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Identity I (paragraph format)
By Rene P. Brown
As believers, it is crucial that we understand who we are in Christ. Generally speaking, we tend to live
up to what we perceive as our identity or our characteristics. For example, if we teach our children they
are winners, that they are intelligent, that they can overcome, then they will tend to live up to that as they
believe that is their “natural” identity. They will tend to do well in school, overcome deficiencies in
learning, and tend to succeed in life. On the other hand, if we continually call them stupid, lazy, losers,
and failures, they will live up to that as they think that is who they are. It will be their perception of
themselves.
Now what about our identity in the spiritual realm? It is vital that we know our true identity spiritually
also as we will tend to live up to what we perceive ourselves to be. If we see ourselves as sinners, it will
be difficult if not impossible to overcome sin in our lives. We will not be surprised when we sin and may
even excuse our sins on the basis that we are sinners. Wrong understanding of our identity in Christ will
cause undue harm to our walk with the Lord Jesus.
First, let us consider the identity of unbelievers. Those who do not believe and trust in Jesus Christ
still have the nature of their forefather Adam. All humanity has inherited Adam’s sin nature except for our
Lord Jesus who was uniquely conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. In the scriptures the unbeliever is
called “sinner” as in Rom. 3:7 (RSV) "But if through my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds to his
glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?" Also 1 Pet 4:18 (NKJV) Now “IF THE RIGHTEOUS
ONE IS SCARCELY SAVED, WHERE WILL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?" The
unbeliever is not a sinner because he sins but rather because he has inherited the sin nature of his
forefather Adam. Rom. 5:19 (NKJV) “For as by one man's [Adam’s] disobedience many were made
sinners, so also by one Man's [Christ’s] obedience many will be made righteous." In this scripture in
Romans, we see that Adam’s disobedience [sin] caused others to be sinners. All of mankind have
inherited the sin nature of Adam, our forefather. No one with this sin nature can have a relationship with
God. It must first be removed.
We also see that the unbeliever is called “lost” in scripture as in Luke 19:10 (RSV) "For the Son of
man came to seek and to save the lost.” Lost in the spiritual sense means separated from God. If this
identity is not changed, they will remain lost or separated from God for all eternity. One of the horrors of
hell is the separation of the lost from God. After death it will be obvious what the sinner could have had
by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. True repentance is turning to and trusting in Christ for
eternal life and for forgiveness of all our sins. (Rev 1:5 RSV) "and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness,
the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our
sins by his blood" (Rom 5:9 RSV) “Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall
we be saved by him from the wrath of God." (Eph 1:7 RSV) "In him we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses [sins], according to the riches of his grace"
The unbeliever is also dead in sins and trespasses just as his forefather Adam: Gen 2:17 (NKJV) "but
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall
surely die." Eph 2:5 (NKJV) “even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved)," and Col 2:13 (RSV) "And you, who were dead in trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,"
The dead in these scriptures are those who have dead spirits which means their spirit is separated from
God. When Adam sinned, his spirit was separated from God and he thus "died". (Obviously, neither
By Rene P. Brown
As believers, it is crucial that we understand who we are in Christ. Generally speaking, we tend to live
up to what we perceive as our identity or our characteristics. For example, if we teach our children they
are winners, that they are intelligent, that they can overcome, then they will tend to live up to that as they
believe that is their “natural” identity. They will tend to do well in school, overcome deficiencies in
learning, and tend to succeed in life. On the other hand, if we continually call them stupid, lazy, losers,
and failures, they will live up to that as they think that is who they are. It will be their perception of
themselves.
Now what about our identity in the spiritual realm? It is vital that we know our true identity spiritually
also as we will tend to live up to what we perceive ourselves to be. If we see ourselves as sinners, it will
be difficult if not impossible to overcome sin in our lives. We will not be surprised when we sin and may
even excuse our sins on the basis that we are sinners. Wrong understanding of our identity in Christ will
cause undue harm to our walk with the Lord Jesus.
First, let us consider the identity of unbelievers. Those who do not believe and trust in Jesus Christ
still have the nature of their forefather Adam. All humanity has inherited Adam’s sin nature except for our
Lord Jesus who was uniquely conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. In the scriptures the unbeliever is
called “sinner” as in Rom. 3:7 (RSV) "But if through my falsehood God's truthfulness abounds to his
glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner?" Also 1 Pet 4:18 (NKJV) Now “IF THE RIGHTEOUS
ONE IS SCARCELY SAVED, WHERE WILL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?" The
unbeliever is not a sinner because he sins but rather because he has inherited the sin nature of his
forefather Adam. Rom. 5:19 (NKJV) “For as by one man's [Adam’s] disobedience many were made
sinners, so also by one Man's [Christ’s] obedience many will be made righteous." In this scripture in
Romans, we see that Adam’s disobedience [sin] caused others to be sinners. All of mankind have
inherited the sin nature of Adam, our forefather. No one with this sin nature can have a relationship with
God. It must first be removed.
We also see that the unbeliever is called “lost” in scripture as in Luke 19:10 (RSV) "For the Son of
man came to seek and to save the lost.” Lost in the spiritual sense means separated from God. If this
identity is not changed, they will remain lost or separated from God for all eternity. One of the horrors of
hell is the separation of the lost from God. After death it will be obvious what the sinner could have had
by trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. True repentance is turning to and trusting in Christ for
eternal life and for forgiveness of all our sins. (Rev 1:5 RSV) "and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness,
the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our
sins by his blood" (Rom 5:9 RSV) “Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall
we be saved by him from the wrath of God." (Eph 1:7 RSV) "In him we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses [sins], according to the riches of his grace"
The unbeliever is also dead in sins and trespasses just as his forefather Adam: Gen 2:17 (NKJV) "but
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall
surely die." Eph 2:5 (NKJV) “even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ
(by grace you have been saved)," and Col 2:13 (RSV) "And you, who were dead in trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,"
The dead in these scriptures are those who have dead spirits which means their spirit is separated from
God. When Adam sinned, his spirit was separated from God and he thus "died". (Obviously, neither
