As we begin a new year in our life together at Providence church, it is helpful to rehearse again and again who we are by grace through faith in Christ. Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

New Identity

What precious words that remind us of our new identity—crucified with Christ—and, as a result, our new activity—I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me. But what does this look like from day to day? Well before it looks like anything, we must remind ourselves—and fellow Providence members in Christ—that we died to sin when Christ died to sin, and we were raised to new life when Christ was raised to new life, because we have been crucified and raised with Christ. This new reality means that sin no longer has the dominating power it once had, and because the Spirit of Christ dwells in us and gives life to our mortal bodies, we can say no to sin and yes to enjoying life in Christ. That is, the old “I” under sin’s power is dead, and the all-powerful, resurrected Christ lives in and empowers us by his Spirit. Can we still sin? Yes, but we don’t want to. And when we sin we hate that we do. So we repent and turn from our sin to cast ourselves upon our faithful and just God and Father who will forgive and restore us in Christ.

 So we are, in a real sense, learning to be who we already are in Christ, while realizing that we still live in these mortal bodies with remnants of old desires, “desires of the flesh.” We may feel depressed or discouraged, so we look to pleasure, food, or a relationship to comfort us. Maybe you’re jealous that that person has what we’ve always wanted. Maybe you’re quick to criticize or gossip about others because it makes you feel better about your failures and insecurities. Maybe someone else aced that class or work project that you worked so hard for, and they didn’t even have to work for it. Maybe you look for ways to criticize that mom who seems to have it all together, whose marriage and kids seem perfect (and she even has time to write books and do podcasts!), while you’re just trying to keep your marriage and kids afloat. Maybe you’re entertaining impure or unloving thoughts toward a coworker. Maybe you manipulate others as objects to get what you want instead of valuing them as image-bearers to honor and respect. Maybe you find yourself entertaining impure thoughts or glances, or flirting with others because you don’t get the recognition you want from others. Maybe you cut down and injure others with your words because you are miserable and want them to feel miserable too. Maybe you lie to protect yourself because you want to look strong, please others, or hide something. We could go on and on with the multitude of sinful desires that occupy our hearts, thoughts, and desires.

New Activity

How do we respond? How do we live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me? First, remember who you are, that you are loved, and that Christ died in your place so that you could share in his. And because he has defeated sin and death, and by faith you have been crucified with him, sin no longer has control over you. Does sin continue to influence? Yes. Have mastery? No—and thanks be to God for that! This new kind of life is sustained and fanned into flame only when we confidently rest in Christ’s love and substitutionary atonement—objectively demonstrated on the cross. Imagine that cross in all of its awful majesty and go to it, for it was there that Christ loved you and there that your old self died to the dominating power of sin. Brothers and sisters, marvel at his love for you and may it control you (2 Cor 5:14)!

Second, remember that there are resources in the ever-living, ever-interceding Christ to help you in your time of need. After all, he is living in you and you have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16)! In your depression or discouragement, there is joy for you in Christ who came to give you his joy and make your joy full (John 15:11). Where there is an increasing awareness of the presence of sin, joy grows in the garden of God’s grace richly lavished upon you in Christ (Eph 1:3-14). And if that’s not enough, he’s given you himself in the person of his Spirit to comfort you in your time of need. In your failures and insecurities, rest in his unmerited approval of you in Christ. In your pride, remember the humiliation of Christ who, though in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be used for his own advantage, but humbled himself to death, even death on a cross (Phil 2:6-11) that he might make you secure. In your anger, remember God’s forbearance toward you who, while you were in your wrath-deserving sin, God demonstrated his love in that Christ died for you (Rom 5:8). In your comparison, remember that God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your heart crying, “Abba, Father,” so you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God (Gal 4:4-7). In your lust, remember that the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, but Jesus came that you have abundant life (John 10:10). And remember that when you sin, he is faithful and just to forgive you of your sin and cleanse you from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9), knowing that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Christ (Phil 1:6). And after your remember, rest and live in all he has provided. This is the Christian life: putting off crucified sin and putting on the living Christ (Col 3:1-17).

Brothers and sisters, see what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! . . . and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:1-4). Until that day, keep receiving and resting and dying and living in Christ.