27 Bible Verses On Identity

If you’re struggling with low self-confidence, read these Bible Verses on identity to be reminded of the Truth of who God says you are.

This topic is so near and dear to my heart because I struggled for so many years to know who I was and, because of that, I was relying on other people to define my worth.

Unfortunately, that led me to have terribly low self-esteem. I ran to food for comfort and ended up 100 pounds overweight, which then led to bullying, which destroyed my self-confidence even more.

Even after I accepted Jesus as my savior when I was 15, I measured my worth by the opinions of the people around me. I tried my hardest to fit in and please people the best I could.

Then I ended up in an emotionally abusive marriage for 6 years, which left me feeling like an empty shell of a person. It felt like I’d hit rock bottom and I had nothing left, which is a beautiful place for God to bring beauty from our ashes.

So, I started from scratch, building my identity on a new foundation – Christ. Instead of only relying on others to define me, I started digging into God’s Word, desperate to believe that what He had to say about me was true, even when I didn’t feel like it.

And, slowly, I grew stronger. More confident. More worthy.

I felt less frantic, more peaceful, and more steady.

My foundation was strong and my identity was built on Christ alone. Not my works. Not my efforts. Not anyone else’s opinion of me. Just Jesus.

That is my hope for you, as well. That you would read the Scriptures below and believe that these verses aren’t only true but they’re true about you.

If you’re struggling with that part, I encourage you to read my post on 5 steps to take your thoughts captive to help you intentionally choose to follow God’s Truth.

All Bible verses below are from the NIV Bible translation.

Scriptures On Your Identity In Christ

1. You are a child of God. (1 John 3:2)

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

1 John 3:2

You are a child of God. You are wanted. You are chosen. You are a child of the One True King, which is such an honor. You didn’t have to earn this position. It was freely given to you out of His great love.

2. You are a co-worker of God (1 Corinthians 3:8-9)

The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and they will each be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building.

1 Corinthians 3:8-9

You were uniquely created for a purpose that only you can fulfill. You aren’t just any other person. The strengths you have were given to you for a reason and you have the ability to impact this world in incredibly power ways, leaving a mark only you can leave. That is a pretty amazing thing. And you have the ultimate honor of working right alongside God as His co-worker!

3. You are a light (Matthew 5:14-16)

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

I did not feel like I was a light. I saw the light in so many people around me and I wanted to help them make their lights shine brighter but I believed for so long that meant I needed to disappear. I really struggled with feeling like any time I “shined”, I was selfish, bringing attention to myself.

This verse is very clear. “You are the light of the world” and you are to “let your light shine before others.” It’s not about bringing the attention to you. It’s about letting the world see what God has done in you to glorify Him.

4. You are a masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10)

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10

Some translations use the word “masterpiece” instead of handiwork here, but both words are just as powerful.

You weren’t just haphazardly thrown together. You aren’t like anyone else on earth. God created you in a marvelously mysteriously perfect way as one of his masterpieces.

You were created to do good things in this world to show them God’s love in unexpected ways. Your life matters. Your strengths matter. You matter.

5. You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17

This messy middle we’re living in, between the time we accepted Jesus and when we get to be together with Him again, is such a challenge.

When I’m feeling tempted, I don’t feel like a new creation. When I just sinned (again!), I don’t feel like the old has gone.

But this is the Truth of God’s Word. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are a new creation. Neither your salvation nor your identity depends on how you feel. They are true because God says they are true and in Philippians 1:6, He tells us that He’s not done yet! He began a good work in you and He will also complete it.

Notice again that this is not something that falls on your shoulders! He started the work. He will complete it.

6. A temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Because my 100-pound weight loss journey is such a big part of my story, I talk to women often about the topic of body image (you can find my post on Bible verse on body image here). Women who are overweight look in the mirror and feel like a failure. They step on the scale and feel the weight of judgment and shame. They so often hate their bodies and can’t even stand to look at them.

But your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Your body is a gift from God, specially knit together just for you.

You don’t have to separate your body from your identity in Christ – He created that part of you, too!

7. You are blameless (Colossians 1:22-23)

But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

Colossians 1:22-23

I think we would all agree that Christ forgives when we confess our sins, but do you fully accept His forgiveness? Do you believe that you walk away “without blemish and free from accusation”?

