Are we Sinner saved by Grace or the Righteousness of God in Christ? Identity!

Janet Massey
Mar 6, 2023
4 min read

Updated: Apr 25, 2024

Our identity is such a key piece for us in the renewing of our mind and transformation of our life through God's power. Along with God's identity of course. But let's focus on our identity, and what Jesus did to pay for our new identity. So let's address a misconception, and determine what we should speak over ourselves and others, and what we should allow others to speak over us. I want to quickly discuss it, and set us free from some religious doctrine that doesn’t align with God’s word. So often in church I heard people remind themselves, others, and me, that we are sinners, or sinners saved by grace. And it is absolutely true that we were saved by God’s amazing grace. It was not our earning, or good behavior. “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 BSB. And it is true that we were sinners. That was our old nature, completely. And we know Christ died for us while we still had that sin nature. “But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 BSB. So the statement that we were sinners saved by grace would be true. But usually it's spoken that we are still sinners saved by grace.

We know that Jesus paid the debt that we owed for sin. Because we know “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. Romans 6:23 BSB. There should have been a debt owed from sin, original sin and all sin after, but Jesus paid that debt after so that we didn’t have to, and get the gift of eternal life. And he didn’t just pay the debt and keep us sinners, his blood washed us completely clean, so we are no longer sinner by nature. We actually claimed us as his children, and placed us in the kingdom of God, as priests, again, not by our earning, but by the amazing sacrifice of Jesus Christ. “To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood, who has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father – to Him be the glory and power forever and ever! Amen” Revelation 1:5b-6 BSB. So let’s receive that amazing gift, and believe what Jesus did for us, and not keep calling ourselves the old nature that Jesus suffered and died to set us free from. If we were still that old sinner nature, we couldn’t have eternal life. We couldn’t be fit to be in the kingdom of God, but we are there, and we have eternal life; if we just accept Jesus Christ as Lord and savior of our life, and follow Him.

Let’s remember that we are a new creation in Christ. “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 BSB. And it’s our spirit that is that new creation. We have spirit, soul, and body. And it was just our spirit that was made completely new, changed from sinner to the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. And then we get to renew our mind to the word of God, keep our eyes on Jesus, and have our soul and body be transformed to align with our new, born again spirit.

So as this new creation, we can still sin because we don’t have a fully new soul and body, that takes transformation from mind renewal to the word of God, to be transformed by the word of God, and not by the world. But just because we sin, doesn’t mean that we are sinner by nature! That’s the key. Know your identity in Christ, accept what he paid for, and speak it out, to glorify Him.

We are the righteousness of God in Christ now because of Jesus, because: “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed”.” And, from 2 Corinthians 5:21 BSB we know that “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God”. So that is our new identity! That is what we should call ourselves. Let’s really accept what Jesus did for us, and not speak lies and death over ourselves and each other. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. That’s what God says about us. That’s therefore what we should say about ourselves, because we want to align with the word of God, and not stand against it. Spread life and truth to others!

Have a great day! And join us to have accountability to renew your mind to the truth. Subscribe HERE to get zoom link and schedule.

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