Preface

This book is dedicated to the many believers past and present, who have made great sacrifices for this generation to come into the fullness of Christ. I truly believe there has never been a time such as now, for the body of Christ to shine with the exceeding beauty of the characteristics of light and love found in our Lord Jesus Christ.

As a young man I was compelled to go to church each week. I wanted to be known as a "Christian". I had come to believe that both my attendance along with trying to become a better person, made me a good Christian in God's eyes. As I began to grow in my walk, I started serving at church, and gained the attention and approval of others, further bolstering my view of myself as a "good Christian".

During that time, I was very happy living in a way that kept God in a box on Sundays, while living the type of life that I wanted during the rest of the week. In fact, I really thought that I was fulfilling my side of what God expected by just attending and serving. Yet I began to see that I didn't look or feel any different than most "non-church" people in the world. Sure, I had become an active member and was making a difference for a couple hours teaching on Sundays, but what about the rest of my week ....and the rest of my life?

As I began to grow in the knowledge of Christ through reading His word and spending more time in prayer, I could see something was missing. I came to the conclusion my problem was, I had defined my identity as a Christian through church membership and service rather than becoming a true follower of Jesus. Not that there was anything wrong with membership and service, but I sensed there must be more.

When I compared my life to people in the Bible and other great men and women of God that came before me, the truth was I felt pretty insignificant and powerless as a representative of Jesus.
I began to question why I didn't and couldn't live a more dynamic life witnessing for Christ during the week while away from church. I even took a class in "How to Evangelize" and that made me tremble and feel even more inadequate!

What I really wanted was a deeper revelation of Jesus, with a real demonstration of His love and power. I had grown tired of intellectual debates, without seeing the power of Jesus in my life. But many people told me that what I desired, had passed with the Apostles and was not for me. Something in me said it was time to stop settling for traditions of mediocrity concerning my life as a believer, and I began seeking what I was missing.

Today I praise the Lord that in His faithfulness, God heard the yearnings of my heart and He began to show me "the more"! He showed me there is a difference between just going to church, and following Jesus as a believer. There is a great chasm between those two realities where one goal tries to fit God into life, and the other is about surrendering a life to become a son like Jesus.
I truly believe the Lord desires to help His believers in this generation, cross that chasm into His fullness, living as sons of God. If you aren't there yet and feel like that is an insurmountable challenge, I have great news. Jesus sent His Holy Spirit for such a task as this, and He specializes in transforming ordinary people into extraordinary sons!

So if we want to become true followers of Jesus, filled with the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit just as the first century Christians before us, then we need to understand who we are through Him. We must understand what it means to follow Him, what His Word says about us, and how to live by faith to take on our identity in Him.

It is my sincere longing that this small book will illuminate areas that can accelerate your walk, and strengthen the powerful truths about our identity we've missed as a body. I am certain God wants us to grow into the likeness of His Son and shine His glory (His nature) through us, all over this earth!

Christ in us, the hope of glory!

One major example of this lack of identity in Christ that we find today in the world, is that although many people confess to believe in Jesus (or say they are a Christian because they regularly attend church), many have never made a true decision to place their faith in Christ, and surrender to Him. As a result, there has been very little evidence of true change in their lives.

I'm not condemning anyone here, just pointing out some truths. I've spoken to hundreds of people who confess to be a Christian, yet don't know Jesus. Many have never turned from their sinful lives and have no evidence of a new life, or a changed heart, and are void of the conviction of the Holy Spirit to walk in holiness.

Many simply listen to a sermon on Sunday but don't read scripture to transform their mind, don't understand the power and person of the Holy Spirit, and are unable to manifest evidence of a changed life since they actually never received the Holy Spirit.

Many see themselves as getting into heaven based on their nature, church membership, and/or good works (as false religion often teaches), without understanding the real transformation that awaits them by faith and the power of the Holy Spirit, as a true believer and follower of Jesus.

