TODAY IN THE WORD
When an American citizen might face violent recrimination from testifying against a dangerous defendant, the federal witness security program will hide the person or family and provide a new identity. Those who participate in the program may be sent to a far-away city, given new identification cards, and even new names. They are required to create a new life story, to discard anything that might tie them to their old life, and to refrain from contact with anyone—including family members—from the past. It is as if they are reborn as a new person.

In Romans, we learn about the new identity we have as believers in Christ. When we are reborn in Christ, we die to ourselves. This is a good thing, not a bad thing! By dying to self, we discard all of those old ties and old habits that have troubled us and weighed us down. Paul explains, “We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (v. 2).

Paul compares this rebirth to baptism, which represents our death and resurrection in Christ. When we die to sin, we are figuratively burying it in the ground. Our new self is raised in Christ, as He was resurrected. By this, we, too, have “new life” (v. 4).

Why is this important to us as we seek our identity in Christ? It is important to distinguish between the natural, human, sinful struggles that we have and the new identity we have been given when we are raised in Christ. Through Christ, we are indeed a new creation. But dying to self is still a process. While we are on earth, we continually need to remind ourselves that our true identity is found in the salvation through Christ’s resurrection, not in our own struggles and failings.

No longer can sin define us, because we are inhabited by the very Spirit of God Himself. The presence of the Holy Spirit is our new “identification card” guaranteeing that our past can never reclaim us. Our identity as the children of God is secure.

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TODAY ALONG THE WAY
Complete this simple, fill-in-the-blank. I am ______; God is ________. Either by yourself or with your family or friends, make a list of your strug-gles to complete the sentence. For example, you might write, “I am lonely” or “I am worried.” Then think of how God has fulfilled your specific need, for example: “God is faithful.” Praise God that despite our ongoing struggles on this earth, He meets our needs and provides the definition for our eternal identity!

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