Who We Are in Christ: Life, Power, and Position

Oct 05, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Dead to the Old, Alive as New Creation

The Christian’s identity isn’t a remodeled version of their past but a radical rebirth. Just as a pig remains a pig no matter how it’s dressed, humanity cannot fix its sinful nature through self-improvement. Believers are entirely new creations, fresh and original, reborn in Christ’s resurrection life. This newness isn’t cosmetic—it’s a divine exchange: the old self crucified, the new self alive by faith. To live as "salt and light" starts here, embracing this unchanging reality. [08:26]

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)

Reflection: What old labels or habits do you still cling to that contradict your new identity in Christ? How might embracing your status as “new creation” shift your choices today?

Day 2: Salt Life: Preserving and Flavoring the World

Believers are called to be more than moral influencers—they are preservatives against decay and flavor in a bland world. Salt doesn’t argue its purpose; it simply exists to heal, purify, and enhance. When Christians lose their “saltiness” by blending into culture’s compromises, they become useless for God’s kingdom. True saltiness flows from abiding in Christ, not striving to fit in. [10:37]

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”
(Matthew 5:13, NKJV)

Reflection: Where has fear of rejection caused you to dilute your “saltiness”? What practical step can you take this week to preserve truth or bring Christ’s flavor to a relationship?

Day 3: Ambassadors: Representing Heaven’s Agenda

An ambassador doesn’t prioritize personal opinions but faithfully communicates their king’s message. Christians often damage their witness by mixing God’s truth with political or cultural battles. The kingdom agenda is singular: reconciling people to Christ through love and integrity. Like a diplomat in a foreign land, believers must stay rooted in their homeland’s values—heaven’s. [14:50]

“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”
(2 Corinthians 5:20, NKJV)

Reflection: When have you confused your personal preferences with Christ’s mission? How can you better reflect His priorities in conversations this week?

Day 4: Zoe Life: More Than Endless Existence

Eternal life (zoe) isn’t merely living forever—it’s receiving the very life of God. Unbelievers exist; believers thrive with redeemed purpose, freedom, and authority. This life isn’t earned but inherited through Christ’s death. Just as a will’s beneficiaries claim their rights, Christians access healing, peace, and power by trusting what’s already theirs. [22:09]

“And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”
(1 John 5:11–12, NKJV)

Reflection: Do you live as someone “getting by” or as an heir to God’s limitless resources? What area of life needs a shift from survival mode to zoe abundance?

Day 5: Seated in Heaven’s War Room

Believers aren’t fighting for victory but from it. Their position isn’t earthly but heavenly—already seated with Christ in authority. Just as a CEO’s signature unlocks resources, Christians enforce Christ’s triumph through prayer and declaration. Earthly struggles shrink when viewed from throne-room perspective. [41:11]

“And raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
(Ephesians 2:6, NKJV)

Reflection: What problem feels overwhelming when viewed from earth’s perspective? How might praying from your “seated position” in Christ change your approach?

Sermon Summary

Identity in Christ starts with the question, “Who am I really?” The answer is not found in the body, the mind, the emotions, a ZIP code, money, skin color, or the old life. The real person is spirit, made in God’s image, born again, and eternal. Paul’s language gives the picture straight: dead but alive. The old man is crucified with Christ, and the new life is Christ living in the believer.

The new creation is not a cleaned-up version of the old thing. The new creation is fresh and original, not a pig with perfume, lipstick, and bows on it. God calls the person in Christ entirely new. This new identity includes being a child of God, a brother or sister of Jesus, salt in the earth, light in a dark world, and an ambassador for a higher kingdom. Salt preserves and seasons, while light shows the world what life with Jesus actually looks like.

The ambassador picture puts real weight on daily life. An ambassador may have opinions about everything, but only represents the king’s agenda. Christ’s people carry His name in front of a watching world, and the world knows what genuine faith looks like even when it does not agree with it. Identity must be formed by what God says, because “as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Eternal life means more than living forever. Zoe life is the God kind of life, redeemed and free from sin’s penalty. Christ also gives liberty, not liberty to sin, but liberty from sin, law, darkness, and worldly limitations. The Holy Spirit gives both power and authority, and those gifts are meant to be used in homes, sickness, spiritual battles, and everyday life.

