Rooted in Christ: Believer’s Identity as the Foundation for Biblical Counseling

I am a Christian and I am a Gentile. In the Bible, Gentile is a word that describes all of us (Christians) who are not of Jewish descent (Ephesians 2:11–13). We are not God’s chosen people, Israel (Deuteronomy 7:6), but through Jesus’ incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection, and exaltation, we are given a place at the table and offered eternal life with our God (John 3:16; Romans 8:17; Ephesians 2:19).

Recently, one of my doctors, someone whom I am growing to consider a friend, invited me to his place of worship. He is part of a Messianic Jewish Congregation. He had recently accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9–10) and was eager to share both his heritage and his faith with me. I felt deeply honored by the invitation. I had never attended a Jewish service, and the opportunity to experience a Messianic one, where belief in Jesus is central, felt especially meaningful.

What I encountered there was a profound love of God, one with roots deeper than anything I had previously experienced. I have read the Bible in its entirety more than once and continue to read it daily (Joshua 1:8). Through Scripture, I have long understood the importance of Israel to God, from His covenant with Abraham in Genesis (Genesis 12:1–3) to Revelation. Yet that day, during Shabbat service, I did not just understand it, I felt it.

The service was scheduled for an hour and forty-five minutes. That may sound long, but it passed quickly. There were trumpets (Psalm 150:3), worship in both Hebrew and English  (Revelation 7:9–10), and the Torah was reverently removed from the Ark and honored (Nehemiah 8:5–6). The original language of Scripture was celebrated, adding richness and depth to familiar passages. There were moments of reflection, fellowship (Acts 2:42), and storytelling drawn from across the Bible; from Daniel, to Acts, to Revelation.

What stood out most was the deep sense of identity among the people, an understanding of who they are and their place in God’s unfolding story. It was the day before Hanukkah, and the Rabbi shared, the Hanukkah story, the Feast of Dedication. He pointed out Jesus’ attendance of the Feast of Dedication and narrated the scene (John 10:22-39), concluding with “Jesus fulfilled Hanukkah”. For those familiar with The Chosen, it felt like watching the series come to life, only this time, in a post-resurrection world.

The experience served as a humble reminder of what the Jewish people have given us through God. Salvation, after all, came through the Jews (John 4:22). It reinforced how central they are to the Christian story and how faithfully they continue to uphold their role in God’s kingdom (Romans 11:17–18). It was a powerful testament to God’s love, sacrifice, and unwavering commitment to His people, all His people  (Lamentations 3:22–23).

As a Gentile, I was reminded of the importance of honoring our roots in God’s redemptive story with gratitude and respect for Israel. We are grafted into the story, not replacing it (Romans 11:24). The Messianic Jewish believers I encountered continue to ground their faith in tradition, not altering it, but faithfully following God’s narrative as revealed in Scripture (Matthew 5:17).

I will never be Jewish, but I will always be indebted to the Jewish people who have honored God, recognized Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Acts 2:36), and welcomed Gentiles to God’s table (Isaiah 56:6–7) as Jesus did. This experience is one I will always cherish and remember with deep gratitude , for we are now “fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household” (Ephesians 2:19).

As I look ahead to 2026 and begin laying the foundation for Lumination Biblical Counseling and Consulting, one truth continues to rise to the surface: our identity in Christ matters deeply, especially in counseling.

So often, people come into counseling carrying labels. Some are given by others. Some are shaped by culture, family history, or painful experiences. But Scripture gently reminds us that before anything else, our identity begins and ends in Christ.

The apostle Paul puts it simply: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That truth changes how we see ourselves and how we walk alongside others in their healing.

As Christians, whether Jew or Gentile, we share the same foundation. Our background, ethnicity, or story does not define our worth or our future. “There is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). In counseling, this reminds us that unity and hope are found not in sameness, but in Christ Himself.

When life feels fractured or identity feels unclear, Scripture calls us back to what is secure. We are chosen and deeply loved: “He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4). This is the grounding truth we return to again and again, both personally and professionally.

As Lumination moves forward, my prayer is that every conversation, every reflection, and every counseling moment points back to this unshakable reality: our truest identity is not what we’ve done, what we’ve endured, or what others have said about us. It is who we are in Christ.

And that is where healing begins.