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The following blog is a summary of a message preached by Pastor Doc Shell.

Watch the Sermon HERE!

There is a powerful contrast woven throughout the New Testament between who we were before Christ and who we are now because of Him. The apostle Paul captures this beautifully in his letter to the Ephesians, and it carries a message that is just as relevant today as it was then. Understanding this shift in identity is not just theological knowledge. It is life-changing truth.

What Does the Bible Say About Who We Were Before Christ?

Paul does not sugarcoat the condition of humanity apart from God. In Ephesians 2:1, he writes plainly: "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins." That is the starting point for every person before coming to faith in Jesus.

He continues in Ephesians 2:11-12: "Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh... were without Christ, having no hope and without God in the world." Without God. Without hope. That is a sobering description, but it is the honest truth of life apart from Christ.

Before salvation, Paul describes this condition in three specific ways:

  • Influenced by the course of the world
  • Under the influence of the Spirit that works in the sons of disobedience
  • Living to fulfill sinful and fleshly desires

The result of all of this? Being children of wrath. The sentence of spiritual death, the grave, and separation from God rested on every person in that condition.

What Changes When You Give Your Life to Christ?

Paul does not leave us in that dark place. He pulls what could be called a dramatic reversal and introduces two of the most powerful words in Scripture: "But God."

Ephesians 2:19 says: "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God." You switch families when you get saved. You switch kingdoms. You go from being spiritually dead to being made alive in Christ.

This transformation is not something we earn or manufacture. It comes through:

  • God's rich mercy
  • God's great love
  • God's grace

And the result is that we are made new creations in Christ. Old things have passed away. The person you once were is not who you now are.

What Are the Benefits of Being in Christ?

Paul spends significant time in Ephesians chapter one unpacking the incredible blessings that belong to every believer. These are not distant promises. They are present realities for those who are in Christ.

  • Blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
  • Chosen from the foundation of the world
  • Adopted as sons and daughters into God's family
  • Accepted in the Beloved
  • Redeemed and forgiven of sins
  • Given a spiritual inheritance
  • Sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise

That last one is especially significant. The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life is your internal evidence that you belong to God. As Romans 8:16 affirms, His Spirit bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God. He is the guarantee of everything that is still to come, including the full redemption of the body when Jesus returns.

How Does God See You Now? Understanding Your Union with Christ

One of the most profound truths in the New Testament is the concept of union with Christ. When you are saved, your Spirit comes into union with the Holy Spirit. Colossians 3:3 puts it this way: "Your life is hidden with Christ in God." You are not just forgiven. You are placed inside of Christ, and Christ is in you.

Paul writes in Ephesians 5:8: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." Notice he does not say you were once in darkness. He says you were darkness. And now you are not just in the light. You are light. That is a complete identity transformation.

Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:14: "You are the light of the world." This is not a command to try harder. It is a declaration of who you now are because of whose you are.

What Does It Mean to Be a Spirit, Soul, and Body?

Understanding your identity in Christ also means understanding how God made you. Paul prays in 1 Thessalonians 5 that believers would be sanctified in Spirit, soul, and body. These are the three components of every human being.

Your Spirit is the real you. You are a spiritual being. When God created Adam, He formed a body from the dust and breathed life into Him. That breath of life is what animated the physical form. Lost people still have a Spirit, but without the Holy Spirit, the divine connection is broken. When someone comes to Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in their Spirit and that connection with God is restored.

Your soul is what makes you uniquely you. It includes your mind (your intellect, reasoning, and imagination), your emotions, and your will. Your will is your God-given ability to make choices. The enemy and the world constantly work to corrupt or redirect these God-given capacities. But as the Holy Spirit transforms your mind through God's Word, your soul begins to reflect the character of Christ.

Your body is the physical vessel your Spirit and soul inhabit. Your five senses help you relate to and interact with the world around you. As Christ transforms you from the inside out, your body becomes the means through which His love, joy, and peace are expressed to others.

Why Do Christians Still Struggle After Being Saved?

The story of Lazarus in John 11 offers a powerful picture of the Christian life. Jesus called Lazarus out of the tomb after four days of death. Lazarus came out alive. But he came out wrapped in grave clothes.

Jesus then said something important: "Loose him, and let Him go."

When someone comes to Christ, they are made alive. But the process of unwrapping the grave clothes, the old habits, mindsets, and patterns, takes time. That is what sanctification is. It is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God removing what no longer belongs to who you now are.

Jesus told His disciples in John 8:31-32: "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." The Word is light. When that light gets into the dark places, it begins to expose what needs to change. And the Holy Spirit is faithful to guide that process at the right time and in the right way.

The church's role is not to judge people who still have grave clothes hanging on them. It is to help unwrap them. You cannot clean a fish before you catch it. People need to encounter the life of Christ first, and then the transformation follows.

What Happens Spiritually When Someone Is Saved?

Every person has a spiritual hunger. That hunger exists because we are spiritual beings made to connect with our Creator. When that hunger is misdirected, people turn to the occult, horoscopes, New Age practices, or other spiritual counterfeits. These things may offer a sense of connection, but they are dangerous substitutes for the real thing.

When the gospel is preached, something supernatural happens. The Holy Spirit begins to work on the hearts of those who hear it. As people pray, as believers witness, as the Word goes out, the light of Christ begins to penetrate the darkness. And when a person responds in faith, confessing Christ and believing in their heart that God raised Him from the dead, the life of God lights them up from the inside.

They are moved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light. It is not a work of human effort. It is a finished work of grace, accomplished through the cross of Jesus Christ.

Life Application

This week, take time to sit with the truth of who you now are in Christ. The enemy wants you to live in your past, under condemnation, defined by your failures and your old identity. But God's Word says you are a new creation. You are light. You are chosen, adopted, redeemed, and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Your challenge this week is to identify one area where you are still living as if you are who you once were, and intentionally bring the light of God's Word into that area. Open Scripture, ask the Holy Spirit to show you what needs to change, and take one step toward walking as a child of light.

Ask yourself:

  • Am I living from my identity in Christ, or am I still being defined by who I used to be?
  • Are there grave clothes still wrapped around areas of my life that I need to allow God's Word and Spirit to address?
  • Am I letting the light of Christ shine through me, or am I quenching the Holy Spirit by returning to old patterns?
  • Do I truly believe that the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in me, and am I living like it?

You were once darkness. But now you are light in the Lord. Walk as a child of light.