Celebrate Freedom Discipleship Course – 

Lesson 2: Identity

Discipleship
Principle 2 – We must know,
agree with, and live out who we are In Christ for freedom, continuous victory,
and fulfilling our kingdom purpose. 

James 2:19 (NKJV)¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You
do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

One major problem in
the church is that Christians don’t know what it means to be “In Christ” and/or
don’t know how to apply their spiritual identity to their lives.  The life-transforming power of our faith lies
in knowing, believing, and living out who we are in Christ. We must change from
those who intellectually or culturally identify themselves as Christians to become
followers of Jesus with the way we live.

Galatians 2:20
(NKJV) ²⁰  I
have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives
in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the
Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Those of us whose
lives are not defined by a sense of freedom or do not show the fruit of the Spirit
either do not know: Who we are in Christ, or  How to live it out.

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To be free and
experience the new life Christ gave us, we must do two things.

Change
My Mind

Romans 12:2 (NKJV)
² And do not be conformed to this
world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may
prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

This lesson’s purpose is to instruct and
to encourage those In Christ to know that your new life and identity in Christ are
a spiritual reality that occurred on the day of your salvation that can be
immediately and progressively realized through faith and practice.  By agreeing with the word of God and
renewing our minds, we reject our old man as dead and embrace our new life in
Christ. 

“Work
It”

James 2:17 (NIV) ¹⁷  In the same way, faith by itself,
if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. &  Matthew 7:20 (NKJV) ²⁰ Therefore by their fruits you will know
them.

The authenticity of
our faith is demonstrated by more than our words. We “Work it” by living it!
Our “works” as Christians is to live according to our faith. While we may
perform acts of Christian discipline, charity, and service, they are more of a
byproduct or evidence of our faith. Our faith is not a mere adherence to a set
of rules or regulations but is an expression of the love we have for the One
who saved us and gave us the power to overcome and realize our kingdom
purpose. 

What does being “In
Christ” mean and how can understanding it impact recovery or my Christian walk?

When we put our faith in Christ, we are
transformed from spiritually dead, to spiritually alive. Our faith in Christ is
more than just mentally agreeing with a set of beliefs, it is a spiritual
reality that translates us from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God.

1 Peter 3:18 says- For
Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the
Spirit,

The key to living a victorious life In
Christ is renewing our minds to continuously choose to believe God’s word and to
live according to what He says about life day by day, moment by moment. The
first step is to know “who we are in Christ” to adapt our thoughts and actions
to be consistent with God’s Word. 

James 1:5 (NKJV) ⁵  If
any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God,

When we live according to God’s wisdom,
we avoid the stress, pain, and conflict of being double-minded. Double-mindedness
is claiming membership in the kingdom of God but living and thinking in a
manner that is diametrically opposed to it. 

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SO, who are we? What is our identity in Christ?

By making the conscious choice “to
commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control”, we come into
covenant with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Review Lesson 1 to see the
Promises we have received or review the Who I am in Christ List to understand
how scripture tells us that we are accepted, secure, and significant in Christ!

Our covenant with God not only
establishes what we receive, it declares whose we are, which in turn
defines who we are.  Our
relationship with God gives us a new identity.

“It’s Alive!!”  – Who We Are
Now and Who We Can Be

2 Corinthians 5:17
(NKJV)
¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold,
all things have become new.

Our covenant relationship with God makes
us spiritually alive, brand new creations. 
Our new identities are a product of our relationship with God through
our faith in Christ.

·       Some facets of our new identity are static or unchanging facts
that exist because of our relationship with the Lord.

·       Other aspects of our identity are dynamic and are directly
affected by the qualitative degree of our relationship.

Victorious living
is directly related to the degree to which we have faith in and live according
to our identity in Christ.

5
Fabulous F’s that Tell Us the Facts about 
Our New Identity in Christ 

·      
We are Forgiven (Justified – Redeemed – Saved)

Ephesians
1:7 (NKJV) ⁷ In
Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace

Our
forgiven status is a fact of our identity In Christ.  We are forgiven for all we have ever done and
all we will ever do. Also, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us when we come
to faith in Jesus, making us holy saints in the eyes of God. We are approved by
God by His grace alone, not by our performance.

Romans
8:33 ³³ Who
shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

Regardless
of the sins of the past, we must know and accept that we have been forgiven and
our relationship with God has been reconciled. Our identity as “one who has
been forgiven” is a foundation that we can stand on to continuously know peace and
the victorious new life God has given us.

We
need to know that our future sins have also been forgiven. Although we will make
mistakes, we have the assurance that our fellowship with God can be reconciled
through confession and repentance when we fail. God’s continuous forgiveness
provides us with the freedom to fail but also demonstrates His great love for
us. Our love for God will lead us into righteousness and to forgive
others. 

Colossians
3:12-13 (NKJV) ¹²  Therefore,
as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness,
humility, meekness, longsuffering; ¹³  bearing
with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint
against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

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·      
We Are Free!

