The Value of Our True Identity
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” – 1 Peter 1:6-7
I have two quarters that I keep in my pocket to remind me of a significant truth about our identity in Christ as Christians. Each quarter has a face value of 25 cents (obviously).
But here’s the thing - I paid over $10 for one of these quarters, and I would never use it to buy something for 25 cents! Why? Because this quarter is made of silver. The other is made from metals of much less value, like just about every other quarter in circulation right now. It is made of copper, primarily, and coated in nickel. It looks like silver but is worth much less. These metals will eventually rust and corrode. They can also be destroyed by fire.
Silver and gold, on the other hand, are literally indestructible. They do not change their basic chemical composition and will not corrode. When heat is applied to these precious metals and they are melted down, they are not destroyed, but purified and purged of their impurities.
The face value of these quarters is the same (25 cents), but their essence is completely different. They differ dramatically in true value.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says that when we put our trust in Christ and receive salvation, we become a, “new creation...The old has gone, the new is here!”
Speaking about our new identity in Christ, 1 Peter 1:23 also says of the believer,
“For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.”
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, anyone who trusts in Christ can become like my silver quarter – imperishable and incorruptible. We can have confidence as children of God because who we are has been established by God, and not by anything we do.
If you are believer, you can be confident - your identity cannot be changed any more than you could change my silver quarter to copper, aluminum, or iron. It is permanently what it is – pure silver.
Now, the challenge we face, as believers, is actually believing this!
Much like my silver quarter, this world insists on stamping us with a face value that vastly underestimates our true value as God’s children. Whether race, socio-economic status, sex or sexuality, reputation, performance, or even our sin (fill in the blank).
Additionally, tribulations and the challenging circumstances in life can distort our perspective. These times can cause us to question if we are as valuable as God says we are.
As a result, we need daily reminders of God’s goodness and faithfulness in our lives. Reading the Bible, weekly worship, and connecting with other believers in the church are habits that put us in a place where we can be consistently reminded of who we really are.
One of the ways we can be reminded of the truth is by participating in Christian community. We are all most vulnerable to deception when we isolate ourselves.
When we practice walking in the light of God’s truth, we gain a confidence in God that results in a deep peace, joy and contentment. Then we can truly rest in His faithfulness rather than chasing our tails trying to earn value or approval from the world. Even our suffering takes on a whole new, productive meaning when we find our contentment in who we are in Christ.
Augustine wrote about this in “The City of God,” when he said that it is the same fire of suffering that faces every human, but it is the substance of the person which determines the effect of that fire.
By virtue of our unchangeable identity, trials and tribulation in our lives take on new meaning. They have a purifying effect on us. Once the fire is applied to us and we are tested, the previous marks and impurities left by the world melt away, and our true value is revealed. For those who have sought refuge in Christ for redemption and forgiveness, we have nothing left to fear. We are “hidden in Christ” (Col. 3:3), and that is the safest place we could be.
What are the ways you’ve been deceived about your true identity in Christ?
Maybe someone stamped a false face value on you when you were young. It’s possible that you’re convinced that it’s only when you reach a certain level of performance or status in life that you will be acceptable or valuable. Sometimes the sin in our past is like a dark shadow, casting doubt on everything in our lives and making us feel like imposters.
Let’s all remember, as children of God, our identity is not dependent on anything we do or don’t do. It is built on the rock-solid foundation of God’s faithfulness as demonstrated through the person of Jesus Christ. No matter what struggles or uncertainty we face in life, we can always count on that.