Others see themselves as "weak sinners", and therefore live accordingly, oppressed by the effects of sin, wondering why God is punishing them, and not understanding the wages of sin are death (Rm 6:23). Many are simply lost and deceived and in grave danger of perishing if we don't show them the truth about the power of a life surrendered to Christ.

For those people who are truly born again, many have faced a barrage of lies and misunderstandings about who we are as the born again Church. These lies have led to a "false humility" firmly rooted in old church doctrines which have kept Christians stuck in their old identity as "sinners of the world". We can see that this "sinner identity" teaching has been propagated from generation to generation and kept many powerless, and bound in sinful behaviors, living in the dark for centuries.

Perhaps this "sinner identity" was taught because some institutions wanted to more tightly control their members, or perhaps it was simply due to ignorance. Just as the sick are in need of a doctor, perhaps we were taught that “sinners” need the institution of the church to confess our sins rather than be free from them by the Spirit. I do believe some denominations found great purpose and wealth in keeping the body under the bondage of a sin identity. Such a purpose only distorted the real church that Jesus wanted to set free from sin and from all the limitations of such a fallen identity.

I remember often hearing pastors, priests, and mature Christians say that “we are all just wretched sinners", despite the fact the Word says the opposite and states we are a new creation transformed by His grace. In fact, here are some terms the Bible calls true believers; “Saints”, “Children”,
"Ambassadors", "Justified", “His Elect”, "One with Him", "The Righteousness of God", "Chosen, Holy and Blameless before God", "Redeemed, Forgiven, and Predestined by God" and “Co-Heirs with Christ”. Once born again, no scriptures refer to us as having the identity of a sinner, much less wretched. "All things have become new"!

Unfortunately, many church traditions taught for centuries that we remain sinners by identity, completely missing the mark. In fact, I believe many may have never been born again because they didn't understand what was possible. Yet for those who get there by faith, His word says God has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west (Ps 103), and forgotten them all. We are new creations in Christ (2 Cor 5:17), covered by His righteousness (Rom 3:24-26, Isa 61:10), and we have dominion over sin (Rom 6:14). This sinner identity has been a massive deception for the body of Christ for ages, and held us back from realizing our full measure and true identity as adopted children, filled with the fruits of Righteousness in Christ, and ability to overcome sin.

With all the propaganda, as one would expect, many of us came to believe we were weak and powerless over sin and thought if God was willing, we might be able to become better Christians and compensate for our wretched state of sinfulness by going to church and doing "good works". I fell for these lies hook, line, and sinker and as a result remained stuck in the bondage of sinful behaviors far too many years.

As a result, my attitude about salvation became so distorted and weak, that I began wondering if I was "making the grade" as a good Christian. In that misguided state, even though I had a real "born again" experience with a new heart, I found it impossible to recognize my true identity in Christ and impossible to live a restored life, with power over sin as a Christian. In truth, I showed minimal evidence that I was being conformed into His image, and remained in sin.

Instead, I settled for a mentality of "long term fire insurance" from hell, rather than a life transformed by making Jesus my Lord, denying myself, and following Him (Matt 16:24 & Luke 9:23). If we look closely, we can recognize that this is a form of false humility which says, "I'm just a sinner", and its basis is in direct opposition to His Word and is a deterrent to Godly sonship. It weakens our authority in Christ, and it opposes what the Word says about our ability to walk in holiness. Jesus and the apostles clearly taught on the ability to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh (Phl 2:14, Rom 8).

Even though many of us were born again and made it through the gauntlet of religious deception and misconceptions about salvation, the lie that we remain sinners has greatly hindered the power (and holiness) of believers over the centuries. In fact, Paul explains in great detail (Rom 8), how we are no longer subject to the deeds of the flesh if we live by the Spirit of Christ. Romans 8:13 is essentially saying the born again experience is THE vehicle that can set us free from sinful behaviors and from the identity of "a sinner". Paul explains the difference in saying, as sons of God, we have all the power and authority in Christ to overcome fleshly deeds, and no longer live as sinners!