Inheritance belongs to God’s children because Jesus died and made them joint heirs with Himself. The Word of grace builds believers up and reveals what is legally theirs in Christ, like a will that names its beneficiaries. Position in Christ means death has already been passed over, darkness has been left behind, and citizenship now belongs in heaven. God has made His people alive, seated them in heavenly places in Christ, and will show the riches of His grace in the ages to come.

Key Takeaways

1. Dead to old, alive in Christ Identity cannot stay tied to the person that existed before Christ. The old man has been crucified, and the new life is now defined by Christ living within. This does not deny past failures, but it refuses to let those failures have the final word over who a believer is. [04:16]
2. New means new, not refurbished The new creation is not a spiritual makeover on the old nature. God does not merely put better behavior on top of a broken identity. Christ creates something genuinely new, with a new source of life, a new family, and a new future. [08:26]
3. Ambassadors carry the King’s agenda An ambassador does not represent personal moods, arguments, or favorite causes first. An ambassador represents the kingdom and the king who sent him. Daily conduct matters because people often see Christ’s representatives before they consider Christ’s claims. [14:01]
4. Liberty means freedom from sin Liberty in Christ is not permission to drift back into bondage. Christ frees His people from the law’s condemnation, sin’s rule, darkness’s grip, and the limitations that once defined them. Freedom becomes real when it is received and lived under Christ’s lordship. [23:29]
5. Heavenly citizenship changes present life Citizenship in heaven does not make earthly life meaningless, but it puts earthly life in its proper place. Death has been passed over, darkness has been exchanged for light, and Christ’s people are already seated with Him by grace. The believer’s truest location is in Christ, even while life is still being lived on earth.

## [40:28]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[01:28] - Identity: Who, What, and Where
[02:10] - Spirit, Soul, and Body
[04:16] - Dead to the Old Man, Alive in Christ
[05:23] - Entirely New Creatures
[09:08] - Children of God and Salt of the Earth
[11:53] - Light of the World
[13:07] - Ambassadors for Christ
[19:38] - Receiving Eternal Life
[23:29] - Liberty in Christ
[26:25] - Power and Authority
[32:22] - The Inheritance of Joint Heirs
[36:51] - From Death to Life
[38:19] - From Darkness to Light
[39:15] - Citizens of Heaven
[42:23] - Prayer of Salvation

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

2 Corinthians 5:17
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” [08:26]

Galatians 2:20
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” [04:16]

2 Corinthians 5:20
“Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” [14:01]

Observation questions

In Galatians 2:20, what two seemingly opposite realities does Paul describe about the believer’s old life and new life? [04:16]
According to 2 Corinthians 5:17, what has happened to the old things, and what has become true for the person who is in Christ? [08:26]
What pictures are used to describe believers’ identity and purpose in the world—salt, light, and ambassadors—and what does each picture emphasize? [10:30]
In 2 Corinthians 5:20, who is being represented by believers, and what message are they entrusted to carry? [13:52]

Interpretation questions

Paul says that it is no longer the old self living, but Christ living in the believer. How does this truth give hope to a person who still remembers past failures or struggles with old patterns? [04:27]
If a new creation is truly new rather than merely repaired, what does that mean for the way believers understand repentance, growth, and change over time? [07:39]
An ambassador may have many personal opinions but is sent to represent the king’s agenda. How might this shape the way a Christian speaks and acts in tense conversations, online discussions, or community disagreements? [14:20]
The freedom Christ gives is described as freedom from sin rather than freedom to sin. What kinds of bondage can still pull believers away from living in that freedom? [24:03]

Application questions

What labels have been most tempting for you to use as your identity—past mistakes, family background, job, money, appearance, emotions, or something else? Which truth about being in Christ do you need to put in that place this week? [18:22]
Where do you most need to remember that you are dead to the old life but alive in Christ? What would it look like to respond differently in that situation because Christ lives in you? [04:23]
Salt preserves and seasons, while light makes things visible. In your home, workplace, school, or neighborhood, what is one practical way you can bring the character of Jesus into a dark or discouraging situation? [13:07]
As an ambassador for Christ, is there an area where your words, attitude, or online presence may be representing your own agenda more than the King’s agenda? What could a faithful response look like? [16:49]
Is there a sinful pattern, fear, or worldly limitation that you have been treating as stronger than Christ’s liberty? What would it look like to receive and walk in freedom from that bondage? [24:19]
God’s Word of grace builds up God’s children and helps them understand their inheritance. What regular practice could help you spend more time in Scripture and become more confident in what belongs to you in Christ? [34:47]
How would remembering that your citizenship is in heaven change the way you handle a current worry, disappointment, or conflict on earth? [39:50]

