Do you know who you are in Christ? What gives your life meaning, purpose and direction? The world’s belief system says that our feelings, experience, and desires determine our identity. These are moving targets bound to leave us feeling confused, unstable and discouraged. But as a redeemed child of God, our position in Christ is our true North star. It should define our identity and shape how we function in our everyday lives. Developing a biblical view of self is more important than the world’s concept of “self esteem”, as our grasp of our union in Christ will profoundly impact every area of our lives.
In my previous devotion, we looked at what it means for a Christian to be chosen, called and converted. Today we focus on the implications of being righteous, redeemed and reconciled. As someone who has been a Christian for many years, those three R’s roll off my tongue too easily. I often need to remind myself of their significance.
Righteous, Redeemed, Reconciled in Christ
In 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Paul provides us with one of the clearest summaries of the gospel and a Christian’s identity as Righteous, Redeemed and Reconciled in Christ:
For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Paul makes six statements about our new identity as a Christian.
- Love is our new driving force.
“The love of Christ controls (or compels) us…” (2 Cor 5:14)
Paul is driven, not by guilt, fear, or religious duty—but by the overwhelming reality of Christ’s love shown on the cross. When Saul was confronted by the living Christ on the road to Damascus with the words, “Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?” Saul said, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting” (Acts 9:1-9). This encounter with Christ changed the motivation and mission of his life forever.
Once driven by personal ambition and religious zeal, Saul became the apostle compelled by Christ’s love to travel over 10 000 miles, by ship and by foot, often at great personal peril, through much of the then known world, preaching Jesus as Lord, founding new Christian churches and writing fourteen of the New Testament books.
If we are Christians, God’s love ought to be the ruling influence and operating system controlling our thoughts, motives, and actions. We no longer live for ourselves, but for the One who loved and die for us. Like a sailor in a yacht carried forward by a powerful wind, we still make decisions, act, and exercise agency over our lives, but God’s love directs our flow. The gospel is our new model, mission, and motivation for life.
2. A new way of seeing (2 Corinthians 5:16)
“We regard no one according to the flesh…”
Once gripped by Christ’s love, we stop seeing people (and ourselves) primarily through worldly lenses. Since every believer is united to Christ, we are united to one another regardless of external features like age, sex, ethnicity, culture, status, performance or appearance. Since these categories are secondary, treating other Christians with sinful partiality or prejudice has no place in our lives. Saints see other people as precious souls for whom Christ died and themselves as people re-made by grace. With this new way of seeing comes humility, not snobbery or self-deprecation. We don’t label people as worthy/unworthy or success/failure. We see everyone through the lens of the cross and long for the lost to be brought into Christ’s fold.
3. A New Creation.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…” (2 Cor 5:17)
Our union with Christ forms the foundation for a transformed life. Being “in Christ” means we are no longer defined by past sins, failures, old patterns or our weaknesses. God has made something new: our old self died with Christ, and our new life is His life. A ‘new creation’ signifies complete transformation, not just renovation or alteration. The old house has been completely gutted and demolished before being rebuilt from the foundation upwards.
When a believer truly grasps that we are new in Christ, this truth frees us from self-condemnation, empowering us to live joyfully and serve others without shame.
For example, a woman who used to live with deep guilt over an immoral lifestyle now knows that her identity is no longer “the woman who sinned” but the “beloved daughter of God”. When a Christian understands that we are a new person, we realise that we don’t have to keep living according to our old sinful habits. As we begin to think differently, our desires, feelings and responses change, as the Spirit renews our mind in the truth of God’s word.
A man who used to respond to stress with alcohol and anger now realises that he has the Spirit’s power to respond with prayer, self-control and gentleness. He doesn’t say, “That’s just who I am,” because he knows that in Christ, he’s not that person anymore. Someone who used to be enslaved to pornography, lust, same-sex attraction, or greed realises they are no longer bound by that old nature. When tempted, they can say, “That’s not who I am anymore. I’m dead to sin and alive to God”. That truth changes how they fight temptation.
