And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
—Romans 8:30 (NLT)
You were chosen to be God’s child and receive all the inherent blessings in that relationship. Jesus gave His life for you to have this relationship with God. God called you to come to Himself, and when you came to Him, you received right standing with Him. You now stand blameless and without guilt before God. When Jesus gave you right standing with His Father, you received God’s glory (Ephesians 1:3-8). He became your Abba Father (Galatians 4:6). Christ, the hope of glory, is in you (Colossians 1:27). His glorious power lives within you (Ephesians 1:19).
This is how God sees you and wants you to see these truths in yourself. But we become frustrated when we try to prove to ourselves that they are true. We work hard in our own strength. However, only the Holy Spirit can reveal the truths of who we are to God. We believe these truths by faith. We must allow the Word to transform our understanding to know the righteousness that is ours in Christ. We haven’t called ourselves. We can’t forgive ourselves and make ourselves right with God. We can’t earn His righteousness. It became ours the moment we believed in our hearts in Him. Your life in Christ is a gift you can never earn. Just as you believed by faith for salvation, you also believe His righteousness is yours by faith.
“Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” What then shall we say to these things?” (Romans 8:30-31a, NKJV).
When those who the Lord knew would accept Jesus as the sacrificial atonement for their sins believed in Him, they were all called, justified, and glorified. After declaring these truths, Paul asks a crucial question. “Do you believe who God says you are—that God chose you and having accepted Him, you are called, justified, and glorified?” The Word can declare these truths about you. But they do not make a difference in your life until you take ownership of what God says about you.
When you have His power in your life that you are not utilizing, you are not receiving the benefits of your inheritance in Christ. But when you believe what God declares about you in His Word, you receive what His truth declares (Hebrews 4:2). You believe what God says about you by faith (Romans 10:17). You may not always “feel” what God says is true. You have to know what is true and exercise by faith what His Word says is true. And when you believe His Word in your heart, His power is alive in you.
What is your response to who Jesus says you are? This is where who you are in Christ comes down to your personal relationship with Him. No one else can answer the question Romans 8:31 asks you, “What do you say to these things?” It is your personal question. You might answer, “God saved me, but for me to believe I’m chosen, called, justified, glorified, and filled with the power of God, I don’t know about that.” And with this response, you close the door to believing who you are in Christ.
It is truthful for you to say, “God chose me. I am called by God. I am justified in Christ. I have the shed blood of my Savior living in me. I have the righteousness of God in me. The Spirit of God is within me, and I have His power to live the life I have received in Jesus.” So what do I say to these things that God says about me? "I have right standing with God. I am forgiven. I am whole. I am healed. I am delivered. I am blessed. Jesus is alive in me. I see myself as God sees me. These are true for me.”
What do you say to these things about yourself? God sees the image of His Son in you. You are new in Christ. All the old is gone. God is for you and not against you. Nothing has any power to stand against you when you believe in who God says you are. You are chosen, called, justified, and glorified.
"I am who God says I am!"
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