Reminding Believers of Their Identity in Christ
Believers are identified as belonging to God through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which both confirms and guarantees their future redemption [6]. This identity is rooted in a profound spiritual intimacy with the Father and the Son, modeled on the oneness of the Father and the Son themselves [7, 11].
The Apostle Paul frequently emphasizes this identity. In 2 Corinthians, he challenges those who are confident in their belonging to Christ to recognize that other believers also share this same status [1, 2]. He urges believers to "test your own selves, whether you are in the faith," and to know that "Jesus Christ is in you" unless they are disqualified [3, 4]. This self-examination is not about doubt but about affirming the reality of Christ's presence within them.
This "being in Christ" signifies conversion to the Christian faith and the reception of forgiveness for sins [8]. To "abide in Christ" means to continue in this state of salvation and to grow in it [8]. This abiding is demonstrated by living a life of devotion and obedience to God, and benevolence towards others, following the example Christ set [8].
The identification with Christ extends to all aspects of a believer's life. For instance, the "power of his resurrection" assures believers of their justification and spiritually raises them with Christ, by virtue of their identification with Him in His redemptive work [5]. This spiritual identification replaces older forms of identity; for example, while circumcision once identified the true people of God, those who trust in Christ are now considered "truly circumcised in heart" [9, 10]. The conduct and relationships among Jesus' disciples are meant to reflect the credibility of Christ to the world, as disunity can undermine their testimony [7]. Believers are called to bear the cross of Christ, being ready to offer their lives for Him, much like Christ Himself [12].
Sources
- II Corinthians “II Corinthians 10:7 (BSB) — You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does.”
- 2 Corinthians “2 Corinthians 10:7 (NASB) — You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ's, so also are we.”
- 2 Corinthians “Test your own selves, whether you are in the faith. Test your own selves. Or don’t you know as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. -- 2 Corinthians 13:5”
- II Corinthians “II Corinthians 13:5 (DRC) — Try your own selves if you be in the faith: prove ye yourselves. Know you not your own selves, that Christ Jesus is in you, unless perhaps you be reprobates?”
- Philippians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Philippians 3:10: That I may know him--experimentally. The aim of the "righteousness" just mentioned. This verse resumes, and more fully explains, "the excellency of the knowledge of Christ" (Phi 3:8). To know HIM is more than merely to know a doctrine about Him. Believers are brought not only to redemption, but to the Redeemer Himself. the power of his resurrection--assuring believers of their justification (Rom 4:25; Co1 15:17), and raising them up spiritually with Him, by virtue of their identification with Him in this, as in all the acts of His redeeming work”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 4:30: 4:30 Believers must not alienate God’s Holy Spirit, who identifies them as belonging to God (cp. Mark 3:29; Acts 5:3-5, 9; 1 Thes 4:8; Heb 6:4-8). • has identified you as his own (or has put his seal on you): The presence of the Spirit both confirms and guarantees the future redemption of believers (see Eph 1:13-14; Rom 8:16-17; 2 Cor 1:22; 1 Jn 4:13).”
- John (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on John 17:21: 17:21 For believers, becoming one with one another is an outgrowth of the union they enjoy with Jesus himself, a union modeled on the oneness of the Father and the Son. • may they be in us: Through the power of the Spirit, believers would experience a profound spiritual intimacy with the Father and the Son and be transformed (14:20, 23; 1 Jn 4:13). • Disciples of Jesus represent him, so their conduct and relationships with each other reflect the credibility of Christ in the world. When there is disunity, infighting, and intolerance, their testimony to the world is ”
- 1 John (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 1 John 2:6: Abideth in him - He who not only professes to have known Christ, but also that he has communion with him, and abides in his favor, should prove the truth of his profession by walking as Christ walked; living a life of devotion and obedience to God, and of benevolence and beneficence to his neighbor. Thus Christ walked; and he has left us an example that we should follow his steps. To be in Christ, Jo1 2:5, is to be converted to the Christian faith, and to have received the remission of sins. To abide in Christ, Jo1 2:6, is to continue in that state of salvation, grow”
- Phil (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Phil 3:3: 3:3 Circumcision was understood as identifying the true people of God (see Gen 17:10-14), but those who put their trust in Christ are the ones who are truly circumcised in heart (see Rom 2:28-29; cp. Jer 4:4; Eph 2:11; Col 2:11-13).”
- Philippians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Philippians 3:3: 3:3 Circumcision was understood as identifying the true people of God (see Gen 17:10-14), but those who put their trust in Christ are the ones who are truly circumcised in heart (see Rom 2:28-29; cp. Jer 4:4; Eph 2:11; Col 2:11-13).”
- John (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on John 17:21: that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they may be one in us--The indwelling Spirit of the Father and the Son is the one perfect bond of union, knitting up into a living unity, first all believers amongst themselves; next, this unity into one still higher, with the Father and the Son. (Observe, that Christ never mixes Himself up with His disciples as He associates Himself with the Father, but says I in THEM and THEY in US). that the world may believe that thou hast sent me--sentest me. So the grand impression upon th”
- 2 Corinthians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on 2 Corinthians 4:10: Always bearing about in the body, etc. - Being every moment in danger of losing our lives in the cause of truth, as Jesus Christ was. We, in a word, bear his cross, and are ready to offer up our lives for him. There is probably an allusion here to the marks, wounds, and bruises which the contenders in those games got, and continued to carry throughout life. That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest - That in our preservation, the success of our ministry, and the miracles we work, we might be able to give the fullest demonstration that Jesus is risen ”