Core Christianity.
How does God see me in Christ?

The concept of “dying to self” is found throughout the New Testament. It expresses the true essence of the Christian life, in which we take up our cross and follow Christ. Dying to self is part of being born again; the old self dies and the new self comes to life (John 3:3–7). Not only are Christians born again when we come to salvation, but we also continue dying to self as part of the process of sanctification. As such, dying to self is both a one-time event and a lifelong process.

It is God, not anything in creation, who determines who we are and gives individuals identity, meaning, and purpose. And in Christ, God’s determination of our identity is gloriously liberating rather than stifling. The following are aspects of every Christian’s identity:

Several places in Scripture refer to believers being "in Christ" (1 Peter 5:14; Philippians 1:1; Romans 8:1). Colossians 3:3 gives a little more insight: "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God." When we come to Christ as broken sinners, He exchanges our sin nature for His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). We cannot remain as we were and enter into the presence of a holy God.

We must “die” to self and be “hidden” in the righteousness of Christ. Galatians 3:27 says, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Here the purity of Christ is presented as a garment we wear when we repent and accept God's offer of salvation.

Imagine this scenario: A powerful king sits on his throne, judging the people. Guards attend him, and commoners wait in long lines for an audience. Suddenly, the doors of the throne room burst open. Heads turn, and everyone gasps. There stand two little boys. One is clean, but one is covered in mud and crying. With brazen boldness the unsullied boy tugs the other down the red carpet toward the throne.

The guards pull their swords, waiting for a nod from the king to get rid of the intrusion. But the king holds up a hand, and his face softens into a smile.

The first little boy stops at the king's knee and pulls his buddy into the circle of his arm. "Dad, this is my friend. He's scared and hurt. I told him you could help." The king opens his arms to envelop both boys, not caring that mud is smeared on his royal robe. He looks into the frightened eyes of the muddy waif and says, "Any friend of my son's is welcome here. How can I help you?"

We cannot come to God on our own merit. We must be escorted by His Son. No amount of self-cleansing can make us pure enough to warrant the attention of Perfection. The Bible says that in our natural, sinful state we are enemies of God (Romans 5:10). But, escorted by the Son, we are welcomed into His presence. Through repentance and acceptance of Jesus' death on our behalf, we are even called His children (John 1:12; Galatians 3:26).

God no longer sees our imperfections; He sees the righteousness of His own Son instead (Ephesians 2:13; Hebrews 8:12). Because we are in Christ, God sees Christ’s righteousness covering us. Only "in Christ" is our sin debt cancelled, our relationship with God restored, and our eternity secured (John 3:16-18; 20:31).

1. I am no longer defined by sin.

Those of us united by faith to Christ are no longer defined by sin, whether sins of the past, struggles with sin in the present, or sin battles we will face in the future. Our former sin-based identity was crucified with Christ, and we have been raised with him to “newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). Because our identity is now intrinsically linked to his, sin no longer has dominion over us (v. 14); sin and its power to define and enslave are no longer part of who we are.

Gone forever is the illusion of deliverance that comes from standing before a twelve-step group and publicly defining ourselves by our besetting sin. “I’m Joe, and I’m an alcoholic” has become “I’m Joe, a son of the living God.” And “I’m gay because I’ve always struggled with same-sex attraction” is now “Although I’m tempted by same-sex attraction, my sexuality doesn’t define me. I’m defined by Christ, whose perfect resistance to temptation has been applied to me.” In Christ, we are daily becoming what we already are.

2. I am called according to God’s purpose.

By virtue of our union with Christ, our calling has been clearly defined. We have been called by God “according to his purpose,” which primarily is to conform us to the image of his Son (Rom. 8:29). By the power of God, everything that happens to us and whatever we choose to do work toward that end. “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will” (Eph. 1:11).

In other words, our particular earthly callings are all subsumed under his call of us into the kingdom. Because this is so, we don’t have to fixate inwardly in order to figure out who we are or what we will do; light comes as we redirect our gaze upward and outward.

Scripture defines us as “God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” And because these good works were “prepared beforehand” by God, we are already engaged in living them out in our day-to-day lives and relationships (Eph. 2:10).

This is the outworking of biblical discipleship, and as distinctly Christian disciples, what we do is never divorced from who we are. In fact, true discipleship is less about doing than it is about being. God doesn’t need our good works, and if we view discipleship primarily in those terms, we are at risk of misusing “disciple” as merely another self-defining label. The pressure is off! Because we have been placed in Christ, our calling has been defined.

3. I have a secure future.

The future of those in Christ has already been established. We are destined for a glorious, unending future in the new heavens and the new earth, where we will enjoy unhindered fellowship with God. At that time, “death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).

Gone will be the remaining vestiges of our sin and the inclination to define ourselves by it. No more will the weaknesses, limitations, and brokenness of life in this world confound our understanding of who we are. “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12).

Even now, while the mirror is still dim, who we are has been revealed. Who we are and what we are called to do is all wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ. Christ is the Christian’s identity, both now and forever. In this world, we might be lonely and alone, but in Christ we are a vital part of an eternal family (Rom. 12:5; Eph. 2:22). The world judges and condemns us for what we do and say, but in Christ we are covered by grace (1 Cor. 1:4). The deficiencies of our humanity weaken us, but in Christ we are enriched in every way (1 Cor. 1:5).

Our intellectual limitations might hinder us, but Christ has become our wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30). Past sin—no matter how grievous—no longer characterizes us, because in Christ we have redemption through his blood and full forgiveness (Eph. 1:7). The fear of man mars our witness and our relationships, but in Christ we can draw near to God with freedom and confidence (Eph. 3:12).

Our earthbound goals and dreams might come crashing down, but in Christ all disappointments are being used by God for our good (Rom. 8:28). In him, “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Christ is the Christian’s identity, and it is glorious.

Paul explains to the Galatians the process of dying to self as one in which he has been “crucified with Christ,” and now Paul no longer lives, but Christ lives in him. Paul’s old life, with its propensity to sin and to follow the ways of the world, is dead, and the new Paul is the dwelling place of Christ who lives in and through him. This does not mean that when we “die to self” we become inactive or insensible, nor do we feel ourselves to be dead

Rather, dying to self means that the things of the old life are put to death, most especially the sinful ways and lifestyles we once engaged in. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Galatians 5:24). Where we once pursued selfish pleasures, we now pursue, with equal passion, that which pleases God.

Dying to self is never portrayed in Scripture as something optional in the Christian life. It is the reality of the new birth; no one can come to Christ unless he is willing to see his old life crucified with Christ and begin to live anew in obedience to Him. Jesus describes lukewarm followers who try to live partly in the old life and partly in the new as those whom He will spit out (Revelation 3:15–16).

That lukewarm condition characterized the church of Laodicea as well as many churches today. Being “lukewarm” is a symptom of unwillingness to die to self and live for Christ. Death to self is not an option for Christians; it is a choice that leads to eternal life.