What does that even Mean?

Christians have our own inside language—our spiritual slang. We toss around phrases like “hedge of protection” or “traveling mercies” like everyone should just know what they mean. But if we’re honest, sometimes we don’t even know what they mean. Another example of this is when we tell people to have “their identity in Christ.” Like, what does that actually mean?

Paul knew a thing or two about having his identity changed by Jesus. Literally, he went by a new name after encountering Him, but so much more than just his name was changed.

Paul was a man with an impressive résumé. He lists those things for us in Philippians 3, but then says they are worthless compared to knowing Jesus as he does now.

In 2025, we see so many people in an endless, hopeless search for a meaningful identity. We’re living in a time where identity is often built on Instagram bios, LinkedIn titles, or the number of likes you got on your last post. People live as if having enough money in the bank, a big enough follower count, or some other achievement will give them confidence in who they are supposed to be.

So what does it even mean to have our identity in Christ? How do we know where our identity rests? When your identity is in Christ, you start chasing what God values and walking the road He leads.

An identity in Christ gives us a new scoreboard. What matters changes when your identity is in Jesus. Paul compares all his earthly accomplishments to dog poop (yes, for real—read Philippians 3 if you don’t believe me) when compared to his newfound identity in Jesus.

Think about the man in John 9 who Jesus healed of blindness. When pressed by the religious leaders of the day, he told them that all he knew was this: he had been healed. His identity wasn’t in their accusations or in his past—it was in his healer. It didn’t matter what they said or thought. What mattered was that he had an encounter with Jesus. He didn’t have a fancy testimony or a theological explanation—he just knew Jesus changed him. Sometimes that’s all identity in Christ looks like: simple confidence in what Jesus has done for you.

An identity in Christ also gives us a new sprint. We are running a new race. We have new goals and a new direction.

People chase after whatever they place their identity in. Whether it be money, fame, power, or something else, what we pursue most often reveals where our identity truly rests.

Paul’s number one goal was to know Jesus. Let this be our story too. Let us chase after nothing harder than knowing Him and sharing Him with others.

So, what’s driving your identity right now? If people looked at what you chase after most, what would they say you value? My prayer is that, like Paul, we’d be known first and foremost as people who chase after Jesus above everything else.