Grace in Galatians (Part 118): Your Old Identity Is GONE!

https://youtu.be/DPH1rVXOrwE

Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.

As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians.

Key scriptures for this year:

(2 Corinthians 9:8 TPT)

"Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do."

(Galatians 5:4 TPT)

"If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!"

(Romans 6:14 ERV)

"Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God's grace."

(1 Corinthians 15:10 CEV)

"But God treated me with undeserved grace! He made me what I am, and his grace wasn't wasted. I worked much harder than any of the other apostles, although it was really God's grace at work and not me."

Scripture we will study today:

(Galatians 3:28 TPT)

“We are no longer Jews or Greeks or slaves or free men or even merely men or women, but we are all the same—we are Christians; we are one in Christ Jesus.”

(Galatians 3:28 ERV)

“Now, in Christ, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Greek, a slave or free, male or female. You are all the same in Christ Jesus.”

Supporting scriptures:

(2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT)

“This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

(Galatians 2:20 TPT)

“My old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives his life through me—we live in union as one!”

(Ephesians 4:22-24 NLT)

“Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.”

(Romans 12:5 NLT)

“So it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.”

(Colossians 3:3-4 NLT)

“For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”

Setting the Stage:

Yesterday, we saw that grace makes everyone EQUAL. We discussed what equality looks like in God’s Kingdom. Today, we’re going deeper into the same verse to discover something even more radical: Your old identity is GONE!

Notice the language Paul uses: “We are no longer Jews or Greeks… no longer slaves or free… no longer merely men or women.” The words “no longer” are CRITICAL! Paul is saying those old categories that defined you, divided you, and determined your value are NO LONGER your identity! They don’t define you anymore because grace gave you a NEW identity that supersedes, replaces, and renders those old labels IRRELEVANT!

Under the Law, your identity was determined by what you were born as and what you achieved. You were defined by your ethnicity, your social status, your gender, and your religious performance. Those categories weren’t just descriptive; they were DETERMINATIVE! In many ways, they determined your access, your value, and your spiritual standing!

For example, the Apostle was able to do a lot of things that He did. While his parents were Jewish, his father also held Roman citizenship. This meant that he was born with dual citizenship. Not only that, but his family had connections to the Jewish religious elite, so he was training (from a young age) to be a Pharisee, and he was personally mentored by the greatest Jewish teacher of the Law of His day, a man named Gamaliel. Someone like Peter, for example, who was a fisherman, did not have the associations Paul did. Peter did not have the connections, the relationships, or the training that Paul had within the Jewish hierarchy.

But Paul was saying, “All of that stuff and all of those categories are DEAD! “We are no longer…” means that all that matters is Jesus and what He has called us to do. Jesus is your only identity now.

I will go back to the example of Peter and Paul to drive home this point. Since Paul had all of the connections with the Jewish religious elite and he could easily go into and out of those elite circles, being well known as a scholar in the Law, God chose to send him to the Gentiles when none of that mattered. Conversely got to Peter who was a man without formal training in the Law and without any of the relationships with the Jewish religious elite, and God called him to minister to the Jews. This placed both men in a position where they had to rely on the grace of God, and that’s the point.

Once you are Born-Again, you cannot judge your future by your past. You must fully embrace the grace of God and attempt to do (by faith) whatever the Holy Spirit leads you to do.

So, what does this mean for you today? A few things.

1. Grace REPLACES Your Old Identity with Your NEW Identity in Christ.

Paul doesn’t say, “You’re still a Jew, but now you’re also in Christ.” He says, “You’re no longer a Jew or Greek!” This is HUGE! Your old identity categories have been REPLACED, not just supplemented! Under grace, Christ is not an addition to who you were; Christ IS who you are now!

How this applies to you:

— Under the Law, your ethnic, social, and religious identity determined your spiritual standing. But grace gave you a brand-new identity that supersedes all those old categories! You died to your old identity, and Christ is your new identity now! Which is why it saddens me when some Christians, even Pastors, put more emphasis on the color of their skin than the Blood of Jesus!

