It’s Not About Who We Were — It’s About Who We Are in Christ by stella ashworth
When we decide to follow Jesus, something profound happens. We don’t simply add Him to our old life, we lay our old life down at the Cross. Scripture is clear: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”
Following Jesus means surrendering our former identity, our old ways, and our past labels. We are not renovated versions of our old selves, we are made new.
So the question is: Do we need to keep recalling who we were before the Cross?
The answer is no, not as an identity. The Bible never tells us to live anchored in our past. Yes, we may remember where God has brought us from:
• to testify of His grace
• to remain humble
• to help others find hope
But we are not called to rehearse our past sins, failures, or former selves over and over again.
Paul says he forgets what is behind and presses forward. Our focus is not the old life, it’s the finished work of Christ. When we continually look back, our attention slowly shifts from Jesus to ourselves. But when we look forward, to Christ, our lives begin to reflect Him naturally.
And what about leading others to Jesus? Jesus said, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Notice the order:
First - follow Him.
Then - He does the work in us.
And from that place, fruit follows.
We don’t live self-focused lives, but Christ-centered ones. When Christ is our center, our lives become living testimonies without striving or performance.
Our past may explain our journey, but it does not define our identity. We are not who we were before the Cross, we are who we are now in Christ.
Written by Stella Ashworth - Bay Talk