KLYNE R. SNODGRASS, Who God Says You Are: A Christian Understanding of Identity. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2018. 246 pp., $24.00 paper. ISBN: 978-0-8028-7518-1. Reviewed by Steve W. LEMKE, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans, LA  70126.

If the reader assumes from the title of this book that it addresses Christian anthropology; that is broadly true but it is not a classic anthropology work. The book addresses more specifically what it means to be “in Christ.” As such, this volume addresses spiritual formation, Christian ethics, and sanctification.

Snodgrass is professor emeritus of New Testament at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago. The thesis of Who God Says You Are is that the main theme of the New Testament is helping Christians to achieve a greater sense of identity with Jesus Christ. Snodgrass makes some bold claims that seem to be overstatements such as the following:

- “. . . faith is not about believing stuff: I insist that biblical faith is about being attached to Christ, bound to Him, and participating in life with Christ and having your identity transformed by that participation.” (p. 30)
- “. . . rightly understood, salvation is about identity.” (p. 31)
- “Atonement is much less about theories of satisfaction and much more about being one with Christ and taking our identity from Him.” (p. 32)
- “The gospel is about identity, not going to heaven . . . .” (p. 32)
- “Scripture is not about theology: at most it implies a theology. Scripture is about identity.” (p. 33)

As a New Testament scholar, Snodgrass defends these statements with careful exegesis of a number of texts, and he also references some of the early Church fathers who focused on participation in Christ. The book is well-researched and well-documented.

The book grounds Christian identity in Christ in nine “factors,” addressing each of these in a separate chapter. The nine factors are (1) You are your body, (2) You are your history, (3) You are your relations, (4) You are your mind, (5) You are your commitments, (6) You are your actions, (7) You are your boundaries, (7) You are an ongoing process of change, and (7) You are your future. In each chapter, Snodgrass unpacks how what it looks like to move toward identity in Christ in each of these areas. These chapters are too rich to describe in detail, but they are well worth reading.

The author relentlessly pursues leading the reader toward sanctification in Christ. His pointed applications should provoke self-examination and humility in the heart of any reader. As King Louis XIV said of French court preacher Jean Baptiste Massillon, “Father, I have heard many eloquent men, and I have been satisfied with them; as to you, whenever I hear you, I feel very dissatisfied with myself” [cited in Achilles Albites, The Authors of France (London: Whittaker, 1839), 49]. Who God Says You Are is an apt text for a spiritual formation study for educated laypersons or for ministers, and it is well worth reading by any Christian interested in pursuing a life of greater spiritual vitality. Highly recommended.