— Think about Paul! He had every credential the Jewish world valued: Roman citizenship, Pharisee training under Gamaliel, elite connections, etc., but grace said, “That old identity is GONE!” God sent him to people who didn’t care about any of that!

— 2 Corinthians 5:17 confirms this: “The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” Your old identity isn’t dormant or on hold; it’s GONE! You’re not trying to improve your old self; you’re living as a completely new person with a completely new identity!

— This means you can’t define yourself by what you used to be! Your past doesn’t define you anymore because your old identity is DEAD!

— Most of you did not know me before I got Born-Again, but believe me, that old person is dead. The man I am today is nowhere close to the young man I became without Jesus. And I am very thankful that in Christ, my old man does not hold me back from my destiny.

— Galatians 2:20 says it perfectly: “My old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives.” Your old identity was nailed to the cross with Jesus! It’s not hanging around trying to influence you; it’s GONE!

— Religious people want to keep you tied to your old identity because it gives them power over you. They want you to identify as “the addict,” “the divorcee,” “the one who failed,” so they can keep you feeling inferior. But grace says, “NO! That’s not who you are anymore!”

— You’re not defined by your past mistakes, your family background, your economic status, your gender, or any other old category. Those are all part of your old identity, and your old identity is GONE! You’re a new creation in Christ, and that’s the ONLY identity that matters now!

— Today, stop introducing yourself by your old identity! Stop saying, “I’m just a…” or “I used to be…” and start declaring, “I’m a new creation in Christ! My old identity is GONE, and Christ is my identity now!”

2. Grace Creates True ONENESS: We Are Literally ONE in Christ!

Notice Paul doesn’t just say we’re “similar” or “alike.” He says we’re “ONE in Christ Jesus.” This isn’t about being on the same team or having the same beliefs; this is about actual ONENESS! We can be unified without being uniform!

How this applies to you:

— Under the Law, unity was external; it was based on similarities (like many people do today). But grace creates internal unity in a way that surpasses human similarities. Under grace, we are not just cooperating because we like each other. No, we are CONNECTED in the Spirit! Spiritual connections are greater than natural affinities.

— Romans 12:5 says, “We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” This is ONENESS! You don’t just get along with other believers because you have things in common. No, in the Spirit you are organically CONNECTED to them!

— This is why their success becomes your success. This is why their challenges become your challenges. You can weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice when you are truly connected! You are ONE!

— This means when you hurt another believer, you’re hurting yourself because you’re one body! When you celebrate another believer’s victory, you’re celebrating YOUR victory because their win is YOUR win! Oneness changes everything!

— This oneness eliminates competition among believers! You can’t compete with someone you’re ONE with! Their promotion doesn’t threaten you; it ELEVATES you because you’re connected! When one member is honored, the whole body benefits because we’re ONE!

— 1 Corinthians 3:3 warns against living like you’re NOT one: “Is there jealousy among you? Do you compare yourselves with others? Do you quarrel like children and end up taking sides?” If you’re doing these things, you’re rejecting the oneness grace created!

— The world operates in division, competition, and comparison because they’re not ONE. But believers who understand grace don’t compete; they COLLABORATE and CELEBRATE because they know they’re one body! Your success helps me, and my success helps you because we’re ONE in Christ!

— Stop seeing other believers as competition and start seeing them as connected members of the same body! When you understand you’re ONE in Christ, jealousy disappears, comparison stops, and unity becomes natural because you’re not trying to unite separate people; you’re recognizing you’re already ONE!

3. Grace Eliminates Performance-Based Promotion!

When grace makes everyone equal and creates oneness, it destroys the entire concept of performance-based advancement! Under the Law, you climbed the spiritual ladder through achievement, obedience, and religious performance. But in grace, there’s no ladder because there’s no higher level to reach! You’re already at the top because you’re IN CHRIST! You can rest in who you are and what you are called to do.

