Our culture is obsessed with identity.
Who am I?
Where do I belong?
How do I discover my true self?
Entire industries have been built around helping people answer those questions. But the New Testament approaches the issue very differently.
The Bible speaks less in the language of self-discovery and more in the language of covenant, family, and union. The Apostle Paul repeatedly uses phrases like in Christ, in Him, through Him, and with Christ. The focus of Christianity is not about you finding yourself apart from God. It is being found in Jesus Christ.
Paul said it this way:
“And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ…”
— Philippians 3:9 NKJV
Those four words—found in Him—may be some of the richest in the entire New Testament.
Paul’s Resume Meant Nothing
Before Paul wrote those words, he listed everything in which he once trusted.
He had the right heritage, the right education, the right religious background, and the right credentials. If righteousness could have been earned through discipline, sincerity, morality, or religious performance, Paul would have qualified.
But then he met Jesus.
Suddenly, everything he once viewed as spiritual profit became worthless compared to knowing Christ.
Paul writes:
“But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.”
— Philippians 3:7 NKJV
Paul no longer wanted his identity rooted in religious accomplishment, reputation, or personal righteousness.
He wanted to be found in Christ.
That is the heart of the Gospel.
Not self-made righteousness.
Not a self-created identity.
Christ.
Two Locations
Paul writes:
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”
— 1 Corinthians 15:22 NKJV
Notice the two locations:
In Adam.
In Christ.
Every person enters this world in Adam.
Adam represents sin, condemnation, separation, and death.
But through faith in Jesus Christ, believers are transferred into an entirely new position:
in Christ.
This is why Paul continually returns to that phrase throughout his letters.
Your standing before God is no longer determined by fluctuating emotions, inconsistent performance, or personal strength.
Your righteousness is in Christ.
Your acceptance is in Christ.
Your inheritance is in Christ.
Your sonship is in Christ.
And your identity is in Christ.
That is why Romans declares:
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…”
— Romans 8:1 NKJV
Notice where freedom from condemnation is located.
Not in perfect performance.
Not in flawless obedience.
In Christ.
Losing Yourself to Find Yourself
Modern culture says:
“Find yourself.”
Jesus said:
“Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”
— Matthew 16:25 NKJV
That sounds backwards until you realize what Jesus is saying.
The old life rooted in self-sufficiency and self-effort was never meant to sit on the throne.
The person who loses himself in Christ is the person who finally discovers who he truly is.
Paul experienced exactly that.
Before Jesus, his entire identity was built upon achievement, status, and religious accomplishment.
After encountering Christ, everything changed.
He lost the old version of himself and discovered something infinitely greater:
union with Jesus.
A New Creation
Paul writes:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation…”
— 2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV
Notice the location again:
in Christ.
Religion often teaches people to spend their lives trying to improve Adam.
God did something far greater.
He created something entirely new.
The Gospel is not behavior modification.
It is new creation.
Instead of trying to become acceptable to God through effort and performance, believers discover that they have been made new through union with Christ.
That changes everything.
To Live Is Christ
Paul made one of the most astonishing statements in all of Scripture:
“For to me, to live is Christ…”
— Philippians 1:21 NKJV
Christ was not merely part of Paul’s life.
Christ had become his life.
That is why Scripture says:
“For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”
— Colossians 3:3 NKJV
Hidden in Christ.
Not hidden in performance.
Not hidden in reputation.
Not hidden in religious activity.
Hidden in Him.
The flesh constantly asks:
“Am I enough?”
The Gospel answers:
“Christ is enough.”
And when believers begin to understand union with Christ, striving begins to lose its grip.
The Christian life stops becoming an exhausting attempt to establish righteousness and instead becomes a life of resting in the righteousness already provided through Jesus.
The End of the Search
Modern culture tells people:
Find yourself.
Express yourself.
Create yourself.
The Gospel offers something far better:
Be found in Him.
The Christian life is not about becoming increasingly obsessed with yourself.
It is about becoming increasingly occupied with Christ.
Because the more clearly believers see Him, the more secure they become in who they are.
You are accepted in Him.
You are righteous in Him.
You are loved in Him.
The answer to the identity crisis of our generation is not found in looking deeper within ourselves.
It is found in looking to Jesus.
Because Christianity is not ultimately about you finding yourself.
It is about being found in Him.
Copyright © Murrell Ministries
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
At 18 years old, Elijah Murrell heard the Lord speak three life-defining words to his heart: "Preach Righteousness. Declare Faithfulness. Do Greater Works." Those words became the foundation of Murrell Ministries International and continue to shape everything he does in ministry today.
Elijah is the host of the Greater Than Podcast, which he launched on November 19, 2019. Since its debut, the podcast has reached listeners in over 70 countries worldwide, tackling real issues facing culture and the Church while bringing them back to the truth of God's Word. His teaching style is both practical and Spirit-filled, making deep truths relatable for everyday life.
Before stepping into full-time itinerant ministry, Elijah gained hands-on experience that prepared him for the calling he walks in today. He served as an intern for a television ministry in Texas, where he learned the importance of excellence, vision, and media in advancing the Gospel. Later, he spent a term as an associate pastor in Atlanta, investing in people's lives, preaching, and shepherding a local congregation. These seasons gave him a depth and perspective that continue to fuel his heart for the global Church.
On February 4, 2021, Elijah was set apart as an associate member of Faith Life International under his spiritual parents, Keith and Phyllis Moore. Today, Elijah travels full-time across the U.S. and beyond, preaching an empowering message of righteousness, faith, and the supernatural life available in Christ. His passion is to see believers awakened to their identity in Christ—living boldly, walking in victory, and doing greater works by the power of the Holy Spirit.
(When he is not traveling, Elijah enjoys movies, classic television, sporting events, and Batman)
