You Are Significant!, living the transformed life

Who I Am In Christ Series,

Part 7

If you have been following this series, I hope by now you realize that as God’s creation, you are something special. I struggled with this for many years. Even though I was a born-again, Spirit-filled Christian, I believed that I was flawed and incomplete. Because of all the abuse and rejection I had gone through in my childhood and adolescence, I thought I was inferior to others, especially other men. On my darkest days I was convinced that God had made a terrible mistake in creating me and that I was doomed to a life of misery.

I am so thankful that I discovered the truth! I no longer believe those lies. That’s what they were– lies. And the only way to conquer lies is with the truth of God’s Word. I began discovering what God had to say about who I am, but at first I didn’t believe it. It took years to renew my mind, but as I began to replace the lies with the truth, I began to change.

It took me such a long time! God called me to write this blog because I knew that I was not alone. I knew there were other Christians who are crippled in their spiritual walk because they, too, are deceived as I was. They are slaves to their past, bound by lies, trapped by the addictions and destructive behaviors that falsely promise relief from the pain. They sit in church but they are hiding their shame and defeat.

Perhaps you know someone like that.

Perhaps that person is you.

I’m here to tell you that there’s another way. Jesus said, “The truth will set you free.” Living the transformed life is possible– I’m proof of that. My journey was long, but I hope through my writings to shorten that journey for you.

In this series we’ve been taking a deep dive into the “Who I Am In Christ” list developed by Dr. Neil Anderson. (If you have missed any of the previous articles, I will list them at the end of this post. If you would like the “Who I Am In Christ” list, you can find it here.)

We are now at the final part of that list. Let’s see what else God has to say about you, His child.

I Am God’s Co-Worker

At Christmas when I was little, my mother would take my siblings and me to see Santa Claus at the department store. Often there were others there dressed as elves. When I asked Mom who they were, she said, “Oh, those are Santa’s little helpers!”

<Spoiler alert> Now that I’m a big boy, I’ve discovered that Santa doesn’t exist. Neither do Santa’s little helpers. (Sorry if I burst your bubble).

But GOD exists! And, incredibly, He wants to include us in what He’s doing on earth. In 2 Corinthians 6:1 Paul writes, “As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.” And 1 Corinthians 3:9 says, “For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

God’s Word calls us co-workers with Him. How awesome is that?! We get to participate in the amazing things God is doing. God uses us to minister to those around us. God uses us to spread the good news, the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Are you getting this? Not everyone has this privilege. The nicest unsaved person on the planet will never be called His co-worker. But as a Christian, you have this honor. God has multiple opportunities for you to work with Him! (More on that later).

If you’re missing the point, let me spell it out for you: God thinks you’re pretty special. He not only works in you, He wants to work through you.

I Am Seated With Christ In The Heavenly Realm

Okay, this next truth is hard to wrap our heads around. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

Notice that this is written in the past tense. It’s not talking about a future event, like going to heaven when we die. It’s speaking about something that has already happened.

I know what you’re thinking. “How can that be? I’m not sitting in heaven– I’m still here on planet earth.” If this verse isn’t talking about being physically in heaven, what is it saying?

I took a look at some online Bible commentaries for an answer, and what I discovered was very interesting. An anonymous writer at biblehub.com states, “Theologically, it signifies the believer’s new identity and status in Christ.” He goes on to explain, “In ancient times, being seated with a ruler indicated a position of favor and shared authority” (emphasis added).

Dr. Grant C. Richison of versebyversecommentary.com says, ” ‘Raised up’ here refers to positional resurrection; it is our status with God forever.” In other words, we are eternally identified with Christ. God sees us in His Son.

Here’s what Dr. Neil Anderson has to say about Ephesians 2:6. “Your identity as a child of God and your authority over spiritual powers are not things you are receiving or will receive at some time in the future; you have them right now.

“You are a spiritually alive child of God right now.

You are seated in the heavenlies with Christ right now.

“You have power and authority over the kingdom of darkness right now.”

He concludes by saying, “We have the authority because of our position in Christ, and we have the power when we are filled with the Holy Spirit.”

So “I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm” affirms that I am significant. And so are you!

I Am God’s Workmanship

We come now to one of my favorite verses in the Bible. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

There’s no misinterpreting this verse. It means just what it says! Let’s break it down a bit.

First, it says we are God’s workmanship or handiwork. We are a unique creation of God– literally, one of His masterpieces. The Topical Bible notes, “In a biblical context, the term ‘handiwork’ refers to the creative and purposeful work of God, particularly in relation to His creation. It signifies the craftsmanship and intentional design that God has imbued in the universe and everything in it.”

You weren’t just haphazardly slapped together. You aren’t a coincidental collection of cells. You are uniquely designed and handcrafted by almighty God!

Second, we are created in Christ Jesus to do good works. Our lives have a purpose: God has already planned good works for us to do. We are agents for good in this dark, sinful world. We are blessed and called to be a blessing to those around us. God does have a wonderful plan and purpose for our lives, and He prepared it long before we were a twinkle in our earthly father’s eye.

How cool is that?! Are you beginning to catch the idea that you are significant?

I May Approach God With Freedom And Confidence

“In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence” (Ephesians 3:12).

In Old Testament times, only the Jews had access to God– and it was extremely limited. At certain times of the year they had to go through a complex series of rituals and sacrificial offerings which could only be performed by the priests. And only one man, the High Priest, could enter the Holy of Holies, which contained the Ark of the Covenant and God’s presence– and he could do that only once a year, on the Day of Atonement.

But when Jesus died on the cross, the veil of the Temple which separated the Holy of Holies was torn in two, from top to bottom. God Himself opened the way.

Now we can have access to God anytime, anywhere. No special location, no more rituals and bloody sacrifices. And we don’t have to crawl in guilt and fear. Because of what Jesus did for us, we can walk right in to the presence of God, with freedom and confidence! Our heavenly Father is available to us 24/7/365. We have a privilege that the Old Testament saints couldn’t even dream of!

Our prayers instantly connect us to our heavenly Father, and His arms are always open wide to us. When I think of going to heaven after my death, the first thing I want to feel is Jesus’ embrace. I look forward so much to that hug! In the meantime, it’s wonderful to know that He hears every prayer and always answers when we call. Never be afraid to approach God. You are His beloved child and He will never, ever reject you.

I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me

And now we come to the end of our journey through the “Who I Am In Christ” list. We conclude with Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

A word of caution: this verse does not say you can do anything you want. God sets boundaries which we must always respect, because they are for our protection. This is certainly not permission to sin.

Rather, we can do all those good things referenced in Ephesians 2:10, all the things that God has prepared in advance for us to do. And what is even more amazing, we don’t have to rely on our own abilities or power. Instead, we can trust Jesus to give us the strength we need in any situation or circumstance. What a powerful promise!

I hope this series has been an encouragement to you. I hope it has helped you to see how special you are and how much your heavenly Father loves you. Your life matters. You are significant!

Living the transformed life means knowing your true identity in Christ. It’s loving Jesus with your whole heart, your whole soul, your whole strength. It’s knowing Jesus as both your Savior and your Lord. Life on this earth is too short a journey to take without Him. And eternity in heaven is too much to miss!

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Related Posts:

“The Issue of Identity” Who I Am In Christ, Part 1

“Acceptance: A Core Emotional Need” Who I Am In Christ, Part 2

“You Are Accepted!” Who I Am In Christ, Part 3

“Security: A Core Emotional Need” Who I Am In Christ, Part 4

“You Are Secure!” Who I Am In Christ, Part 5

“Significance: A Core Emotional Need” Who I Am In Christ, Part 6