How this applies to you:

— Under the Law, everything was performance-based! You had to work your way up within your tribe or religious system. In the Levitical priesthood, priests climbed the ladder through service and obedience, earning their way up until one Levite became the high priest. It was all about EARNING advancement through performance! Unfortunately, this performance-based Christianity is still alive and well in churches today, where people are competing, comparing, climbing, trying to earn their way to the top.

— What the New Covenant reveals is that once you’re Born-Again, your life is no longer about climbing a ladder; it’s about FINDING, FOLLOWING, and FINISHING your divine assignment!

— Your assignment is UNIQUE, so you’re not competing with anyone, you’re not limited by your past, and you definitely shouldn’t compare yourself to others because they have THEIR assignment and you have YOURS! You run your own race, at your own pace, with your own grace!

— Look at Peter and Paul! Peter was called to minister to the Jews, not because he EARNED it through formal training or elite connections, but because he was CALLED to it! Paul was called to the Gentiles, not because he was PREPARED for it (his entire background was Jewish!), but because it was his ASSIGNMENT! Neither earned their calling; both received it by grace and stepped into it by faith!

— This means your divine assignment is not about COMPETING with other believers to see who gets promoted! Each person has a UNIQUE assignment from God, tailored specifically for them. You’re not in competition because you’re not running the same race!

— You can’t judge your future by your past! Peter wasn’t qualified to lead the early church by religious standards, but God called him to it! Paul wasn’t prepared to minister to Gentiles based on his background, but God assigned him to it! Your past limitations don’t determine your future assignment!

— This eliminates competitive jealousy! When you understand that everyone has their own divine assignment, comparison becomes pointless. You’re not trying to be like someone else or keep up with someone else. You’re focused on FINDING your assignment, FOLLOWING God’s leading, and FINISHING what He called you to do from the foundations of the world!

4. Grace Gives You the Freedom to Pursue YOUR Calling Without Fear or Pressure!

Here’s the beautiful conclusion: once you understand that your old identity is gone, you’re one with all believers, and you have a unique divine assignment, grace gives you complete FREEDOM to pursue your calling without the fear, pressure, or anxiety that comes from performance-based religion! You’re not performing to prove yourself; you’re FREE to be who God called you to be and do what God called you to do!

How this applies to you:

— Under the Law, pursuing your calling came with constant pressure: “Am I good enough? Will I fail? What if I’m not qualified?” But grace removes that pressure because your standing with God is SECURE! You’re already accepted, already approved, already positioned, so you can pursue your assignment with CONFIDENCE in God, not with anxiety that stems from your humanity!

— Colossians 3:3-4 reveals your security: “For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.” Did you catch that? Christ, IS YOUR LIFE!

— This means you can step out in faith to pursue what God called you to do without the fear of failure holding you back! Even if you make mistakes along the way, your sonship is SECURE, your inheritance is INTACT, and your identity remains CHRIST! Grace gives you the freedom to try, fail, learn, and grow without losing your standing!

— You’re also free from the pressure to measure up to others! Since you have YOUR assignment and they have THEIRS, you don’t have to perform like them, achieve like them, or look like them! You can be authentically YOU, running your race at your pace, without the constant pressure to compare or compete!

— Please embrace the FREEDOM grace gives you! Stop living under the pressure of performance and start living in the freedom of grace! Step into your calling with confidence, knowing that Christ in you is enough, and IT’S ALREADY DONE!

That's enough for today.

Declaration of Faith:

Father, I thank You that my old identity is GONE and my new identity in Christ is ALL that matters!

I am no longer defined by my past, my mistakes, my background, or any other old category!

I declare that I am a NEW creation in Christ, and the old life has passed away!

I refuse to compete with other believers because we are one body, and their success is MY success!

There is no spiritual ladder for me to climb; my life is about FINDING, FOLLOWING, and FINISHING my divine assignment!

I run my own race, at my own pace, with my own grace, and I refuse to compare myself to anyone else!

I am FREE to pursue my calling without fear, pressure, or anxiety because my standing with God is SECURE!

I step into my assignment with confidence, knowing that Christ IS my life, and I’m Living the Grace Life where GREATER IS COMING FOR ME!

I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!