1 Corinthians 6 (Pt 4)

1 Corinthians 6:15 (ESV)

[15] Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!

Our identity in Christ should work in at least two ways to motivate us to holiness. Further, it empowers us to holiness. First, out identity in Christ motivates us to holiness because we understand that unholiness is no longer our identity. It is not who we are any longer. Apart from Christ we are identified by our passions and desires. We are gluttons. We are angry people. We are same-sex attracted. We are proud and selfish, even narcissistic. That is who we are apart from Christ, but in Christ we are holy. We may still struggle with those passions. We may still wrestle with those desires, but they no longer define us. We are Christ and Christ is us. Our identity is found in him, not in our passions or activities.

Second, our identity in Christ motivates us to holiness because whatever we do and wherever we go we take Christ. He is in us. If we sin, we are involving him in that sin. When we look at pornography, Christ is right there in us. Can we really involve the holy God to that? Whatever we do and wherever we go, Jesus is there in us. He doesn’t leave when we choose to act in an unholy manner. What a sacrilege.

Finally, our identity in Christ empowers us to holiness, not just by motivation, but by the indwelling, empowering Holy Spirit. Romans 6 challenges believers to consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God (see Rom 6:11). That is not just the power of positive thinking. That is our identity in Christ. We are dead to sin. We are alive in Christ. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit who dwells in every believer. “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death” (Rom 8:2).

Our identity in Christ works to motivate and empower us to holiness. As believers in Jesus Christ we need to learn to rest in that truth. We need to learn to walk in that truth. We need to learn to believe that truth. In Christ we are holy. Let us live as holy ones.