“Your/Our Identity in Christ” teaches readers ‘our identity in Christ is the most important thing about us’

“Being in Christ is not like two or more ingredients being blended together to make a smoothie. Yes, the contents are very close now, but you can no longer tell them apart. When you're joined to Christ, we are so close that we're described as being parts of his body… We each have been uniquely gifted by the spirit to serve one another (1 Cor. 12:8-11). We do not lose ourselves in this union. We find ourselves and we find purpose,” (Sanchez, 2025, pg. 30).  

The gospel in terms of identity

As the Director of Ethics and Justice at Texas Baptists, David Sanchez was asked to do research on ministering to those who identify as LGBTQ+ or say they struggle with these issues. He said he was thankful to be tasked with this research because he had “built a lot of friendships through common hobbies” with individuals who identified with these struggles.

As he began reading on the topic, Sanchez found that most authors centered their discussion around how basing one’s identity according to one’s struggles was incorrect, unbiblical or unhelpful. They would say it’s more fulfilling to find your identity in Christ but only briefly share what that really means. 

“I thought, ‘This needs to be expounded [upon], to talk about what it means to find our identity in Christ,’” said Sanchez. “There aren't a lot of materials out there to help in a step-by-step way if you are mentoring someone who is wanting to follow Christ but also says that they are struggling with their identity in some way. There's so many ways the world pulls us and says, ‘This is the most important thing about you,’ so I was really looking for a way to recontextualize the gospel in terms of identity.” 

Creating “Your/Our Identity in Christ” 

“Your/Our Identity in Christ” was written out of a desire to create a discipleship tool for today’s young people who are wrestling with their identity. The book focuses on having a holistic conversation about what it means to be in Christ.

The book is split into three sections: “We are precious to him,” “We have purpose in him,” and “We can live purely through him.” Each section holds three chapters, nine in total, that explore biblical metaphors in the New Testament that describe what it means to be in Christ. These metaphors include being a sheep of the Good Shepherd, the light of the world, and a temple of the Holy Spirit. 

Every chapter begins with an illustration by cartoonist Kendall Lyons, which “helps wake up the mind.” Sanchez hopes including illustrations in the book would be helpful and appealing to all learning styles. 

“The visuals would be very helpful, and for some people, very powerful, that they can't remember a word or phrase, but they can still see that picture, and that picture will remind them of the truth. So it’s just part of my passion to teach all learning styles and to make the book feel approachable to a younger generation,” said Sanchez. 

Sanchez said “Your/Our Identity in Christ” is geared towards a shorter attention span, with each chapter split into four days of reading under 900 words each. There is also an introduction advising readers about how to get the most out of their reading, such as “put your phone away, get a notebook out, pray beforehand, share it with somebody else.”

Lyons wasn’t the only one that Sanchez collaborated with to bring this book to life. He also wrote the book “with the help of nine friends” who used to find their identity in something else and now find it in Christ in a way that relates to each chapter. Sanchez also met these friends while speaking on these issues around the state. 

“I would hear people's testimonies and think, ‘That would be great for this chapter of the book,’ and I was really excited that there are people out there who were happy to give a voice [to different struggles],” said Sanchez. “I think the testimonies are going to be the biggest blessing to people.”

Know what it means to be in Christ 

Sanchez said he encourages readers to “get into God’s Word” while reading. 

“I pack scripture references into this. There's just so much scripture, and I challenge them to go to the verses and check for themselves,” said Sanchez. “Don't treat this as your main source of truth, but double-check, fact-check me and see if I'm actually using the scriptures correctly.” 

Sanchez said he is praying that readers take away the direct message of the book: ”that they will find that they are precious to Christ by being in Christ, that they have a purpose in Christ and that they can live purely through being in Christ.” 

“Know that you are precious. Know that you are loved. Know that he's given you a purpose for your life that may be different from what you thought it was, and it might help explain why you might feel different from others,” said Sanchez. “Know that he has called us to live differently from the world, but he also equips us with his spirit and with the community and with the ability and power to do it.”

“Your/Our Identity in Christ” is available for purchase through GC2 Press online and at any Texas Baptists event where the GC2 Press booth is set up. One-third of every purchase ($4) of “Your/Our Identity in Christ” will be donated to the Texas Baptist Hunger Offering, and $2 will go toward the purchase of another book from GC2 Press.

Sanchez, also the associate director of the Christian Life Commission, teaches workshops on how to minister to people who struggle with LGBTQ issues, including the Texas Baptists Annual Meeting, in college chapel services, for leadership teams, churches and youth groups. 

“I’m thrilled to have a more long-term impact when I can hand this book to people after a talk or workshop at whatever price they can afford,” said Sanchez.

For more information about this and other workshops the CLC provides to our Texas Baptists churches, visit texasclc.org. 

“There are so many ways that we can talk about what it means to be in Christ that apply to us regardless of what we are struggling with. Maybe if we focus on Christ and just follow him, that will also help with these other issues,” said Sanchez. “The main point is that our identity in Christ is the most important thing about us.”