Realising Sainthood
I made a radical discovery today…I’m a saint! I’ve started to read a brilliant book called Victory over the Darkness by Neil Anderson and it’s a must-read. Basically it deals with our identity in Christ and how if we sees ourselves as God’s children then we’ll begin to live in the light of that truth and know the freedom that God intends for us.

Anderson’s view of Scripture is that when it speaks of sinners, it is referring to unbelievers, and when it speaks of saints, it is referring to believers. (If you want to understand the arguments of this, then check out chapter 2 of the book.) This does not deny the fact that we struggle with sin but the fact is that our identity is NOT as a sinner! We are “God’s chosen people, holy and dearly beloved” (Colossians 3:12) How radical is that?!

Who am I?
The book includes a list of first-person statements of Scriptural traits which reflect who we are IN CHRIST. Anderson says that “one of the greatest ways to help yourself grow into maturity is to remind yourself continually who you are in Him.” So go for it, read this out loud to yourself – it had a powerful affect on me! I think I’m beginning to understand how the Sword of the Spirit – the word of God – can be a very effective weapon in our armour!

I am the salt of the earth (Matt 5:13).
I am the light of the world (Matt 5:14).
I am a child of God (John 1:12).
I am part of the true vine, a channel of Christ’s life (John 15:1,5).
I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15).
I am chosen and appointed by Christ to bear His fruit (John 15:16).
I am a slave of righteousness (Rom 6:18).
I am enslaved to God (Romans 6:22).
I am a son/daughter of God; God is spiritually my Father (Rom 8:14,15; Gal3:26; 4:6).
I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him (Rom 8:17).
I am a temple – a dwelling place – of God. His Spirit and His life dwells in me (1 Cor 3:16; 6:19).
I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him (1 Cor 6:17).
I am a member of Christ’s Body (1 Cor 12:27; Eph 5:30).
I am a new creation (2 Cor 5:17).
I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18).
I am a son/daughter of God and one in Christ (Gal 3:26, 28).
I am an heir of God since I am a son/daughter of God (Gal 4:6,7).
I am a saint (1 Cor 1:2; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2).
I am God’s workmanship – His handiwork – born anew in Christ to do His work (Eph 2:10).
I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God’s family (Eph 2:19).
I am a prisoner of Christ (Eph 3:1; 4:1).
I am righteous and holy (Eph 4:24).
I am a citizen of heaven, seated in heaven right now (Eph 2:6; Phil 3:20).
I am hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3).
I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life (Col 3:4).
I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved (Col 3:12; 1 Thess 1:4).
I am a son/daughter of light and not of darkness (1 Thess 5:5).
I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling (Heb 3:1).
I am a partaker of Christ; I share in His life (Heb 3:14).
I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house (1 Pet 2:5).
I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession (1 Pet 2:9,10).
I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live (1 Pet 2:11).
I am an enemy of the devil (1 Pet 5:8).
I am a child of God and I will resemble Christ when He returns (1 John 3:1,2).
I am born of God and the evil one – the devil – cannot touch me (1 John 5:18).
I am not the great “I am” (Exod 3:14; John 8:24,28,58), but by the grace of God, I am what I am (1 Cor 15:10).

Adoption
There’s another statement the book makes: I have been adopted as God’s child (Eph 1:5). To be honest, I have often struggled with the concept of being adopted, as I’ve felt that it implies something negative, you don’t really belong, but Anderson makes this statement: “As God’s adopted child, you have been given a new identity and a new name. You are no longer a spiritual orphan, you are a son or a daughter of God.” This makes it a lot clearer- before my conversion I was a spiritual orphan so I guess I need to appreciate where I’ve come from – a place of spiritual death – to now being adopted into God’s family and spiritually alive!