You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Colossians 3:9–11 (The Message)
In the Middle Ages, royalty lived very differently from peasants. A child who was born into royalty could enjoy all the rights and privileges involved, and they didn’t have to earn any of it. Royalty was in their blood; it was part of their identity.
Imagine if a king’s son was taken from the castle at birth and was raised in a peasant’s home. If he never became aware of his birthright, that man would miss out on all the benefits he was entitled to enjoy as a prince.
That’s exactly how many of us live today. We are God’s children, and He is the “eternal King” (Jeremiah 10:10, NIV), but we don’t know who we are.
We need to find out what we’re entitled to. Our work doesn’t involve earning our way into God’s family. Jesus already did, so we’re in if we accept Him. Our work has to do with discovering our place.
Ephesians 4:20 calls this putting off the old man and putting on the new. The more you learn, the more you toss aside the old way of living and put on your new life as a child of the King. It’s the internal equivalent of stripping off your peasant wear and putting on royal robes. With the change in uniform comes a change in identity and behaviour because, as a believer, you are not who you used to be.
If you want to make real, lasting changes in your life, study who you really are in Christ and your experience will begin to line up with your true identity.