I fully believe that in this generation, the Church is growing in the revelation of her identity as heir to the Kingdom, filled with love, authority, holiness, and power. For too long the body of Christ has walked in a form of godliness without the power therein and has missed the message and implication of what He passed on to His first disciples which now has been passed on to us (Matt 28:18-20).

If Jesus was the firstborn of many, then that makes us "the many". When referring to "the many", the Word wasn't just referring to the original twelve apostles but to all who would be born again and follow Jesus. In Acts 10:38 the bible says, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him."

If Jesus is our example, and He said "Follow Me" then we must be able to live a victorious life similar to His as described in this verse or He wouldn't have said "Follow Me".

Furthermore if that wasn't possible, Jesus would not have said in John 14:12, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do...", otherwise that would make God a liar, which is impossible! For the most part, it seems we as the church have understood the message about following Jesus in "doing good", but somehow through time we missed the equally important message about "being filled with the Holy Spirit and with power, to heal all who were oppressed by the devil".

How could we possibly have missed that for so long? Can you see how missing this would inevitably bring about a form of godliness without the power, perhaps better known as following the works of tradition found in institutionalized religion? How did we become so blinded for this to happen?

We've gone so far down this road that well accepted cults posing as "Christians", have been spawned because we as the true church have fallen asleep. When the true believers in Christ rise up and begin to walk in the holiness, love, AND power of the Holy Spirit, we will once again (as a unified body) be walking in our true identity as sons and ambassadors of Christ and become victorious on this earth. Only then will counterfeits be exposed and truth prevail.

It is so very important for us to know and understand all the attributes of our identity in Christ, so we might understand the image of God and the nature of His love found in us.
1 John 4:16 states, "… God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."

1 John 4:7 states, "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God."
1 John 4:17 states, "Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world."

1 John 4:19-21 states, "We love because he first loved us. 20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister."

It's vital for all of us to remember that we were each created in God's image for the purpose of love; "for God is Love"!

As a Christian, it's important to understand God's love and desire to walk in such a depth of love. We've all grown up in a definition of love that seems right to the world but falls terribly short of the love God created for us to demonstrate.

God's love is the most unselfish love we can experience, but it can only be developed when we commune with Him through prayer and His word, and obey His command to love our enemies. It's one thing to intellectually "know" about His love but it's an entirely different reality to actually walk in His love by faith.

The world's definition of love that I followed for years, was completely "feelings based" and ignorant of a deeper love available through knowing my identity in Christ.
His love doesn't waiver based on "feelings" or "situations". My old identity wanted to hang on to all the hurts from my past and claim my "rights" to be hurt or offended against others (i.e. my enemies).

At times, I felt tossed about like a rag doll, too hurt to understand the nature of God's love for me and others. But I learned that if I wanted to walk in the love Jesus demonstrated, I'd have to give up all those feelings that had kept me in a "self focused" identity robbing me of a "God focused" identity. Jesus himself said the world would know us by our love for each other, and I desired such depth of love for my own life.

To have it, we need to remember that this kind of love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit attained through faith. The attributes of God's love are available to us if we first know the difference between our old identity and our new identity in Christ. Here is the Bible's definition of God's love, which we can receive by faith: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self- seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails.

I believe this is our highest calling in life; to love like God loves! Love is so important that Paul took the time to warn the Corinthians to keep the goal of love primary in their walk. He basically explained that even if we actively demonstrate the awesome power of the Holy Spirit with healing, prophecy, knowledge, miracles, generosity, and service even unto death but don't walk in love, then all of it adds up to a big fat zero in God's eyes (1 Cor 13:1-3)!

That's a powerful statement by Paul, placing the highest of importance for us to understand and walk in the true nature of God's love, as a follower of Jesus.

