What God is Doing in Me
Our present task is, as it is sometimes put, to be what we are—to live out what God has wrought in, expressing in action the new life . . . that has now become ours. —J.I. Packer, Rediscovering Holiness
This list used to be an Identity in Christ list, but as I was revising this page, the list seemed too I-centered. This new, rewritten list has many of the same Scripture references, but the format has changed: for instance, the statement "I am a child of God" has become "God gave me the right to become his child." This change in format recognizes that our new identity springs from the work that God has begun and is completing in us—even as we work with him in the Christian life. In revising the list, I have taken out some of the Scripture references it contained; many of those taken out described what we would become under certain conditions, rather than what we already are. Aside from those verses, I do not think the old list was necessarily wrong, but I do believe this list is better. The original list was compiled from sources that remain on the bibliography, but because of the substantial revisions described above, this new list is original work.
Note that we are not just individuals in the Christian life; we are part of the Church, the body of Christ. However, singular pronouns (I, me, my) are used here in order to help us own the truths that are true for us as well as our neighbor.
This list is my attempt to sketch out what God does in the life of a Christian, according to his Word. It is not intended to inspire high self-esteem. Instead, as Christians, it should inspire us to be grateful for God's gift and work, and maybe—just maybe—to realize that we can't possibly be the pond scum that we may think we are.
If this list looks interesting to you, but you're not a Christian, take a look at what Christianity's about.
God's Work
- God has made me in his image (Genesis 1:27)
- God has chosen me and calls me holy and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)
- God has loved me with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)
- God has rescued me from the dominion of darkness and brought me into the kingdom of Christ (Colossians 1:13)
- God has justified me so that I may have peace with him (Romans 5:1)
- God has reconciled me to himself through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:11)
- God has completely forgiven me (Colossians 1:13-14)
- God has given me Christ's righteousness (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
- God has justified me and will not condemn me (Romans 8:1, 8:31-34)
- God sees me as blameless and holy (Colossians 1:22)
- God has grafted me into his vine (Romans 11:17-18)
- God has brought me near to himself through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13)
- God has bought me with a price, and I belong to him (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)
- God gave me the right to become his child (John 1:12)
- God has anointed and sealed me, and he makes me stand firm in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)
- Jesus calls me his friend (John 15:15)
- Christ keeps me safe, so that the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18)
- Jesus is able to save me completely (Hebrews 7:25)
- Jesus is making me holy (Hebrews 2:11)
- Jesus has called me to bear fruit (John 15:5,8)
- Christ allows me to approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)
- God's Spirit lives in me (1 Corinthians 3:16)
- God has given me access to himself by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18)
- God is building me, as one of his living stones, into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5)
- God has made me part of the body of Christ and has given me specific spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:6)
- God has given me great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4)
- God will meet all my needs (Philippians 4:19)
- God will give wisdom generously if I ask him (James 1:5)
- God provides mercy and grace to help in my time of need (Hebrews 4:16)
- God has given me a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)
- God is able to keep me from falling (Jude 24)
- God is strong in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
- God has made me his ambassador (2 Corinthians 5:20)
- God has made me a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17)
- God is working all things together for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28)
- God will complete the good work he has begun in me (Philippians 1:6)
The Result
- I belong to God (1 Peter 2:9)
- I am one of God's chosen people (1 Peter 2:9-10)
- I cannot be separated from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39)
- I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
- I am a child of the light and do not belong to the darkness (1 Thessalonians 5:5)
- I am no longer a foreigner or an alien in God's house (Ephesians 2:19)
- I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20)
- My life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)
- I am a bondservant of Jesus Christ, pledged to obey him (Romans 6:16-18)
- My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16)
- I am holy, and I share in God's heavenly calling (Hebrews 3:1)
- When I confess my sins, God will forgive me and purify me from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)
- I am made complete in Christ (Colossians 2:7)
- I know that my work in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58)
- I am receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28)
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