given by position.

The Identity Crisis in the Church

Many people who follow Jesus are running around like the man in the story, trying desperately to earn an identity that has already been freely given to them. They’re putting forth enormous effort, striving and struggling, when Jesus has already declared who they are. Their identity is positional, not performance-based.

The Apostle Paul understood this deeply. In 2 Corinthians 5:16-17, he writes something revolutionary: “From now on, then, we do not know anyone from a worldly perspective… Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!”

Notice Paul doesn’t say “if you behave well” or “if you give enough money” or “if you do enough good works.” He simply says “if anyone is in Christ.” That word “anyone” means exactly what it sounds like—every person, regardless of background, past mistakes, economic status, or social standing. God is an equal opportunity redeemer.

The Problem with Worldly Perspectives

The challenge is that we often can’t get our eyes off the worldly perspective when we look at people—or ourselves. We see someone with tattoos and make judgments. We learn about someone’s criminal record from 25 years ago and can’t move past it. We look at our own reflection and see only our failures, our addictions, our mistakes.

But Scripture commands us to stop viewing people through a worldly lens. We’re called to see them—and ourselves—through the eyes of Christ. When God looks at His children, He doesn’t see the burnt remnants of what we used to be. He sees the new creation He’s building.

Think about remodeling a house destroyed by fire. You don’t try to reuse the burnt studs or charred materials. You clear everything away and build something entirely new on a fresh foundation. That’s exactly what God does when someone comes to Christ.

What Does It Mean to Be “In Christ”?

Being found in Christ begins with understanding two fundamental truths:

First, God loves you in spite of you. Romans 5:8 declares that while we were still sinners—while we were His enemies—God proved His love by sending His Son to die on the cross. This wasn’t because we deserved it or earned it. It was pure grace.

Second, we must recognize that we’re sinners who have broken God’s law, and there’s nothing we can do to fix that ourselves. It took Jesus to repair what we broke. Only the One who established the law could satisfy its demands.

When these truths collide in your heart—when you understand both God’s love and your need—that’s when transformation happens. That’s when you repent, which simply means to turn around and head in a different direction. It’s not about becoming perfect; it’s about deciding to live differently with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The Courtroom of Heaven

Here’s a powerful image: Imagine God’s throne room, which also functions as His courtroom. Satan comes before God to accuse believers—that’s literally his job description. He says, “Did you know what this person did? Can you believe they did that?”

But Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father in the position of authority, responds: “That one’s mine. Their sins are washed away.”

Satan tries again, bringing up more accusations, but God simply says, “Next. That case has been expunged. Full pardon granted. We don’t talk about their past anymore—it’s gone.”

The only people who remember your past are Satan and you. And the only person who can make you relive your past is you. Satan can’t force you to do anything. He can dangle temptation like a fish hook with bait, but you choose whether to bite. With every temptation, Scripture promises there’s also a door of escape—but you have to look for it instead of fixating on the bait.

Dead Things Have No Authority

Here’s a liberating truth: dead things have no authority. When a president dies, they lose all governmental power. When a parent passes away, they can no longer give you instructions. Dead things cannot speak from the grave—only demons try to do that.

Your past is dead when you’re in Christ. All things are made new, and the old has passed away. Your past should have no authority in your life. Yet many believers walk around using their past as a crutch, hobbling along when they could be walking upright and free.

Mohammed is dead—he has no authority. Buddha is dead—no authority. Joseph Smith is dead—no authority. But Jesus Christ is alive and well, seated at the right hand of the Father. That’s why He has all authority, including authority over death itself. He conquered the grave.

Your True Identity

So who are you really? You’re not an alcoholic, a drug addict, a fornicator, an adulterer, or a liar. Those may describe things you did in the past, but they don’t define who you are now. Your identity is that you’re a child of God, a co-heir with Christ, part of the royal family.

If you were born into an earthly royal family, you’d have privileges you didn’t earn—simply because of your position, not your performance. Well, Scripture declares that believers are co-heirs with Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You’ve been grafted into His family. He didn’t put the yoke of a slave upon you; He put the robe of a son or daughter upon you.

God loved you enough to send His Son to die for you. He paid the ultimate price. And when someone purchases something, they have the right to name it, to decide its purpose. Jesus paid for you, so He gets to identify you. And He says you’re His beloved child, forgiven, restored, made new.

Living in Your New Identity

You will never fulfill God’s plan for your life until you first understand what your identity is. In a culture experiencing an identity crisis at every level, believers must anchor themselves in the truth of who God says they are.

Your past should inform you, not define you. It’s informational, not determinational. The old has passed away. You’re not who you were. You’re who God says you are.

Consider making this declaration daily:

I am not who I was. I am who God says I am. The old has passed away. The new has come. I am restored, starting with my identity.

When you quote this truth to yourself every day, the enemy has no chance to convince you that you’re something you’re not. Restoration always begins not with fixing your behavior, but with fixing your identity. When you understand who you truly are in Christ, behavior change follows naturally.

You’re not dead—you’re alive in Christ. You’re not condemned—you’re forgiven. You’re not worthless—you’re priceless. You’re not abandoned—you’re adopted. You’re not who you were—you’re who God says you are.

And that changes everything.