What Does the Bible Say About Christian Identity?

The short answer: Christian identity is not something you build. It is something you receive. According to Scripture, followers of Jesus are chosen, redeemed, holy, adopted into a family, and made new in Christ. The work of the Christian life is not generating a better identity but remembering the one you already have when life tries to make you forget.

This article is adapted from the sermon, Remember, preached by Dr. Scott Lehr at Southbridge Fellowship on Sunday, June 7, 2026. 

1. How the Bible defines identity

The Bible has a lot to say about identity, and what it says is radically different from how the world defines it. The world tells you that your identity is something you build. Scripture tells you that your identity is something you receive. The world tells you that you are what you do. Scripture tells you that what you do flows from who you already are. The world tells you that your worth is conditional. Scripture tells you that your worth has already been settled at the cross.

1 Peter 1 lays out five foundational truths about Christian identity. Each one directly contradicts a story the world tries to tell.

2. Five truths about who you are in Christ

You are chosen

Peter opens his letter by calling followers of Jesus "elect" and "chosen." This is not because of anything you have done. It is because of who God is. You were wanted before you ever knew Him. Your identity does not start with your decisions. It starts with His.

You are redeemed

1 Peter 1:18-19 says you were redeemed not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ. Redemption is a purchase. Something is worth what someone will pay for it. The price paid for you was the blood of the Son of God. Your worth is not theoretical. It has been paid in full.

You are holy

Peter 1:15-16 calls believers to be holy because God is holy. The word "holy" simply means "set apart." If you follow Jesus, you have been set apart for a purpose. This is not a description of moral perfection. It is a description of belonging. You do not become holy by trying harder. You live holy because you already are.

You are adopted into a family

Peter's letter repeatedly describes followers of Jesus as adopted, as sons and daughters, as part of a family. You are not a hired servant of God. You are not a project He is putting up with. You are family.

You are a new creation

When you turn to Jesus, He changes your identity. The old has passed away. The new has come. Your past is not your identity. Your patterns are not your identity. Your worst moments are not your identity. In Christ, you are something new.

3. Remember, do not earn

You start letting these truths interrupt the stories you are telling yourself. When the voice in your head says you are forgotten, Scripture says you are chosen. When the voice says you are worthless, Scripture says you were purchased with the blood of Christ. When the voice says you are too far gone, Scripture says you have been changed.

The Christian life is not about generating a better identity. It is about remembering the one you already have. Identity is not something you have to earn. It has already been given. The work is not in becoming who you are. The work is in remembering who you are when life tries to make you forget.

Watch and Keep Reading

Watch or listen to the full sermon, Remember, preached by Dr. Scott Lehr at Southbridge Fellowship on Sunday, June 7, 2026. 

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