Distinct from the World? – Finding Our Identity in Christ

“Sure, he’s a Christian, but did you hear what he said?” 

These words were spoken about me several months ago, as I worked a part-time food service job alongside coworkers who do not share my faith in Christ. I don’t remember exactly what I said that merited this critique, but when I heard my coworker’s remark, I recognized a sobering reality: I had spent so much time and energy trying not to “stick out” as a Christian in my workplace that I forgot my true identity. Not only this, I risked losing my witness to my coworkers. 

As I have had time to reflect on this interaction, I realized that there must be a deeper root to my actions and my desire to “fit in.” This desire, I believe, reflects my desire for comfort. I recognized in myself that one of my deepest desires is that of comfort. If I am given the choice, I will sacrifice boldness at the altar of comfort. I will choose to fit in with the crowd rather than risking authenticity, especially when I am around others whom I do not know well. Because of this, I sometimes choose to find my identity in what my peers consider acceptable rather than in what we are called to as Christians. This is the path of comfort, but it is not the path of the cross. 

In Paul’s letters to the first-century church, he speaks at length about the Christian conversion process, explaining what really happens when a person becomes a Christian. Though he uses many themes to describe the conversion experience, one that sticks out to me is the theme of identity. When a person begins to follow Christ, we do not simply receive a new set of rules to follow or a membership card to a new social club.

No, we are given much more than that - we are given a new identity. 

This reality is most clearly laid out in Galatians 2:20, where Paul reminds Christians, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” In writing this, Paul reminds followers of Jesus that our lives ought to be defined first and foremost by our identification with Christ. Paul identifies himself with Christ’s crucifixion and notes that his life is forever changed. The life he now lives is one that is ruled by Jesus Christ, who lives inside of him. 

So, what does this mean for you and I? First, it instructs us that if we are followers of Jesus Christ, our lives are no longer our own. When we lay down our lives for the sake of Christ, you and I no longer need to do whatever it takes to fit in at work, school, or anywhere else. Because God has brought His grace into our lives through Jesus, our aims are transformed to no longer be our own. And second, following Christ involves a call to lay down our idols at the foot of the cross. Through God’s empowering grace, every believer is called to reject the temptations of comfort and vain pleasure, choosing instead to follow God above all else. In doing so, by God’s grace, we can echo John the Baptist in John 3:30, that we might decrease as Christ increases in our lives.