⁹But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Today, people choose to self-identify, to define their own positions and places in the world. The door has swung wide open with maxims such as “You can choose your own destiny” or “You can be anything you want to be.” This has been taken to absurd extremes, with people self-identifying as the opposite sex and undergoing surgical transformation. The isolation this creates is a myriad of self-made individuals living outside of who they really are, under the guise of “discovering themselves.”

But how does one discover his or her true identity in a fallen world where the lie of the devil has permeated all of life? Self-identifying is bound to fail because our innate sin-fallen perception of ourselves is hopelessly self-centered. And we can never be sure that our self-identity lines up with reality. Our only hope is to be God-centered and to see ourselves the way God sees us.

So how does the Lord see us? What is my identity in Him? As a believer in Christ, I am chosen. Let this sink in. OT Israel was promised they would be God’s chosen people if they kept His covenant (Ex. 19:5–6). But believers in Christ are His chosen people because He has redeemed us, not because of our obedience to the covenant. God desires me; He leans in toward me. This is true for all believers, and collectively we are a “chosen race.” This means the world is now separated into two groups of people, those who believe in Christ and those who do not.

I am part of a royal priesthood, those chosen by God to mediate His character and ways to a lost world. I am part of a holy nation, and among those God calls His own possession. I, along with all believers, belong to God—and what a belonging that is. Nevermore should I ever feel alone or unwanted, for the God of the universe has included me!

Why has God done all this for me, for us? So that we would have the privilege of telling the lost world of our great, perfect, and flawless God who wants to increase His possession by rescuing people out of darkness into “His marvelous light.” How could anyone not see how excellent is the work of God in making us His people? The only thing we can bring to Him is our need of mercy. And when we do, He proves to be amazing.

Lord, thank You for showing me who I am in Christ. Help me not to believe the lies of the world by seeking my identity in any other way.