I am so excited to introduce you to Cathy from This Mama Needs Grace. She is here to share Bible verses about identity in Christ. Grab your favorite warm drink, curl up in a comfy chair, and join us on this intimate journey.

Do you ever feel like living a Christian life is too hard? Like you are always walking in guilt and shame for not being enough or doing enough? That was me for most of my Christian life. I never felt like I could live up to God’s standards.

I would read the Bible, go to church, and try to pray, but I always felt like I was coming up short. Like God didn’t love me because I kept struggling with the same sins and never truly experienced His peace and presence.

But God in His infinite wisdom and love helped me discover the piece I was missing. I was no longer just me, but I had a new identity. I was His, and my identity was now in Christ. I could stop striving because God had already accomplished what I was trying to do.

The following Bible verses about identity in Christ not only helped reveal who I really am in Christ now but also serve as a reminder daily that it is not about me at all but only what God has done for me through Jesus.

What Does Identity in Christ Mean?

What exactly is identity in Christ? And how can you find freedom in it?

Identity is defined as the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. A fact is something that is certain and cannot be changed. A dog can’t change his identity to a cat. He is a dog, no matter how much he tries to be a cat.

Just like when you and I were born, our identities were sons and daughters of Adam – born into the sinful flesh. That is the fact of who we are. No matter how hard we try, we cannot change ourselves into a holy, sinless person.

But God can not only provide a way to forgive us of our sins but can also give us completely new identities in Christ. He can change who we are from the inside out because of Jesus’s sacrifice for us on the cross. This only happens when we through faith confess to the Lord our need for Him with a heart of repentance and ask Him to become our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10).

And then when we receive Him, He not only forgives our sins, but also speaks into us new identities and gives us His Holy Spirit to be able to rely on and live out who we are now. These Bible verses about identity in Christ will help you discover who are you now in Christ as well as how you can live in freedom in your new identity.

Who in the Bible Struggles with Identity?

The Bible is full of people like us. They struggled and lived in the sinful flesh. But isn’t it amazing how God chose to use them even when they weren’t fully living out of Him? God can use you in the same way too! He does not expect perfection but only humility and reliance on Him.

Let’s look at David in the Old Testament. He was a little nobody shepherd. His father didn’t even send for him when Samuel came to pick the future king (1 Samuel 16:1-13). But God called David “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) and gave him His Spirit (1 Samuel 16:13). Even walking with the Spirit, David still managed to end up committing adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11).

But God did not give up on David or leave him. David repented, and the relationship was restored with the Lord (2 Samuel 12:13). God saw more to David than the world did, and God gave him purpose and identity in Him. But as David experienced trials over the years, you can see and experience his range of emotions and struggles with his identity in the Psalms he wrote.

Fast forward to the New Testament. A religious leader named Saul decided that this new Gospel of grace being preached by Jesus’s disciples was against the law, so he began persecuting them (Acts 8:3, Acts 9:1-2). His identity was completely found in following the law, and there was no room for any change.

But God had other plans for Saul. He met him on the road to Damascus and through that experience revealed Himself to Saul (Acts 9). God changed his name to Paul and began using him in mighty ways for the advancement of the Gospel.

Paul found his identity in the Lord alone. He spent the rest of his life sharing with others how his life changed when God brought him from religion to relationship (Acts 22:1-21, Acts 26, 1 Timothy 1:12-17).

As we see from these examples, God can redeem what we consider even the worst sins. He is bringing deliverance and new life to every person who answers His call. Let’s dive into some Bible verses about identity in Christ to see what God says about who we are now in Him.

Bible Verses about Identity in Christ

The Bible has a lot to say about who we are when we become Christians. The enemy does not want us to know and believe these truths because he knows if we know who we truly are we will be a lot more effective for the Kingdom of God. It may take time and being reminded of these truths over and over for them to really click and bring freedom.

These Bible verses about identity in Christ are great to keep handy to remind you of who you truly are now in Christ!

You are a new creation and a saint.

When you become a believer, out of God’s grace you become a new creation. The old you, defined by the sinful flesh is washed away, and you become defined by what Christ has done for you. While you may still battle the flesh while on this side of heaven, it is not what defines you anymore, and you have everything you need to be victorious in the battle. You are no longer

identified as a sinner, but now you are a saint in Christ. You are holy and righteous in Christ. Keep re-reading these Bible verses about identity in Christ to remind yourself of who are now – a saint!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” – 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” – 2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

“Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” – Colossians 3:2-3 ESV

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”– Romans 6:4 ESV

“Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.” – Colossians 3:9-10 ESV

“to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness in true righteousness and holiness.” – Ephesians 4:22-24 ESV

“…to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours” – 1 Corinthians 1:2 ESV

“And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” – Hebrews 10:10 ESV

You are a child of God and co-heir with Christ.

The following Bible verses about identity in Christ talk about when we become Christians, we are fully adopted into God’s family, and Christ shares His inheritance with us. In other words, we become royalty in the King of King’s family. Let that sink in for a minute.

Your brother is now Christ, and He is generously sharing His inheritance of every spiritual blessing with you right now. Praise God!

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” – Romans 8:14-17 ESV

“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,” – Ephesians 2:19 ESV

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not us is that it did not know him.” – 1 John 3:1 ESV

“But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” – Galatians 3:25-26 ESV

“And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying ‘Abba, Father!’ So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.” – Galatians 4:6-7 ESV

“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” – Philippians 3:20 ESV

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who call you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9

You are dearly loved, protected, and provided for.

God loves, protects, and provides for His children. Now that we are a part of His family, He does not withhold anything that would benefit us and our walk with Him. Rest in these Bible verses about identity in Christ to remind yourself you have nothing to worry about. Everything you need will be given to you.

“For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you” – 1 Thessalonians 1:4 ESV

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” – Romans 8:28

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8:37-39

“We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.” – 1 John 5:18

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” – Psalm 23:1-3

As you reflect on these Bible verses about identity in Christ, pray that God will imprint these truths on your heart so that you can start living the free, full, joyful life in Christ that God desires for you! If you want to learn more about identity in Christ, check out “Top 5 Books on Identity in Christ”.

God does not want you to join His family and continue to live a defeated, guilty life. He has much better plans for you and has given you everything you need to experience a full life in Him! As you read His Word, stay in prayer, and rely on His Spirit, you will begin to believe you are who God says you are and live freely in your identity in Christ.

Before you go, check out these posts to grow your walk with God!

Be Transformed by the Renewing of Your Mind: Putting on the Mind of Christ

Do Not be Conformed to this World: 5 Strongholds We Need to let Go of

Cathy is a momma to two littles and a wife to a loving and supportive husband. Her heart is to share the hope, freedom, and joy that can be found in Christ, especially to other moms! She loves running, reading, spending time with the Lord and her family, and writing on her blog This Momma Needs Grace. Be sure to follow her on Instagram.