Last week, we began exploring what it means to be in Christ—our new identity. And as we continue, the goal is not merely to gather information, but to renew our minds and fully embrace what God says is already true about us. Transformation in the Christian life does not begin with striving—it begins with revelation. It begins when we see clearly who we are because of Jesus.
The central truth we are building on is this: we are united with Christ in His victory.
Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:16–17 (NLT):
“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view… anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”
This is not poetic exaggeration or motivational language—it is a declaration of spiritual reality. Something decisive has happened to the believer.
Most people—including many sincere Christians—spend their lives trying to become someone. They strive to improve, to overcome, to prove themselves.
But Christianity begins with a radically different starting point. It declares that in Christ, you already are someone. Identity is not something you achieve; it is something you receive.
That does not mean we are already perfected in behavior or maturity. Transformation is real and ongoing. But identity is settled at the moment of salvation. When Paul says, “the old has passed away,” he is not speaking about gradual improvement—he is describing a decisive break. The old identity, rooted in Adam, sin, failure, and shame, has been removed.
That includes every label that once defined you: condemned, guilty, rejected, or defined by your worst moment. These things did not fade away because you improved. They passed away because Christ replaced them. And then Paul says, “Behold, the new has come.” Not slowly arriving. Not partially true. Already here. Established the moment you were born again.
If new creation answers the question of what you are, then union with Christ answers the question of where you live. And where you live spiritually determines everything—how you pray, how you endure, how you resist temptation, how you understand spiritual warfare, and how you influence the world around you.
Paul gives us one of the clearest descriptions of this union in Romans 6:5–11 (NIV):
“For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
This passage moves beyond the idea that Jesus simply died for us. It reveals that we died with Him. This is where many believers stop short. We understand substitution, but we have not fully grasped identification. Yet Paul is clear—our old self was crucified with Christ. That means the authority of sin has been broken. Sin may still attempt to influence us, but it no longer defines us or rules over us.
And Paul does not stop with death. He moves to resurrection. If we died with Christ, then we also live with Him. That means we are not just forgiven—we are alive in Him. This is not merely future hope; it is present reality.
Paul expands this even further in Ephesians 2:4–7 (CEB), where he writes that God, who is rich in mercy, “brought us to life with Christ… raised us up and seated us in the heavens with Christ Jesus.” Before Christ, we were dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1–3; Colossians 2:13). But through Christ, we have been made alive.
Now consider the progression. Many believers understand that Jesus died for them. Fewer understand that they died with Him. Fewer still live with the awareness that they were raised with Him. And almost none consistently live with the consciousness that they are seated with Him.
Yet Paul says it plainly—we have been made alive together, raised together, and seated together with Christ (Ephesians 2:4–6). This is not symbolic language. It is positional reality. It is the believer’s spiritual location.
This reality is entirely rooted in grace. Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:8–9 that we are saved by grace through faith, not by works, so that no one can boast. Salvation is not something we initiated—it is something we received. God, in His mercy, acted first.
The Father is not distant or hostile toward humanity. His heart breaks over sin, injustice, and brokenness, but His response was redemption. He made a way, and that way is Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, who restores us into right relationship with Him (2 Peter 3:9).
Paul’s use of the word “saved” in Ephesians 2:8 comes from the Greek word sōzō, which means to rescue, to heal, to make whole, and to deliver.¹ This is not a small adjustment to your life—it is a complete rescue from spiritual death. You were dead in sin, but now you are alive in Christ.
This leads us to a foundational truth: we are saved in a moment by God’s grace, but transformed over a lifetime by His Word and Spirit. This is not a slogan—it is a map for how the kingdom works. Grace not only forgives; it trains and empowers (Titus 2:11–12). It leads us into obedience, transformation, and maturity.
Union with Christ is where this becomes more than theology—it becomes atmosphere. It becomes the inner framework of your life.
I remember the Lord impressing something simple yet profound on my heart: Your success in life is found in Micah 6:8.
“He has told you… what is good… to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8 CEB).
That humility is essential, because everything we have in Christ was given, not earned. We walk in righteousness because it was imparted to us through Jesus.
