The beauty of the New Covenant is that it not only provides for our forgiveness, restoration, reconciliation, righteousness, holiness and blessing but it also gives us a new identity. All behavior flows from identity. We are like a prostitute who was born in poverty and slavery with a cruel and abusive Father who beats us and profits from the shameful selling of our body. The prince, destined to be King comes and finds us, rescues us from slavery and asks for our hand in marriage. We not only get released from our life of sadness but we gain a new identity because now we are betrothed to the future King of all the land. We could go back to poverty and to selling our bodies for money but “Why would we?” We are now promised into a royal family. We moved from poverty to royalty. This change in our identity changes how we see ourselves and how we behave.

Our relationship with the prince makes us grateful that He would choose us to be His own. We became heirs to a kingdom filled with wealth and honor. This changes everything! The book of Ephesians teaches that this is true for everyone who is in Christ. "In Christ" is a phrase that means we have been united with Him because of His death and resurrection. A big part of growing in our faith is grasping that this reality is not just a fairy tale but the reality of our lives. Fairy tales are often based on spiritual realities.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,

(Ephesians 1:3 ESV)

Most fairy tales end with “they lived happily ever after,” but not before experiencing some great rescue from imminent danger by some brave hero. This hero always seems to rescue the humble in heart from the evil clutches of something hideously bad. Jesus defeated Satan just like in the Disney movies we grew up watching. Good has overcome evil. All of this “blessing” is found in Christ and because God is outside of time, He knew the future before it happened.

“even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.

(Ephesians 1:4-6 ESV)

We were adopted into Christ’s family who is the coming King. Christ has betrothed us in marriage.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

(Ephesians 5:31-32 ESV)

This was the promise also given to Israel. God would redeem them and become their husband.

For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.

(Isaiah 54:5 ESV)

The last book of the Bible describes the day when the King will come and take His bride to be with Himself. Our whole identity has changed such that we are not only forgiven but we are made “holy, righteous, and blameless in His sight.” Jesus looks at us like a husband looks at His wife on their wedding day. The day of our true consummation will soon be here but our joy should overflow in the meantime because of who we are marrying. The King of all creation has called us to be His own.

Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

(Revelation 19:7-8 ESV)

We are not only to be wed to this King but we are recipients of His inheritance. The inheritance of the King who made the Universe and everything in it.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

(Ephesians 1:11 ESV)

The book of Romans explains how God’s Spirit will “bear witness with our Spirits that we are children of God.” We are called “Heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.”

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

(Romans 8:16-17 ESV)

“But God--so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation). And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One). He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in [His] kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus. For it is by free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]

(Ephesians 2:4-9 AMPC)