In his letter to the rambunctious church at Corinth Paul reminds us that Jesus Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Cor. 1:30). In Philippians we can find confidence with Paul that “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Phil. 1:6). Our benefits in Christ are noted in the following chart.

Position (Standing)	Condition (State)
In heaven Spiritual Life New birth New man New nature New creature Justified Forgiven In Christ	On earth Physical Death First birth Old man Old nature Old creature Condemned Guilty In Adam

Over and over again the Scriptures remind us that we are no longer the same person that was born to our earthly parents. We have been made new spiritual creatures by the power of God. Yet we were all valuable to God even before we were in Christ by faith. “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:6-8).

It is not our achievements and organizational successes that give us a lasting sense of worth-it is Jesus Christ. Though our leadership efforts do have value both now and in the future, they do not imbue us with value.¹

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