How does God see me? How does He view you?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! . . . God made him who has no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21 NIV)

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you . . .  (Ezekiel 36:26–27 NIV)

. . . and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Ephesians 4:24 NASB)

To answer this question fully, clearly we need to understand what it means to be a new person in Christ. A Christian is not just someone who has been forgiven and is going to heaven someday. Rather, Christians are those whose heart and spirit have been changed and who have the Holy Spirit (Christ) living in them.

When God looks at you, He always sees the child whom He deeply loves and adores. He sees your spirit—His Spirit—that is perfect and holy.

For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14 NASB)

Do you know what this verse means? It means that your salvation and transformation are 100 percent God’s work. We cannot boast one bit in our own efforts at being righteous and holy. Believing that God has made you righteous on the inside, however, will free you to make the changes God wants in your external behavior.

So put off the old beliefs you have about yourself and stop defining who you are by your behavior or feelings or by what others think. The truest thing about you is what God says, and freedom and transformation come from confessing—agreeing with God about—your true identity. Here are some other things God says about you:

Because I am in Christ and He lives in me, I am . . .

– God’s child (John 1:12; Romans 8:15–16; Galatians 4:6–7);
– one Spirit with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17, 19; John 17:22);
– deeply and unconditionally loved by God (John 15:9; Romans 8:38–39);
– accepted (Romans 15:7);
– totally forgiven (Colossians 2:13–14);
– of great value and worth (Matthew 10:30–31; 1 Peter 1:18–19);
– adequate (2 Corinthians 3:5–6; Philippians 4:13);
– God’s masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10);
– perfect and complete (Colossians 2:10);
– free from condemnation (Romans 8:1);
– holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 1:22);
– never alone or forsaken (Hebrews 13:5b);
– indwelt by God’s Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19);
– precious in God’s sight (Isaiah 43:4);
– safe and secure (Psalm 32:7; Isaiah 43:1–3);
– chosen by God (1 Peter 2:9).

So, how does God see us when we sin? The same way: He sees His children. Yes, He sees us believing a lie and allowing sin to dominate our thoughts and behavior, instead of obeying His righteous Spirit within us. However, He sees us as ones who love God but struggle with sin, not as sinners who struggle to love God.