Our Identity in Christ

In Christ 

"Who am I?" It’s an important question, but also a daunting one for it strikes at the center of our identity and self-conception. For many, personal identity is constructed with relationships, abilities and achievements. But that construction is fragile and frail for relationships break, abilities wane, and achievements fade. 

For the believer, there is an identity that runs deeper than any one we can construct for ourselves—one that’s as stable and solid as stone. It is our identity in Christ. This to Paul, is the most important thing about us. And in Ephesians 1:7, we witness two incredible implications of being in Christ: We’re redeemed and we’re forgiven. 
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace (Eph 1:7). 

In Christ we’re Redeemed 

Redemption carries the idea of releasing from bondage by payment or ransom. While it’s not a particularly common word in today’s vocabulary, it would have been a familiar 
concept in Paul’s day, particularly for his Jewish readers who would have naturally 
connected the concept to their ancestors’ deliverance from Egypt and freedom from 
Pharoah. 

And yet, the redemption in view is substantially greater than deliverance from Pharoah—it’s redemption from the dominating power and crushing penalty of sin. See, in ourselves, of ourselves and by ourselves, we are slaves to sin. As Paul makes clear in Ephesians 2, without Christ we are dead in sin, sons of disobedience, and children of wrath. Sin is a dominating master whose reign is cruel and whose end is death. And yet, instead of condemnation, God offered redemption—by forgiving us all our sins. 

In Christ We’re Forgiven 

If you’re in Christ, then your sins have been forgiven. Praise be to God. And yet, this 
forgiveness did not come easily. It came at great and terrible cost—it was granted through his blood. 

Have you ever wondered why it can be so difficult to forgive? It’s because forgiveness 
always comes at a cost. For when I choose to forgive the debt of another, I choose to carry that debt myself. So, what did it cost God to forgive us our sins? It cost him the life of his Beloved Son. Jesus forgave our sins by bearing them himself on the tree so that all who turn to him in repentant faith might die to sin and live to righteousness (1 Pet. 2:24). 

According to the Riches of His Grace 

At such a cost, it may be possible to conclude that God must have seen in us some real 
potential or outstanding merit. But the truth is quite the opposite. For in Ephesians 1:7 we see that our redemption is not according to our potential or merit, but according to the riches of his grace. Grace by its very nature is favor that’s unmerited, undeserved, and unearned—a grace that is not meagerly distributed but lavishly applied. 
In light of such grace, there is no room for arrogance or pride—only humility, gratitude, and praise. And as we look at Ephesians 1:3–14, that’s exactly what we see—a doxology of praise to God for his glory and grace.