Being a new creation is a game changer. Sin is no longer our master, because those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires (Romans 6:6-14; Gal 5:24).
4. Reconciled.
“…in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself…(2 Cor 5:18-19)
Paul makes sure we see that reconciliation is God’s work, not ours. God bridges the chasm that sin created—not by ignoring or winking at sin, but by placing it on His beloved Son when He died on the cross. “Not counting their trespasses” shows God’s great mercy towards sinners when He credits Christ’s righteousness to all who repent and trust in Jesus.
And so, our core identity is built, not on our personal experience or feelings, but on God’s divine act of reconciliation and redemption. He took the first and the last step towards us, absorbed the cost in full, and opened the door of heaven so that the enemies of God could become His friends forever.
To receive this reconciliation, all we need to do is respond appropriately– by confessing that we can’t save ourselves and putting our trust in Jesus. Because of Christ’s work of reconciliation, God’s enemies become his servants and ambassadors.
5. Ambassadors of reconciliation.
“We are ambassadors for Christ…” (2 Cor 5:20)
We who were reconciled to God are sent to represent Him—to speak His appeal to others: “Be reconciled to God!”
An ambassador doesn’t speak our own message, but our King’s– faithfully, humbly, persuasively, prayerfully. An ambassador doesn’t seek our own glory or greatness, but our King’s. We represent the interests and message of our home country in a foreign land. As believers, our true citizenship is in heaven and we represent our King, the Lord Jesus, in a world alienated from Him. An ambassador doesn’t live for personal comfort or reputation.
For example, a Christian teacher sees her classroom as her embassy, with every word, attitude and interaction as an opportunity to reflect Christ’s kindness and truth to students who may never have entered a church. A Christian businessman refuses a corrupt tender, because he represents the values of his true homeland—truth and righteousness. A Christian student chooses not to cheat in her assignments, but remains honest even if it costs her marks, as she realises that cheating would misrepresent Christ. A Christian couple chooses to work on resolving conflict in their marriage, because they know that their quarrelling displeases their King and they long for His blessing as peacemakers.
We have a clear mission and purpose—to carry the gospel of peace into a world at war with God and with others. As ambassadors for Christ, we represent His ministry of reconciliation wherever we find ourselves—at home, at work, in broken families, and alienated relationships. This is a privilege and a stewardship for which every Christian will give accounnt to the King himself. We are called to be peacemakers—first vertically and then horizontally.
6. The Great Exchange.
Only the righteous may stand in God’s presence (Psalm 11:7; Psalm 1:6), but Paul concludes that “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21).
There is no more scandalous trade than this exchange between a holy God and sinners. Christ takes our sin and we receive His righteousness by faith. We come to Him with nothing to offer—our hands empty, our backs bowed under the heavy load of sin. But Christ takes that weight upon Himself, bearing our guilt to the cross.
Christ became what we were (sin), so that we might become what He is (righteous). If this great exchange has taken place, we can be sure that we are at peace with God, free from condemnation (Romans 5:1; 8:1). This is by far the greatest blessing of being a Christian, from which all other blessings flow.
I’m convinced that only when we are in awe of God’s holiness, can we fully appreciate what it cost Jesus to secure our redemption, righteousness and reconciliation. The exchange of His righteousness for our sin is the only basis for our relationship with God. To be made holy by God is the most awesome privilege of being a Christian. This alone defines who we are and how we should live.
Why is it so important for a Christian to meditate on what it means to be redeemed, reconciled and righteous? It’s important because it anchors our hearts in the truth of who we are in Christ. It reminds us that our past no longer defines us, our present is covered by God’s grace, and our future is secure in God’s love. When these truths move from our head to our hearts, they free us from guilt, empower us to live holy lives, and compel us to extend God’s reconciling love to others. It’s good to steady our souls in the gospel each day and to live with joy and confidence as God’s restored children, motivated by gratitude, not guilt, freed from self-centred living to live joyfully for Him who died for us (2 Cor 5:15).