Scripture

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:10, ESV)

"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, ESV)

Study

Paul’s declaration that grace defines his very identity is both a profound testimony and a challenge to how believers understand themselves. When Paul says, "by the grace of God I am what I am," he acknowledges that everything in his person and ministry springs from God's unmerited favor, not from his own ability or worth. This grace is active and effective; it is not wasted or empty, but accomplishes God’s purposes through him.

In the Christian experience, it is tempting to focus on our weaknesses or failures as disqualifications, sometimes cloaked in a false humility. Yet this mindset can inadvertently question God’s power to save and sanctify. True humility before God does not mean minimizing the work of His grace; rather, it means resting fully in the sufficiency of Christ’s redeeming work and the Spirit’s ongoing sanctification. Recognizing ourselves as new creations (2 Corinthians 5:17) means embracing a transformed identity grounded in God’s power, not our limitations.

This does not remove the reality of struggles or imperfection, but it places them in their proper context: God uses weak vessels to display His strength. The believer’s identity is secure because it rests not on a fluctuating self-assessment but on the unchanging truth of God’s grace. Living with this assurance leads to confident faith and peaceful perseverance in daily life.

Reflecting daily on God’s grace enables preservation of a God-centered humility that honors Him rather than feeding self-doubt. It encourages believers to abandon the urge to define themselves by past failures or current struggles, and instead to affirm the new identity granted through Christ.