Are You Really ‘In Christ’… or Just in Your Career, Marriage, or Ministry?
- Preacher
- J. Warner Wallace
- Tradition
- Apologetics
- Published
- Length
- 4:42
About this sermon
Most of us say our identity is “in Christ,” but our real god is often our spouse, our job, our kids, our ministry, or even our pain. In this candid conversation, J. Warner Wallace shares how, even as a Christian and apologist, he discovered that his deepest devotion had quietly shifted from Jesus to his marriage—and why ANY time we build our identity on good but “shiftable” things (relationships, success, health, platform, trauma), we’re setting ourselves up for future collapse. He explains why everything God gives us for our good can become a counterfeit god when it moves into first place, and how to recognize what’s really sitting on the throne of your heart. You’ll hear: • A personal story of misplacing identity in marriage instead of Christ • Why even ministry, respect, or “being needed” can become an idol • How to diagnose where your identity actually is by asking where your time, money, attention, and deepest anxiety go • Why Scripture emphasizes being “in Christ” more than using the word “Christian” • The sobering warning of Matthew 7—and why outward behavior isn’t enough if you’re not truly in Him 📘 If this topic of identity, brokenness, and meaning resonates with you, check out my book The Truth in True Crime, where I draw from real criminal cases to explore what our deepest questions about justice, trauma, and identity reveal about God and the gospel. 👉 Read The Truth in True Crime: https://amzn.to/3Z5DXfp 📺 For more content that helps you love God with all your heart, soul, and mind, spend some time on the Thinking Matters YouTube channel. They’re doing important work equipping Christians to think clearly and live faithfully in a confused culture. 👉 Thinking Matters YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkingMatters 👍 If this video challenged you to rethink where your identity really is: • Like the video to help more people see it • Comment with where you’ve been tempted to root your identity • Share it with a friend or small group • Subscribe and turn on notifications so you don’t miss future conversations on faith, evidence, and identity
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