God so loved the world that He sent His only Son, and Jesus being the manifest image of God (love) gave His life as an offering to remove our sin and reconcile us back to God. He laid down His life freely to demonstrate the ultimate in an unselfish act of love.

Through this, we can see love is the ultimate expression of God, and if that is true it should be just as important to you and I. If Jesus is our example and we carry the same Spirit that Jesus carried, then we must be able to achieve a very high standard of love through Christ in us (the hope of glory).

Otherwise the bible wouldn't call us ambassadors of Christ sent to reconcile a lost world unto God (2 Cor 5:20). Please, do not miss the importance about walking in His love, remembering the two greatest commandments that Jesus declared in Mark 12:30-31:

"30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself".

Remembering this as we grow in Christ, will keep our hearts pure and our motives in line with God's purposes, and make us more like Jesus. Walking in the love found in 1 Cor 13:4-8 is the mark of sonship that most reveals our identity.

Through Jesus, and the infilling of the Holy Spirit, our Abba Father has adopted us and restored our identity and dominion over this earth just as it was in the beginning! Since the coming of Christ over 2000 years ago we have been able to step into God's marvelous predestined plan, which was to redeem mankind through the second Adam (1 Cor 15:45), through the life and person of Jesus.

The plan since the foundation of the world, began as God the Father, sent God the Son, in the form of a Man to restore mankind back to sonship, and then He sealed us with the gift of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 1:22 & Eph 1:13-14) as a down payment. Through the life, death, and resurrection of one Man (Jesus), mankind went from a lost, orphaned state, to the offer of adoption as sons, for those who believe and are born again.

It was during that same time over 2000 years ago that Paul the Apostle wrote in Romans 8:19-22, that all creation had been waiting eagerly for the revealing of the SONS of God.

It wasn't only that creation was awaiting the arrival of the glorious Messiah, but that creation was also eagerly awaiting mankind to take back dominion of this earth. Through sonship, the opportunity was given for dominion over sin and its effects, by the Spirit of adoption, through the born again experience of believing in Christ for the forgiveness of sin.

The whole earth was groaning then, and it is still groaning and longing for the revealing of His sons! What man could not do through the law of sin and death, Jesus completed through the cross and His resurrection, offering us His righteousness, making us into sons and full heirs with Him. As heirs, we are no longer mere men, but entirely new creations in Christ Jesus, called to reveal heaven on earth!

For those who are redeemed, our personal spiritual wealth went from that of a lost beggar, to heirs of an eternal Kingdom. Adoption also comes with the Gospel of forgiveness and peace by God to escape His pending wrath! What an amazing Father who offers such adoption! What good news we carry to a lost world seeking identity.

It is through this adoption as sons that we receive our full identity in Christ filled with all the spiritual gifts given first to Jesus and then to us who are His children, by the Holy Spirit. If we have the Holy Spirit, we have Him, and if we have Him, we have everything that He has (Eph 1:3) and we can be fearless!

Romans 8:14 explains these benefits of this adoption:

14 For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ...

We as born again Christians must realize that we are no longer beggars waiting on God to deliver us from poverty, sickness, sin, and oppression. He has already delivered us through His Blood.

We are heirs with Christ, possessing authority, ready and willing to "go about doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil, for God is with us"! We must stop passively waiting on God, and pick up our cross (Christ in us) and take back dominion of this earth for His glory and for His Kingdom. That was our original destiny in the garden, and is now our renewed identity as believing sons of the most High God.

Such a life is our inheritance wrapped in the veil of His love, His truth, and His grace, all for His good pleasure!

Jesus said in Luke 10:19, "I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you".

He also said in John 14:12, "whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these”.
In Matthew 16:19 Jesus said, " I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Jesus has called us to deny ourselves and follow Him, and 1 John 3:8 says, "... For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil". If Jesus was the first born of many, doesn't it sound like God is birthing an army of believers who will walk like Jesus to overcome the kingdom of darkness and defeat the devil and his works?

