It's all too easy to come to Christ at salvation through faith and then to seek to live the Christian life by coming back under the law, like the Galatians did (Galatians 5). By coming under the law I am referring to trying to obey it in our own strength out of guilt motivation and as a way to be right with God, which Paul says puts us under a curse (3:10). The Gospel provides a completely different and better way of obedience through trusting in Christ's perfect obedience (Romans 5:17-20), which releases us from the condemnation of the law and its demands to do it in our own strength (Romans 8:1-7). As those who are now under grace (Romans 6:14), we do not use this freedom as a "cover up for evil" so that we can sin, but we are "free to walk in the new way of the Spirit" (1 Peter 2:16; Romans 7:6).
This all begins by knowing who we are in Christ -- knowing our new position and identity as those who are no longer slaves to sin but beloved children of God. One author puts it like this, "Holy is who you are" (Hubbard, 2020). Sinclair Ferguson (2014) in his book Devoted to God: Blueprints for Sanctification says that "Our who determines our do." In other words, by first knowing who we are as those who are holy and loved in Christ, we are then able to joyfully walk in the Spirit according to God's Truth, not as a way of trying to earn salvation but as a way of pleasing God and living like his redeemed children.
I've included some links below for reference. The first is the Desiring God article by Hubbard (2020), "Holy is Who You Are," the second is a brief article my husband wrote for the GCU Blog, "On Finding Our New Identity in Christ" (Kreitzer, 2017), the third is a link to an excellent book on the topic titled, Union with Christ (Wilbourne, 2016) and the last is Ferguson's book, Devoted to God:Blueprints for Sanctification (2016).
Nancy Kreitzer
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/holy-is-who-you-are
https://www.gcu.edu/blog/theology-ministry/dear-theophilus-finding-our-new-identity-christ
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E4TGTJS/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Ferguson, S. B. (2016). Devoted to God: blueprints for sanctification. Banner of Truth Trust.
