You Are Not What You Did – Purity 1950
By M.T. Clark – April 29, 2026 – Purity 1950 Audio Podcast
Purity 1950 on YouTube:
Good morning. Today’s photo of the sun blazing over a pond, with the bordering trees mirrored perfectly in the water’s surface, comes to us from yours truly. I stopped for a moment to capture this serene scene while out with my canine pal, Harley, for a walk at East Field Park this past Sunday, in my new Glens Falls neighborhood.
Glens Falls may be a long way from the country roads of Easton, but finding the beauty in East Field Park reminded me that wherever I go, God’s presence meets me in the beauty of His creation.
It’s Wednesday, and I’m rejoicing today because I hosted another session of the Grace Course last evening. I am happy to report that the participants are continuing to grow in their faith and are experiencing their freedom in Christ at new levels.
Last night’s lesson was titled Victorious, and it was all about becoming a new creation in Christ. I joked that I was the “object lesson” for the evening. If you need proof that our victory in Christ is real, just look at what the Lord set me free from: anger, anxiety, depression, alcohol, drugs, sex addiction, and low self-esteem. Since I answered the call to follow the Lord with the way I live my life, God’s amazing grace has been good to me! And know this: you can have your freedom, too.
There is a lie every person in bondage believes: “I am what I have done.” If the list of our past sins is long enough and dark enough, that lie becomes a prison. I lived inside that prison for years.
But 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells a different story:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
This is not mere motivation; this is reality. When you are in Christ, you are a fundamentally new creation. To experience your freedom, you have to believe that truth and live it.
The spiritual forces of darkness do not want you to live your new life in Christ. The enemy constantly drags your history into your present. He accuses you with technical “facts”—you did that, you were that—and because the accusations are historically accurate, you believe them.
But here is what he never tells you: the person who did those things died with Christ on the cross. Romans 6:6 says your “old self” was crucified with Him. The one who sinned is gone.
In Christ, sin is now something other than you. That is the Truth. It still knocks on the door of your heart, but it is not who you are. You now have a choice the “old man” never had: you have the power to say “no” to sin for good.
Of course, this does not erase the natural consequences of a sinful past. You will have to deal with the fallout of what you have done, but there is a massive difference between bearing the consequences of your past and being defined by it. In Christ, you are known by what He did for you, not what you did before you knew Him.
I was the object lesson of God’s amazing grace last night because I am living proof: the old things have passed away. I am not what I did. And neither are you.
This is the foundation of everything—not just recovery, but the entire Christian walk. You cannot build a life of freedom on a foundation of shame. Before any other work can happen, you have to settle the identity question: Who am I now that I am in Christ?
The answer is amazing. In Christ, we are: Forgiven. Redeemed. Righteous. A child of God. A new creation.
These are not goals you might eventually reach; they are present-tense truths about who you already are. Believe it and receive it by walking with the Lord into the life He has for you.
As we seek to become the people God made us to be, we must remember that it is progress, not perfection—always. The first step—the one that makes all the others possible—is accepting that you are not what you did.
Wherever you are standing today, know this: the God who made it all knows your name. Not the name your past gave you, but the name He gave you.
Old things have passed away. All things have become new. Agree with the truth of what God says about you and let your new life in Christ grow.
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“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”
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