The DNA Test You Can't Fail

Most people today are obsessed with finding out "who they are." Specifically, they spend hundreds of dollars on spit-in-a-tube DNA kits to find out whether they are 3% Viking or 12% Scottish. They want to know their roots because they believe their history defines their current reality. Meanwhile, in the spiritual realm, most Christians are still taking a "DNA test," and they think they are failing.

However, I have some news for you today that might just change how you see yourself in the mirror. After spending more than 50 years in ministry, I’ve seen that the biggest struggle for believers isn't behavior; it’s identity. We keep trying to fix the "old man" that God has already buried. We think if we pray longer or try harder, we’ll finally get a passing grade.

But the Gospel isn't about self-improvement. It isn’t about making bad people good. Instead, it’s about making dead people alive. It’s about a relocation of your soul. Specifically, it’s about whose DNA you carry: Adam’s or Christ’s.

Before we dive deep, make sure you check out the full breakdown on the website. This is part of a larger series I’m doing called the DNA of Grace. You can read the primary hub article here: DNA of Grace: The Truth About Your Identity in Christ.

To understand your identity, you have to understand a term that sounds like it belongs in a dusty seminary basement: Federal Headship. Don't let the name bore you. It is actually the most exciting reality in the Bible.

"Federal" simply means a “representative.” Think of it like a captain of a sports team. If the captain leads the team to a championship, every player on that team gets a ring. Even the guy who sat on the bench for every single game gets the trophy. Why? Because the "head" of the team won, and his victory is credited to the whole group.

Consequently, God sees the entire human race through two individuals: Adam and Jesus. There is no third option. You are either "in Adam" or "in Christ."

When Adam made his choice in the Garden, he wasn't just acting for himself. He was acting as our head. Therefore, his "DNA" of sin and death passed down to every single one of us. You didn’t have to do anything to become a sinner; you were born into it. You inherited the "Adam DNA" before you ever committed your first act of disobedience.

Now, this is where many people get stuck. I’ve had many conversations with folks who say, "Austin Gardner, that doesn't seem fair! Why should I be held responsible for what some guy did thousands of years ago?"

It’s a valid question. However, here is the beautiful reality: if it weren’t for the "unfairness" of Adam representing you into death, it could never be "fair" for Jesus to represent you into life.

If God only dealt with us as individuals, you would have to live a perfectly sinless life to be accepted. One mistake, and you’re out. But because God uses the principle of a "Covenant Head," He was able to provide a Second Adam, Jesus Christ.

This is the Great Exchange. Jesus took our Adam-identity, took our sin, and took our death upon Himself. In exchange, He gives us His Christ-identity and His righteousness. If you think it’s unfair that Adam’s sin counted for you, then you must also think it’s "unfair" that Christ’s righteousness counts for you. Personally, I’ll take that "unfairness" every single day of the week.

Most of us spend our Christian lives trying to "clean up" our old self. We think we are still in Adam, just trying to be a "better version" of a sinner. But the Bible says that when you placed your faith in Christ, a literal relocation took place. You weren't just improved; you were transferred.

And I don't mean "transferred" like switching church membership. I mean a realm transfer. It’s like changing countries. You have a new homeland, a new citizenship, and a new governing reality. "In Adam" and "in Christ" aren't just theological terms; they are addresses.

That word "translated" is powerful. It means you were moved from one domain into another. You were under Adam’s domain, and darkness had jurisdiction there. However, God didn’t tell you to behave your way out of it. He delivered you, and He transferred you.

The reason this "Two Humanities" teaching is the backbone of everything I teach at Alignment Ministries is that it changes the why behind what we do.

If you think you are still "in Adam" trying to get "into Christ," you will live a life of constant pressure and fear. You will always be wondering if you’ve done enough. But when you realize you are already "in Christ," you start living from your identity rather than for it.

I don’t try to be righteous so that God will love me. I am righteous because I am in Christ, and because I am loved, I want to live a life that reflects Him.

You might be wondering, "Austin, how do I move from one humanity to the other?" The answer is simple, yet it is the hardest thing for our performance-driven minds to grasp. You move through faith.

Faith is not a "work" that earns you a spot in Christ. It is simply the hand that receives what has already been done. Think of it like a marriage. On the day I married my wife, Betty, back in 1973, I didn't "earn" her love through a series of tests. I simply received the covenant. In that moment, everything that was mine became hers, and everything that was hers became mine.

Faith doesn’t achieve your place in Christ; it receives it. When you believe, the Holy Spirit "baptizes" or immerses you into Christ. You are now "in Him." His history becomes your history. His victory becomes your victory.

Meanwhile, I know what you’re thinking: "If I’m 'in Christ' and I have His DNA, why do I still struggle?"

This is the tension we live in. Your identity is secure and complete, but your experience is still unfolding. It’s like a prince who was raised in the slums. Even after he is brought back to the palace and told he is royalty, he might still try to scrounge for food or hide in the corners. He has to learn to live like a prince because he is a prince.

You are already who Christ made you, even while you are still learning to live like it. Don’t let your stumbles convince you that you’ve been moved back to Adam’s house. You have a permanent address in the Kingdom of God’s dear Son.

Austin Gardner's message has always been about this: God is not disappointed in you. He is not measuring your worth by your consistency. He sees you in His Son.

As we wrap up this newsletter, I want you to find rest. You aren’t behind. You aren’t being graded. You are being held.

The Great Exchange is final. Jesus didn’t just pay for your sins; He became your very life. When the Father looks at you, He doesn’t see your mess; He sees His Son. He sees the "DNA of Grace" that now defines who you are.

Stop trying to fix the old man. He’s dead. Start enjoying the new Life you have in Jesus. You are in Christ, and in Him, you are enough.

Ready to dive deeper? Read the full hub article and find the rest of this series here: DNA of Grace: The Truth About Your Identity in Christ.

Why does the Bible say I was "in Adam" if I wasn't even born yet?
The Bible teaches corporate identity, where a representative head acts for everyone under him. Just as a nation enters a war when its leader declares it, all of humanity was included in Adam’s choice because he was the representative "head" of the human race.

Can I ever fall back into being "in Adam"?
No. Once you are "translated" into the Kingdom of Christ through faith, it is a permanent relocation. Your union with Christ is not maintained by your performance but by the finished work of Jesus and the seal of the Holy Spirit.

How does knowing I am "in Christ" help me overcome sin?
When you realize that sin is no longer your nature or your "DNA," you stop seeing it as something you must do and start seeing it as something that doesn't fit who you are. You fight sin from a position of victory and safety, not as a struggle for acceptance.

#AustinGardner #Grace #Mercy #IdentityInChrist #DNAofGrace

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