That is why we must remember the second
attribute of our identity in Christ: our freedom! But what are we free from?

Romans 8:2 (NKJV) ² For
the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of
sin and death.

Our freedom from death is made clear in
Scripture.  

John 3:16 (NKJV) ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This
aspect of our freedom should provide great comfort because it answers the
question of what happens when we die: Christians go on to live eternally with
God where there will be no more pain, sorrow, or death.  (Revelation 21:3-4)

For
those with issues of fear, this aspect of our identity in Christ when properly known is the
antidote.  The concerns of this world are
manageable when we understand our eternal destiny is secure in the hands of
God.

For
those in recovery, this aspect of our identity could be the key to the revelation
that life indeed has meaning. There are consequences to our actions and the One
who calls us to eternity also has some principles for living before we get
there.  Our relationship with God results
in freedom from the largest fear of life and causes us to repent.

Romans 6:18 (NKJV) ¹⁸ And
having been set free from sin,
you became slaves of righteousness.

Our Identity in Christ also teaches that
we are free from sin. Our hurts, habits, and hang-ups are “sin” as they
“miss the mark” of how God would want us to live. Prior to coming to Christ, we
were in bondage to sin but now have been set free and given the power to say no
to sin and to be progressively sanctified.

Galatians 5:13
(NKJV) ¹³ For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use
liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

The cycles of hurts, habits, and hang-ups
can be broken when we understand that our new identity in Christ and our former
ways are no longer compatible. As our acceptance of our identity and our
freedom grows, the more our sins become illogical impossibilities. We no longer
act in our old ways because the person who did them is dead – those thoughts
and behaviors are not who we are anymore!

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·      
We are Fathered (Sons & Daughters —
God’s children)

Galatians
3:26 (NKJV) ²⁶ For
you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

 

The implications of Sonship for recovery
include acceptance, significance, and purpose.

Regardless of our pasts and levels of
dysfunctions in our family histories, we are accepted, secure, and significant
because the Creator of the universe chose us and has adopted us into His royal
family. 

Romans 8:16 (NKJV) ¹⁶  The
Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God

God has accepted us and welcomes us to
walk and live with Him. God gives us the power to overcome if we abide with Him
and follow the Holy Spirit’s leading into the new life we have inherited via
adoption.  We are loved, cared for, and
encouraged to follow in our family’s footsteps. Representing the family and
kingdom of God becomes our life’s purpose.

·       We are Faithful (Servants)

Hebrews
11:6 (NKJV) ⁶ But
without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to
God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who
diligently seek Him.

Romans 12:3 (NKJV)
³  … God has
dealt to each one a measure of faith.

 

As Christians, we all have been given a
measure of faith , particular gifts, and functions for the body of Christ.  Scripture also documents varying levels of
faith and the ability to mature or grow in terms of faith. 

For recovery, our identity in Christ
confirms that we are people of faith with a God-given purpose to serve and
represent the kingdom of God.  Overcoming
requires faith. The more we seek God and increase our faith the more we are
rewarded by God with maturity and victory. Knowing that our recovery is
part of God’s divine plan for our lives should be a motivation to preserve and
endure in our journey.

Ephesians 4:13 (NLT2) ¹³  This will continue until we all
come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be
mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

As people of faith, we seek to be healed
by faith and sanctified by faith just as we were saved by faith. Believing and acting on our beliefs –
having faith – will lead to our receiving, which may come in stages (faith to
faith) or in an instant (your faith has made you well).  We “work the steps” but ask God to move in
our hearts and minds to remove our hurts, habits, or hang-ups.

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·       We are Followers (Disciples)

John 10:27 (NKJV) ²⁷ My sheep hear
My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.

Our faith can be defined as our belief, trust, and confidence
in the Lord.  A good indicator of our
faith is our actions. Do we follow or live by the things we say we believe and
have faith in?

All Christians follow the Lord to some degree. So, a part of
our identity in Christ is that of a follower. However, the degree to which
we follow the Lord will determine our destination in life and rewards in heaven.  The Apostles were known as Christ’s disciples
because they dedicated their lives to follow Him. Discipline is closely tied to
discipleship as one must learn to enact self-control over their old habits
while they learn to adapt and live according to what they have been taught.

Matthew 16:24 (NKJV) ²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and
take up his cross, and follow Me.

By coming into recovery, we understand
that our healing is a process that will require faith, time, and action on our
part.  As Christians, we follow the Lord
and surrender ourselves to His ways as we become willing to let Him change
us. 

John 6:68-69 (NKJV) ⁶⁸ But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ Also we have come to believe and know that
You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Wrap Up

Discovering, accepting, and practicing
who we are In Christ can resolve all the issues in our lives that brought us to
recovery.  Continually discovering how we
have already been transformed can motivate our success and maintain our
recovery as we experience the difference of life in the Spirit.  Being in the Christ, we know that we are:

·       Forgiven

·       Fathered (Children on God)

·       Free

·       Faithful

·       Followers of Jesus