So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 2 Corinthians 5:16–17 (NLT)
Who determines your identity?
Many of us allow others to tell us who we are or we define ourselves by our successes and failures. In reality, this is not the source of our identity.
If you gave your life to Jesus Christ, your nature was immediately changed at that moment. You became an entirely new creation with a new identity. Although this is true whether you believe it or not, you won’t live the life that you could have if you don’t realize your true identity.
Second Corinthians 5:16–17 makes it clear that you are a brand new nature inside. If you have been defining yourself as a loser or a jerk, you’ve got it wrong. Your identity isn’t slow, careless, manipulative, ugly or boring. It’s also not smart, careful, beautiful or exciting. You see, your identity is not the characteristics you’ve displayed in your life. Your identity is a child of God, and it’s as simple as that.
If you define yourself as anything less than a child of God, there are consequences. Define yourself as a person no one can love, for example, and you’ll struggle to build relationships. However, you can embrace your new identity as a child of God, and begin to act as the true you.
You can discover all that your identity includes for you and begin to see yourself as you really are. It’s one of the most powerful, freeing realizations in the world.