Chains < Chosen
I am Barabbas…
Jesus took my place. I stood in chains condemned to be crucified, and Jesus took my place. Nothing I did earned freedom, it was everything that a perfect and spotless Savior did.
I am Peter…
Jumping out of the boat to walk on water toward Jesus. Eyes fixed on my Savior in a mountaintop moment, but then letting the circumstances around me distract me and pull my focus away from the One who calls me.
Called to witness to others, yet denying Christ when the pressure of the world pushes back against my faith.
I am Thomas…
Knowing the teachings and prophecies foretold, yet still needing proof before my faith feels complete.
I am Jonah…
Hearing God’s plan, yet convincing myself that my own thinking is better.
God gave us a 66-book love letter so that we could see our lives reflected in the people He has pursued for thousands of years. Left to ourselves, we deserve the chains. We are hopeless, anxiety-filled, broken by sin, and destined to fail apart from Him.
Thinking about this today made the idea of total depravity even clearer to me. Yet it also shifted my perspective: even people who physically walked with Jesus, spoke with God, witnessed miracles, and experienced His presence firsthand still struggled against the flesh.
And if all of that is true, then this is true also:
Through Jesus…
I am Forgiven
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”
— Ephesians 1:7
I am Redeemed
“For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
— 1 Corinthians 6:20
I am Adopted and an Heir to Heaven
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”
— Romans 8:16–17
I am Loved
“But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
— Romans 5:8
I am Chosen
“He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.”
— Ephesians 1:4
I am New
“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
I am Holy and Blameless
“He has now reconciled in His body of flesh by His death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before Him.”
— Colossians 1:22
Identity in 2026
The world tells us to build our identity on performance, appearance, success, feelings, politics, relationships, status, or achievements. Worldly identity constantly shifts because it depends on circumstances that can change overnight.
But the true identity listed above and in Christ is different. It is not earned by performance and cannot be taken away by failure. The cross settled your value long before the world ever tried to define it. Jesus did not die so we could spend our lives searching for identity in temporary things; He died so we could be fully known, fully forgiven, and fully His.
The enemy wants us identified by our worst moments: doubter, addict, failure, anxious, broken, condemned. Jesus calls us something different: redeemed, chosen, forgiven, loved, adopted, holy, and made new.
The same God who used broken people throughout Scripture is still calling broken people today….not to stay condemned, but to become new in Christ!!!