Wouldn't that also mean if the King of Kings was raising up an army that he would give us the ultimate authority and power and weapons to accomplish such a task by His Spirit (Eph 6:10-18)? Should we not look like God, the author of love, as we walk in compassion and power to reach those lost and deceived by sin?

We read in 2 Corinthians 5:16, "not to view any man according to the flesh". In that way, by His Spirit (not works of the flesh) we will defeat the works of darkness and set captives free, for we know our battle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities of this dark world. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."

John 14:20 says, "...I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you." - that means we have what He has and if we are willing to deny ourselves, we'll step into our identity in Him with all His power and love!
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the King of Kings, the expressed image of God, and the first born of many.

If we are to take our rightful role as "the many", then we need to know that, "He in us is greater than he in the world" (1 Jn 4:4), and start walking in faith to release our true identity in Christ. I believe we are now in a time when the church is fully ready to demonstrate the deepest nature of God and become His love on this earth as it is in heaven.

Do you have a desire to see Christ in you overcome darkness and destruction in the world and in your family? Do you want to see people healed physically and spiritually? Do you want to live victorious in Christ? Do you want to know God's ways more intimately?

Then I encourage you to step in and join the army of saints following Jesus, called to pour out God's glory all over this earth, preparing His spotless bride for His glorious return!!

If this book has been exciting to you and stirs your heart for more, then we encourage you to step out in faith and release manifestations of the Spirit that are part of your identity in Christ. With some time and practice, you will learn how to love the unlovable, overcome fear, lay hands on the sick, set captives free, cast out demons, baptize in the Holy Spirit, and walk in your God-given power and IDENTITY IN CHRIST!

Much Love,
Scott & Laury Levesque
Imperishable Love Ministries
IdentityinChristbooks@gmail.com

These are the scriptures listed in order of appearance in this book. If you struggle with all or some of your identity as a Christian, then I encourage you to read through them with an open heart and let them enlighten you to what God's Word says about who you are in Christ when you become a Christian! Keep in mind some scriptures refer to our fallen identity before salvation. For more information about a follow up study guide for individual or group bible study, please email us at Identityinchristbooks@gmail.com

• Romans 8:19
• Genesis 3:16-24
• Ephesians 2:2
• Ephesians 2:3
• Ephesians 5:6
• John 3:16
• Ephesians 4:15
• Romans 8:14-16
• Galatians 4:5
• 1 Timothy 2:6
• Ephesians 1:13
• 2 Corinthians 1:22
• Luke 17:21
• 2 Corinthians 5:21
• Romans 8:14-18
• Acts 9:32
• Ephesians 4:12
• Ephesians 5:3
• Philippians 4:21
• Romans 16:2
• Romans 6:23
• James 2:19b
• Colossians 1:13

• Hosea 4:6
• Romans 12:2
• Psalms 103
• 2 Corinthians 5:17
• Romans 3:24-26
• Isaiah 61:10
• Romans 6:14
• Matthew 16:24
• Luke 9:23
• Philippians 2:14
• Romans 8:13
• Matthew 28:18-20
• Acts 10:38
• John 14:12
• Genesis 1:28
• Genesis 3:1-6
• Genesis 3:22-24
• Genesis 3:17-19
• Ephesians 2:2
• Romans 5:12
• Romans 1:18
• John 3:36
• 1 John 4:16

• 1 John 4:7
• 1 John 4:17
• 1 John 4:19-21
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
• 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
• 2 Corinthians 5:20
• Mark 12:30-31
• 1 Corinthians 13:4-8
• 1 Corinthians 15:45
• 2 Corinthians 1:22
• Ephesians 1:13-14
• Romans 8:19-22
• Ephesians 1:3
• Romans 8:14
• Luke 10:19
• John 14:12
• Matthew 16:19
• 1 John 3:8
• Ephesians 10:6-18
• 2 Corinthians 5:16
• Ephesians 1:3
• John 14:20
• 1 John 4:4