As believers in Christ, we have been given a remarkable gift - the opportunity to experience a new life, one that is transformed and empowered by the grace of God. In Ephesians 2:10-13, we are reminded that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that God has prepared beforehand for us to walk in. This truth is pivotal in understanding our identity and the purpose God has for our lives.
Before we came to know Christ, we were once separated from Him, alienated from the Commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise. We had no hope and were without God in the world. But now, through the blood of Christ, we have been brought near. We are no longer outsiders, but have been made part of God's family, joint-heirs with Christ.
The Scriptures make it clear that our lives have been radically transformed through our relationship with Jesus. In Ephesians 1:10-13, we learn that God has reconciled us to Himself through Christ, sealing us with the promised Holy Spirit. We have been rescued from the domain of darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the Son He loves, where we have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
As redeemed children of God, we have been given an incredible inheritance. Colossians 1:11-14 reminds us that we now share in the saints' inheritance and have been brought into the light of God's kingdom. This is not something we have earned, but a gift of grace that has been freely given to us.
With this understanding of our new identity in Christ, we are called to live out the fullness of what it means to be a child of God. Second Corinthians 5:17-21 declares that we are a new creation in Christ, and that God has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation. We are now ambassadors for Christ, representing Him to the world and pleading with others to be reconciled to God.
Colossians 1:22 reminds us that through Christ's physical body, we have been presented holy, faultless, and blameless before God. This is not due to our own merit, but because of the work of Jesus on our behalf. We are now able to walk in the righteousness of God, no longer defined by our past but by the new life we have in Christ.
As we embrace our new identity in Christ, we must also understand the spiritual authority and inheritance that has been entrusted to us. John 17:15-23 reveals that Jesus prayed for us, not that we would be taken out of the world, but that we would be protected from the evil one and sanctified by the truth of God's word.
Revelation 5:9-10 declares that we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and made a kingdom of priests to our God. We have been given the authority to reign on the earth, with access to the very throne of God. This is the power and privilege that belongs to us as blood-bought believers.
As we reflect on all that Christ has done for us, it is essential that we begin to walk in the fullness of our redemption. We are no longer defined by our past, but by the new life we have in Christ. We have been given the mind of Christ, the peace of God, and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome the enemy and live victoriously.
It is time for us to rise up and declare our identity as God's workmanship, redeemed and restored to a right relationship with Him. We are called to be the light of the world, ambassadors of Christ, and to proclaim the excellencies of the One who has called us out of darkness and into His marvelous light. Let us embrace the power of grace and live out the new life we have been given in Christ Jesus.