It Starts Small

What is union with Christ?

Faith is how union with Christ becomes powerful and operative in your life. Faith is a God given gift. It is a gift that allows you to take hold of God’s having take hold of you. If you are in Christ, have received His gift of Salvation and repented your sins to take up your cross and follow Him, this now the defining truth of who you are. Your life, your story, becomes the story of another.

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus,” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Paul gets very personal when he says, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

Recently my oldest daughter and her fiancé and his family went to Florida for two weeks. When she was sharing the pictures with me, I could not help but look at all the people wearing masks. I reflected on the time in my life I wore a mask.

Growing up I thrived on behavior modification. My theory was that if I was good enough, I will be loved. If I was bad, I was rejected. I learned to wear a mask to hide what was really going on. My core belief was that I was not worthy, accepted or loved. I used a mask to conjure up was to manufacture time responses I wanted from people.

When I put a mask on an pretended to be something I was not people accepted me and I finally would feel safe and loved by pretending to be something I was not. More than a year ago, I laid my mask in the fires of God’s altar and asked Him for authenticity. I did not want to be someone to someone else just to get the bread crumbs of love, worth or appreciation.

To be in Christ means to be completely safe and hidden in Him. He represents me before my Heavenly Father. He covers my sin, my shame, my weaknesses. I do not have to wear a mask, because He is my identity and His identity is authentic and real.

That mask I was wearing, masqueraded a false identity. Christ, however, means to discover a true identity, a God given identity. I am alive in Him. Moving through this world I am clothed in all His benefits and blessings. I am in Christ.

To be found in Christ means you no longer have to prove yourself. All frantic attempts to find or craft an identity, tireless work to manage a reputation, are over and done. We can rest in Christ. We never have to be intimidated by anyone, ever!

Who are you? You are in Christ! We no longer need to fear the judgement of God (1 John 4:18). When God looks upon us He sees us hidden in Christ. This is freedom! This is confidence.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭24‬ ‭CSB‬‬