Claiming Our True Identity

Unraveling the Mystery of Who We Are in Christ

Robert Casady

• Publisher: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9781638680475
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Theology & Religion

How liberating would it be to shed all false identities that we or others have placed on ourselves? Claiming our true identity as followers of Jesus begins by believing that Jesus really is in us and we are in him. Trying harder gets us nowhere. Waking up to who we already are allows us to see our full status as sons and daughters of God. We discover our true identity by recognizing that the life of Jesus flows deep within each believer's heart. This is God's good work! Our part is tapping into the love that has already been deposited in us. It's time we move away from the mindset of identity groups, pitting people against people, to become one in Christ Jesus! Let's trade the lies for fresh encounters with God.

CLAIMING OUR TRUE IDENTITY

UNRAVELING THE MYSTERY OF WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST

Robert Casady

“Claiming Our True Identity – Unraveling the Mystery of Who We Are in Christ,” by Robert Casady. ISBN 978-1-63868-037-6 (softcover); 978-1-63868-047-5 (eBook).

Published 2022 by Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc., P.O. Box 9949, College Station, TX 77845, US. ©2022 Robert Casady. All rights reserved. This book or any portions thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

First Printing, 2022

Artwork: Copyright 2022 Kristin Strong. Used by permission.

Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Editors: Susan Casady, Dorothy Petroff

This book is dedicated to Jesus, our true identity, and to the Dockery Chapel and Grundy Center congregations for luring me out of retirement to serve as your pastor.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Susan Petroff Casady, my dear wife, you are my editing champ! Your thorough work and keen spiritual insights were incredibly helpful in bringing this book to completion.

Dorothy Petroff, my mother-in-love, your deep walk with Jesus and skilled attention to detail on this project is greatly appreciated.

Kristin Sims Strong, your inspired illustrations bring the message of our true identity to life. Your images bring honor and glory to Jesus.

CONTENTS (click for navigation)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1: WE ARE IN CHRIST! CHRIST IS IN US!

WE ARE IN CHRIST

CHRIST IS IN US!

Chapter 2: WE HAVE FIRSTBORN STATUS IN JESUS

HAVE YOU CLAIMED YOUR BIRTHRIGHT?

VALUING YOUR BIRTHRIGHT

SEEING WHO WE ARE IN CHRIST

Chapter 3: WE DIED AND ARE RAISED WITH JESUS

YOU DIED!

YOUR LIFE IS NOW HIDDEN WITH CHRIST

OFFER YOURSELVES AS INSTRUMENTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

Chapter 4: WE ARE NEW CREATURES IN CHRIST

CHANGING OUR THINKING ABOUT SIN

CHANGING OUR THINKING ABOUT OURSELVES

BEHOLDING AND BECOMING

Chapter 5: WE ENTER GOD’S HOUSE BY FAITH

REPENTANCE IS THE PORCH

FAITH IS THE DOOR

RELIGION IS THE HOUSE ITSELF

Chapter 6: WE FOLLOW A NEW AND LIVING WAY

Chapter 7: GOD IS LOVE! WE ARE LOVE!

Chapter 8: WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST

ONE TRUE HOLY CHURCH

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE BODY

OUR IDENTITY CREED

Chapter 9: YOU ARE THE BRIDE OF CHRIST

Chapter 10: WE LIVE FROM GOD, NOT FOR GOD

OUR IDENTITY CREED

Chapter 11: WE REMEMBER WHAT WE LOOK LIKE

A FINAL WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT

SUGGESTED READING

INTRODUCTION

I love the church! Despite all its faults, inconsistencies and blemishes, I love the church! To not love the church is to not love the body of Christ. To not love the church is to not love Jesus, the head of the body. To not love the church is to not love ourselves, for we are the body of Christ.

Yet, the church, the body of Christ, has lost its true identity. This is not only an accurate description of the western church as a whole, but unfortunately true of the majority of individuals who identify as Christians. To put it simply: Christians are in an identity crisis. We have lost our way. We have forgotten who and whose we are. Some of us have never known who we are, while others once knew but have our view tainted by cultural mores, fleshly desires, and the evil one’s distortions.

The findings from the American Worldview Inventory 2021 identify major shifts in the religious landscape of the United States, presenting “a breathtaking drop in four critical spiritual indicators: belief in God, belief in the Bible, recognition of salvation through Jesus Christ, and possession of a biblical worldview.”

False perspectives are in the air we breathe. None of us, not even the more mature Christ followers, are immune to the effects of the world’s influence. So, what are we to do? Thankfully, we are not left to our own devices. We have the scriptures. We have Holy Spirit.* We also need brothers and sisters in Christ who will join us in earnestly seeking after Christ. The Word, Holy Spirit and true Christian Community are essential companions in claiming/reclaiming our true identity in Christ. We will consistently point to these three significant witnesses in our efforts to step fully into who we are in Christ.

This book will lead us to claiming our true identity by—

● Recognizing that Jesus is in us and we are in Jesus.

● Claiming our firstborn status as sons and daughters of God.

● Understanding that we have died and are raised with Jesus.

● Acknowledging ourselves as new creatures in Christ.

● Entering God’s house through the doorway of faith.

● Seeing Jesus’ sacrifice as a new and living way for us.

● Loving each other with the love we have received from God.

● Gladly accepting our role as members of Christ’s body.

● Falling in love and staying in love with Jesus.

● Working from God rather than working for God.

● Remembering what we look like and who we are.

The term In Christ is used or referred to in scripture approximately 170 times, the most predominant biblical description of our true identity. And so, let’s fully engage in unraveling the mystery of who we are in Christ.

For some, this journey will be discovering our true identity for the first time. For others, it will involve re-establishing what we once knew about ourselves but have forgotten. Regardless of which is true for you, knowing who we are in Christ is a joyous discovery! Indeed, there is no greater joy than having the eyes to see Jesus gazing back at us from the depths of our inner person.

Although what you read in this book may seem like new teaching that is too good to be true, we are simply exploring forgotten ancient paths (See Jeremiah 6:16). We are digging up old wells and discovering fresh water (See Genesis 26: 15-19). So, let’s walk in the way of the Lord, finding rest for our souls and tasting the living water of Christ!

While this book will prove beneficial to the individual reader, it is recommended for classes, small groups or bands of three-to-four persons to journey together, covering a chapter per week. Journeying with others is the most effective way of claiming our true identity. After all, the book’s title uses the word “our”, not your. In a world filled with selfies, we come to our true identity in Christ by being in fellowship with others.

As the culture of early twenty-first century America places the spotlight on identity groups, pitting people against one another, we find a common identity in Christ: “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all o...

Table of contents

• Title page