Remade in Christ

Few movie franchises have been more successful than Spider-Man. According to Business Insider Magazine, Spider-Man is the third highest-grossing film series in movie history, bringing in over $9 billion. People are drawn to the franchise because they find the main character, Peter Parker, highly relatable.

Much like us, Peter Parker falls victim to identity crisis. In Spider-Man 2, Peter loses the ability to use his powers. The more he denies who he is, the weaker he becomes. He finally regains his powers when he embraces his true identity, remembering the famous words of Uncle Ben: “With great power comes great responsibility.”

We all need an “Uncle Ben” in our lives. Scripture plays that role for us—constantly reminding us of who God is and who we are in light of what He has done. The famed British journalist and Christian apologist G.K. Chesterton once wrote:

“Every man has forgotten who he is. One may understand the cosmos but never begin to understand his own ego; the self is more distant than any star…. We are all under the same mental calamity; we have all forgotten our names.”

When we forget who we are in Christ, we lose the God-given power to live as effective witnesses for Him. Paul David Tripp calls this “Identity Amnesia”—seeking identity in possessions or achievements rather than in Christ. Like a person with crippling and heartbreaking dementia, our forgetfulness makes us a danger to ourselves and others. The only cure is to confront our internal conflict and denial with the Gospel truth of who we are in Christ.

When we embrace who we are in Christ, the Spirit’s power flows through us to impact the world for His glory. Scripture is unapologetic: we are called to bear God’s name and image. It’s in this identity that we find significance, purpose, and meaning in a world that has forgotten its name. 

The Book of 1 Peter was written to Christians enduring intense persecution, isolation, and displacement. In his letter, Peter calls these Christians “elect exiles” (1 Peter 1:1), chosen by God but rejected by man. For Peter, the life of Christ and the life of the believer was inseparable. Since Christ was chosen by God and rejected by men, so were they. Christ is the reason why they suffered so severely, and Christ was the reason why they were so special in the eyes of God. 

Like them, we too must understand that our true identity and mission is found in Christ. Though suffering is real, so is the promise that in Christ we are “born again to a living hope” (1 Peter 1:3). According to Peter’s New Testament letter, here are three ways we must anchor our identity as we walk through our broken and hurting world: 

KNOW WHO YOU ARE

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession…” – 1 Peter 2:9a 

What Peter wants us to know here is that the Church has joined believers in Israel as the people of God. As a result of this common lineage, we are now adopted into the family of God and carry the title of His chosen people. The New Testament teaches that the Church has formed a new race. We are a new community with a shared identity as those who have been set apart as God’s own possession. This is because Christ purchased us with his own blood. Peter illustrates it this way:

“…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” – 1 Peter 2:18-19 

The Princess Diaries chronicles the life of a shy, middle-class young woman whose ordinary life is dramatically transformed when she discovers that she’s actually a princess from a small European kingdom known as Genovia. The main character, Mia Thermopolis, undergoes a radical transformation as she embarks on a journey of embracing her true identity. 

The success of the film taps into the dream that one day we’ll discover that we too are royalty. Companies like Ancestry.com have experienced rapid growth in recent years, capitalizing off of this desire to discover a famous president, king, or queen in our lineage. 

What Peter wants believers to know is that we don’t have to look to fantasy to find our royal roots. We simply have to embrace our identity in Christ. Through faith in Him, we’ve received redemption and a new identity. We are a chosen people, royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God’s special possession. 

This new royal identity allows us to reject seeing ourselves as inadequate, abandoned, or unloved. On the contrary—we are infinitely valued, loved, and cherished. This reality is what led the Apostle Paul to boldly declare, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).  

KNOW WHY YOU ARE

“…that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2:9b 

Here, Peter is intentionally connecting the Church’s mission to that of the Old Testament people of God. Just as Israel was called to proclaim the Lord’s mighty acts, so Christ’s disciples are called to do the same. 

For Peter, the way Christians are meant to live is in remembrance of our identity as God’s chosen people, set apart to proclaim His excellencies. We do this through both our words and actions. As we share the Gospel, we also live lives of truth, goodness, and beauty that proclaim Christ as the Author and Giver of salvation to the world. 

Revelation 7:9 details a day where a great multitude from every nation, tribe, and language will stand before the throne of Jesus and offer Him praise. However, as Peter reminds us, we don’t have to wait to proclaim His excellencies. We are called to live lives of praise today.  

What Peter makes clear is that the identity which Christ has bestowed upon us is a free gift of God’s grace. This new identity brings us into relationship with God. In return for our salvation, we express love, appreciation, and gratitude to God through worship. This is what it means to be a disciple. 

KNOW WHAT GOD DID

“Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” – 1 Peter 2:10 

Just as Israel was once not a people, we too were once not a people. We were disconnected from God and His covenant promises. But God chose to love and redeem us. Peter wants to drive home this point. The salvation we have received in Christ gives us a relationship with God and with one another as God’s chosen people.  

In Christ, we have a relationship with one another as the people of God. Just as our relational commitment to God is expressed through worship, our relational commitment to one another is expressed through community. When we live in community with the Church (that is, doing life together with other disciples who share our new identity in Christ), we are acknowledging that we are now the people of God. 

The final way we express our new identity in Christ is by living on mission in our relationship to the non-believing world. In Christ, we have received a new identity. Through faith in Jesus, we have been redeemed and are now His disciples and His chosen people. 

As disciples, we are called to be His witnesses and to share the Good News. The same mercy that saved us can also save our friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, and acquaintances, bringing them into the family of faith forever. All of this is to the praise and glory of God.