Paul then says in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God’s workmanship. The Greek word used here is poiēma, from which we get the word “poem.”² It appears only twice in Scripture, here and in Romans 1:20, emphasizing that just as creation reveals God’s nature, so does the believer’s life in Christ.
You are not random. You are not accidental. You are a carefully crafted expression of God’s grace. Your life is a poem that God is writing.
This expression unfolds in two primary ways. First, through character—the fruit of the Spirit being formed within us (Galatians 5). Second, through power—the gifts of the Spirit operating through us (1 Corinthians 12; Romans 12; Ephesians 4:11). Jesus Himself said that believers would do greater works (John 14:12).
As we yield to the Holy Spirit, both dimensions become evident. Our lives begin to reflect God’s nature and demonstrate His power. This is not optional Christianity—it is normal Christianity.
And this is where we must confront how we see ourselves. You are not merely human anymore. You are a supernatural being through your union with Christ.
I remember being in Brazil before an evening meeting. I spent the afternoon praying about my message and the meeting that night. I said to the Lord, “I feel empty and that I don’t have much for tonight.”
The Lord responded with something that struck me deeply: If you see yourself as only human, you will function as only human. But if you see yourself as a supernatural being, you will function as a supernatural being. That statement reveals how identity shapes behavior.
That night, God moved powerfully in the meeting. The pastor told me afterward, “I estimate that nearly 90% of the people you prayed healing prayer over were healed.” Again, Jesus is the healer; we are simply praying from our union with Him.
If you believe you are limited, you will live limited. But if you understand that Christ lives in you, that His Spirit dwells in you, then you begin to live differently—with expectation, boldness, and faith.
Paul says in Ephesians 2:6 (NLT), “He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”
A helpful way to understand “heavenly realms” is to view them as unseen heavenly realities. In other words, your life is not confined to what is visible—you have been positioned in a spiritual reality with Christ.
This brings us to one of the most neglected truths in the Christian life: the ascension.
Most believers understand the cross. Many celebrate the resurrection. But few live from the reality of being seated with Christ in His ascension. Yet this is essential.
George Peck described the believer’s identification with Christ as consisting of three defining epochs—His death, resurrection, and ascension—and noted that our grasp of these determines our spiritual experience.³
Paul does not merely say we are forgiven. He says we are raised and seated.
Seated means you are not living from beneath your inheritance—you are learning to live from a place of shared victory. This reframes everything. We do not fight for position; we enforce the position Christ has already secured. We do not plead for acceptance; we live from acceptance.
Shame says, “Hide.”
Union says, “Arise.”
This understanding profoundly shapes prayer. Jesus said, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13–14). He said, “Abide in me… ask what you desire” (John 15:7). He said, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you” (John 15:16) and “Ask and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
Effective prayer flows from position. I can say from personal experience that my prayer life deepened significantly when I realized—not just intellectually, but in my heart—that I am fully accepted, fully loved, and seated with Christ. My past no longer defined my access to God. Christ dealt with it completely. Now I live in union with Him.
As Paul said, “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). God hears and responds to us not based on our past, but based on our standing in Christ.
Those who understand this begin to live differently. They walk in the Spirit, having crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Their confidence is not in themselves, but in Christ’s authority working through them. And as they grow in this awareness, they begin to walk in the fullness of Christ, profoundly influencing their world.
Before God ever commands your obedience, He affirms your identity. You are united with Christ in His death, His resurrection, and His victory. You are more than a conqueror because Jesus is more than a conqueror.
You are not trying to earn salvation or acceptance. That was settled at the cross.
You do not obey to become a new creation.
You obey because you already are one.
So the real question is not simply, “What should I do?” The deeper question is, “Am I living as who God says I am?”
Because the revelation of your identity is the key that unlocks your destiny. You are not your own—you belong to Christ. You are alive in Him, raised with Him, and seated with Him.
And you are a supernatural being.
Now the invitation is clear:
Live like it.
Footnotes
1. Chris Byrley, “Healing,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).
2. Henry George Liddell et al., A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996), 1429.
3. George Peck, Throne Life: The Highest Christian Life (Boston, MA: The Watchword Publishing Co., 1888), 41–42.
