Over the past three weeks, we’ve discovered one life-changing truth after another about who we are in Christ.
We’ve seen that we are chosen.
We are forgiven.
We are redeemed.
We are complete in Christ.
We are God’s workmanship.
We are children of God.
But knowing those truths is only the beginning.
The question becomes:
How do we live like someone whose identity has been completely changed?
That’s exactly where Paul takes us in Colossians 3.
He begins by reminding believers that because we have been raised with Christ, we are to set our minds on things above rather than on earthly things. Our lives are now hidden with Christ in God.
In other words, our identity has changed.
And because our identity has changed, our lives should begin to reflect that new identity.
Paul paints a beautiful picture by describing our old life as something we take off.
Like dirty, worn-out clothes that no longer belong to us.
Anger.
Wrath.
Malice.
Slander.
Lying.
These were the garments of our old life.
They may have felt familiar.
They may even have seemed comfortable because we’d worn them for so long.
But they no longer fit the person we’ve become in Christ.
Instead, Paul tells us to put on something entirely different.
Compassion.
Kindness.
Humility.
Gentleness.
Patience.
Forgiveness.
Above all these things...
Love.
I love that picture because every morning we make a choice about what we’re going to wear.
In the same way, every day we choose whether we’ll clothe ourselves in attitudes that belong to our old identity or in those that reflect who we already are in Christ.
Notice that Paul doesn’t tell us to put on these qualities so that we can become God’s children.
He tells us to wear them because we already are.
Obedience doesn’t create our identity.
It reveals it.
As we’ve walked through this My Identity in Christ Journey, my prayer has never been that you would simply memorize more verses.
My prayer has been that you would begin believing them.
That when fear comes, you’ll remember you’re God’s child.
When shame whispers, you’ll remember you’ve been justified.
When your past tries to define you, you’ll remember you’ve been made new.
When insecurity creeps in, you’ll remember you’re complete in Christ.
Identity always comes before behavior.
We don’t strive to become someone God might accept.
We live from the acceptance Christ has already secured for us.
As we close this journey together, I hope you’ll continue returning to these truths.
The enemy will continue trying to remind you of who you once were.
But God will continue reminding you of who you are now.
So each morning, before you face the day, ask yourself:
Which clothes am I putting on today?
Will I wear the garments of my old life?
Or will I clothe myself with the character of Christ, living out the identity He has already given me?
That choice, made one day at a time, is how we learn to walk in the freedom that has always been ours.