Sermon Clips

34s

#IdentityInChrist

“how should you identify? You should identify as dead but alive. Dead to the old man, alive in Christ. Dead to the old ways, alive in the new ways. Dead to the old before you got born again in in Christ in you, and alive in him now. So you don't identify with the world, you identify with Christ. That's your identity. It says, but Christ who lives in me. See, his identity is in Christ. He died.”

44s

#MindsetMatters

“As you think in your heart, you are. So when you say, I am an ambassador. I am the light of the world. I am the salt of the earth. I am what God says I am. I'm born again. I am those things. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Listen, we could flip it around. Well, I'm just a dirtbag and a worm. I'm just a sinner. I'm just trying to make it through. Guess what? As a man thinks in his heart, what? So is he. I want you to think in your heart that you are what God says you are. I don't want you to buy into anything else. I don't I don't want you to worry about your skin color, your ZIP code, how much money you make, how... What neighborhood you live in. None of that is relevant when it comes to who you are in Christ.”

49s

#SpiritualInheritance

“So it's only from his word that we're... We... If you really wanna look at it, this is why it's called, watch this, the Old Testament and New Testament. modern English, old will, new will. Now whenever we say will, I'm not talking about willing to do something, like activity. What is a will? A will is what you put in place so that when someone dies, you know the benefits. And you and I have someone in our family who died. His name was Jesus. And you have a will that you can read to find out what is legally yours from the father because he died for it. Amen.”

47s

#AmbassadorsOfChrist

“we're here to share the light. Praise God. And to be the light, to show the world what the light looks like. That's what we are. That's who we are. So let me give you another one. You ready? Who we are? For sure. We are ambassadors of Christ. Everybody knows what an ambassador is. Right? It's someone who represents a kingdom or a system that's not a part of that system. So we here are pilgrims. We're passing through. Listen to this. You ready? We are strangers and pilgrims on the earth. We are representatives of God's kingdom, his ideals, his policies on the earth. We are spokespersons for God. Do you see yourself that way? This is who you are. This is who you are. Listen to this.”

33s

#KingdomInheritance

“He died and left us, gave us an inheritance. And the truth of the matter is just like power and authority, most people don't receive their inheritance. I'm here to tell you, if you don't want yours, I'll take a part of it. Doesn't bother me a bit. I believe I am owed an inheritance, not because I'm good, but because my father sent his son to the cross to die on a cross, and in that, he paid the price for me to have what my... What the son paid for. Yes. Amen?”

47s

#JointHeirsWithChrist

“So we have all the resources we need in Christ Jesus. Listen to this. For the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the what? Children of God. And if children if children, are you children? And if children, then heirs. Heirs to God and joint heirs with Christ. Anything that God would give Jesus, he'll give me. That's what that verse says. If God would give Jesus favor, he'll give me favor. If God would heal Jesus, God would heal me. If God would provide for Jesus, he'll provide for me. There's nothing that Jesus gets that I don't get. Why? He made him my brother. He made me a joint heir.”

46s

#SaltAndLight

“Right? Well, watch this. We are the flavor and the seasoning that preserves the world. We're the we're the flavor. Flavor in the seasoning that that salts the world. I know whenever we talk about our values and our principles and the God that we serve and all those things, the world's like, oh, get away. I don't we don't want nothing to do with that. I'm here to tell you, without us, the world be a very, very, very unsalty place. It'd be a very, very dark place too. I'm a get into that one next. But the truth is we are the salt. What does salt do? It preserves. It keeps. It flavors. It makes sure things consist and keep moving forward. Listen to this. You ready? Look at this.”

29s

#EternalLife

“Most people hear that or they hear that the term eternal life, and they think of living forever. Now, here's the truth. You ready? Everyone in here is going to live forever. It's all about heaven and hell at that point. You're all going to live forever, but that is not the term eternal life. That's actually living forever.”

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