I still struggle with accepting His forgiveness allowing me to be blameless! It feels much more natural to beat myself up about my mistakes, trying to prove to God how sorry I really am.

If you feel like a failure, a screw-up, like someone who can’t do anything right…read this verse again and again. Confess your sins and then challenge yourself to actually accept His forgiveness and walk forward with your head held high, living in the freedom Christ died for.

8. You are blessed (Ephesians 1:3)

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

Ephesians 1:3

I started this website while I was still early in this process of finding my identity in Christ, so it’s interesting that I called it “So Very Blessed,” even back then.

Have I felt blessed every second since then? Absolutely not! But, again, my feelings don’t define the Truth. I am blessed…and so are you…with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

9. You are bold (2 Corinthians 3:12)

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

2 Corinthians 3:12

I actually laughed out loud when I added this Bible verse to the post because “bold” was the last word I ever would have used to describe myself! When I was 100 pounds overweight, I tried so hard to be small – not just physically, but in every sense of the word. I didn’t want to be noticed and I just wanted to fit in because I was so scared that any attention I brought on myself would be negative attention.

I think it’s so interesting in this verse that our boldness doesn’t come from ourselves. It doesn’t come from some special talent or some act of bravery or big favor we did to earn that courage.

No, the boldness we feel doesn’t come from us – it comes from the hope we have in Christ. I may not feel bold about myself, but I am so confident in Him.

10. You are chosen (Colossians 3:12)

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

Colossians 3:12

I love this verse. Not only does it emphasize that you were chosen by God, but it reminds you that you are holy and dearly loved.

Those are such tender words. It’s not an obligatory love. It’s the love of a Father who sees you exactly as you are and still chooses you.

11. You are delighted in (Zephaniah 3:17)

“The Lord your God is with you,
    the Mighty Warrior who saves.
He will take great delight in you;
    in his love he will no longer rebuke you,
    but will rejoice over you with singing.”

Zephaniah 3:17

Can you picture this verse? God, our Lord, our Mighty Warrior, takes such delight in you that He rejoices over you with singing.

Talk about a confidence booster!

12. You are enough (Colossians 2:10)

…and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority.

Colossians 2:10

Because of Christ, you have been brought to fullness (or “made complete” as other versions say).

I spent half my life trying to be enough by earning good “enough” grades, being skilled “enough” at sports, being likable “enough” to friends, and so on.

When you depend on yourself to be brought to fullness, you’ll always be left empty. Out completeness comes from Christ alone and we don’t have to earn it.

13. You are forgiven (Acts 13:38-39)

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.”

Acts 13:38-39

Forgiveness is one of those tricky things. Half the time, I take it for granted and don’t appreciate this incredible gift I’ve been given. The other half the time, I am beating myself up so much for my weaknesses and mistakes that I don’t even allow myself to accept the gift that has been given to me.

Both are robbing me of a core piece of my identity – I am forgiven. And so are you. So, let’s live as forgiven people, not clinging to the weight of the world that Christ has already lifted from our shoulders.

14. You are free (Galatians 5:1)

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1

This goes right along with being forgiven. Because you are forgiven, you can live in the freedom Christ has given us.

I don’t know about you, but I have to take my thoughts captive all the time to continue to live in that freedom, continually batting away any lies that are trying to hold me captive.

I’ve worked hard to break free in this area throughout my 100-pound weight loss journey, especially, re-teaching myself that I don’t need chocolate to be happy, I don’t need chips every single night to wind down, and I don’t need coffee to get started every morning.

I’m dependant on Christ alone and, in Him, I am free.

15. You are gifted (1 Peter 4:10)

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

1 Peter 4:10

I spent so many years trying to be like everyone else that I was missing the point and missing out on a huge piece of my identity. No wonder I felt so out of place! God didn’t create me to be like my friends. God created me with unique gifts to serve others.

It was a long process to embrace my God-given uniqueness (and I’m still very much in-process), but it sure feels freeing to give myself permission to be the woman God created me to be!

16. You are holy (Ephesians 1:4-5)

For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will

Ephesians 1:4-5

I don’t know about you, but I sure don’t feel holy or blameless. Those words conjure pictures of glowing angels with bright halos in my mind.

But holy means “set apart.” Our job is to follow God. It’s only by following God that we can ever be blameless.

