My True Identity

"...that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, becoming conformed to his death;  if somehow I may come into the resurrection out of death." Philippians 3:10-11 (my own translation of these verses"). 

To really grab hold of the concepts here we need an understanding of the work of Jesus Christ that is seldom taught. 2 Corinthians 5:14 reads,

"For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died." 

Colossians 3:1-4

"Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."

The concept is through-out the New Testament. When Christ died on the cross, we died with Him. That is counted by God as our death. When He was raised, we were raised with Him. That is counted by God as our resurrection. Therefore, we have been given a resurrected life in the here and now. Spiritually, we are already through the veil of tears and into the glory of the Son. We are in Him and therefore, everything He accomplished is credited to us as having been accomplished in us and by us. This is often called the "finished work of Christ."

My true identity (and all who receive Jesus as the Christ of God) is in Christ Himself. Our God does not have one understanding of Him and another understanding of us. The unity has been accomplished! Therefore I am identified by His words and His actions in every way. Now as we walk this life, we are empowered to be as He is.

1 John 4:16-17

"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus." 

Now back to our passage in Philippians 3:10.  Since we have already "been there," so to speak, we are able to embrace the power of the resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings because they are ours as well as His. It is not about feeling bad or sad because of what we have done, it is about embracing the "already done" in us and allowing that to cause deep fellowship in our Lord's heart and life expression. Whatever He did and does, we did and does. (I know that English is poor, but it helps get the point across).

So our lives are marked with His resurrection power and with the fellowship of His sufferings. Our embracing these understandings (which are of the Holy Spirit through His Word) empower us to move into our true identity and live in the Spirit, choosing not to view life from our circumstances but seeing the eternal in Him.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."

(All Scripture except the opening verses are from the TNIV version).