You may look at yourself from the natural or your natural origin and may feel you are a “nobody” or “insignificant,” but I would ask, “Who are you in the Body of Christ?” You will find this information primarily in the epistles or the letters written to the Church which is His Body. It is summed up in the description or our identity “In Christ.” It is our grace identity or who we are by the grace of God. The Apostle Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me 1 Cor. 15:10.”. You may know who you are by your natural identity and origin but do you know who you are by your spiritual identity and origin?
Our identity, who we are and where we came from, influences how we think, view, and feel about ourselves. It strongly influences the decisions we make and our behavior. If our behavior is out of line with God’s Word it could very well be we are believing lies about our identity.
Since origin is a main factor to establishing our identity then we must know our origin. For Christians, the bottom line understanding as to our origin is that it is in God’s foreknowledge of us before our natural birth. Foreknowledge means to know, perceive, or understand beforehand. God knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb Jeremiah 1:5. His foreknowledge not only unveiled the plan of redemption (Jesus defeat of satan through His shed Blood 1 Cor. 2:6-8; Hebrews 4:3; 1 Peter 1:20;
Revelation 13:8) but also includes His plan for our lives:
1. The promise of eternal life for us Titus 1:2 and
2. Our place as members of the Body of Christ and the Church Eph. 1:4; 1 Cor. 12:18
As to our place as members of the Body of Christ we were predestinated, chosen, set in the Body, before ordained to do good works, hid, and called to His purpose. Here’s some verses:
Romans 8:29 “For whom he did foreknow, he also did PREDESTINATE ….
Ephesians 1:4 “… CHOSEN us in him before the foundation of the world….”
Ephesians 2:10 “… created in Christ UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath BEFORE ORDAINED that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 3:3-9 “… Gentiles … of the same body … which from the beginning of the world hath been HID IN GOD….”
2 Timothy 1:9 “… saved us, and CALLED US ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE AND GRACE … given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,”
All these verses show that God has a claim on our life prior to anyone else or a path we may have chosen for our life. GOD KNEW US BEFORE WE GOT HERE. Our identity and God’s purpose for our life comes from this.
Pastor John Rasicci is the founder and Pastor of Word of His Grace Church in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, where we are building people who are building the Church. Pastor's ministry mission is to help people discover God's dream for their Life, the Local Church, and the Last Days' Harvest. With a strong emphasis on the grace of God and with a prophetic voice, Pastor John preaches and teaches in churches, conferences, and crusades both locally and throughout the world. He has produced books, tapes, and other teaching materials to empower, enable, and equip Believers with the Word of God. Pastor John is married to his wife Candy who with their three children, Krista, Joanna, John Anthony, and two son-in-laws, Matt and Doug, serve together in the ministry. After graduating from Kent State University, Pastor John pursued a career in professional baseball before accepting the call to the ministry. He and his wife, Candy, received their ministry training from Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
John Rasicci 
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