17. You are justified (Romans 5:1)

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ

Romans 5:1

This is another free gift given to us out of God’s grace (are you seeing the theme in all of these identity traits – all of them are based on God’s goodness, not our own!).

You are justified because Christ bore the weight of your sins to bring you to righteousness.

18. You are loved (Romans 8:38-39)

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

Every single one of these is mightily important, but this one stands out to me…maybe because I needed this reminder most for myself!

You are loved. So loved that you nothing will be able to separate you from His love.

The idea of unconditional love still feels so foreign to me and I still have to convince myself to believe that it’s not too good to be true, but it’s not. It really is true. You are loved right here, right now, just as you are.

19. You are made great by God (Psalm 18:35)

You make your saving help my shield,
    and your right hand sustains me;
    your help has made me great.

Psalm 18:35

This version says God’s “help” has made him (David) great, but many versions say the word “gentleness” instead. David was talking about becoming the king of Israel here and he was recognizing how the Almighty God of the universe had come down to give him personal help here.

God does the same thing for us. He meets us right where we are, offering more than just the gift of salvation, but personal ever-present help that makes us great.

20. You are never alone (Deuteronomy 31:8)

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”

Deuteronomy 31:8

In weight loss (and just about every other struggle), feeling alone in your weakness is devastating.

It’s isolating. When you feel like you are the only one feeling tempted by that food or struggling to choose right in that situation, it’s easy for shame to start creeping in, convincing you that you are the only one.

Remember this part of your identity always, especially when you are feeling inconsolably lonely – you are never alone.

21. You are pleasing (2 Corinthians 2:15)

For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

2 Corinthians 2:15

Growing up in children’s church, the message “God loves you” was pretty common, but I just don’t remember anyone telling us that God was pleased with us, as well.

I suppose I always believed it was an obligatory kind of love that God had to tell us He loved us because we were His children but that was about where it ended.

Now that I’ve taken my own deep dive into Scripture as an adult, I’m so thrilled that isn’t true! God chose to love you, He delights in you, and you are even pleasing to Him. That is not obligatory love at all. It’s tender, gentle, and compassionate – perfectly fitting with God’s character.

22. You are redeemed (Colossians 1:14)

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:14

I know we’ve already talked about forgiveness and freedom, but the part that stands out most when it comes to being redeemed (deliverance from some evil by payment of a price) is that you were worth Jesus paying a great price.

23. You are righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21)

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

What an honor that we would be able to claim righteousness, even in our sinful state, based completely on God’s grace and goodness!

24. You are saved (Ephesians 2:4-6)

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus

Ephesians 2:4-6

So many of the things we hold so tightly to – our failures, our weaknesses, our mistakes, our sins – are the things stealing life from us. God’s love is so great that He made you alive with Christ. You are saved.

You’re saved from all of those uncomfortable, dark parts of yourself you’d rather hide from the world – the thoughts you’re embarrassed to think, the words you wish you’d never spoken, the actions you wish you’d never taken, and the temptations you wish you didn’t experience.

You. are. saved. Accept the gift to be made alive!

25. You are set apart (1 Peter 2:9)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

1 Peter 2:9

As we talked about earlier, you are holy, which means you are set apart. And not just set apart to be a hard worker, but set apart as “God’s special possession.” I may never fully understand how the Lord of the universe chose me to be His chosen special possession, but I rely on its Truth nonetheless because God says it to be true.

26. You are valuable (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

We are all pretty quick to rag on our bodies about their sagging skin, stretch marks, and graying hair. Goodness, I’m sure I could pick out a dozen physical flaws in less than a minute with a full-body mirror.

We’re pretty hard on our bodies for doing exactly what they were designed to do (by an Almighty Creator, nonetheless!).

But your body is not your own. It’s a vessel to honor God, a temple housing the Holy Spirit. How would that change the way you thought and spoke about your body if you believed that to be true?

27. Wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.

Psalm 139:14

This is one of my favorite reminders. Anything that is wonderful about me is not wonderful because I am wonderful. Everything wonderful about me is because I am made by a God who creates wonderful works…and He created me (and you!).

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Allow the Truth of that to fully sink in. Let it grow your confidence, not in yourself, but the confidence that only comes from knowing exactly who you are in Christ.