Nova: Who are you? I mean, really—who are you? If you had to answer that question in thirty seconds, what would you say? Most of us would stumble. We might mention our job, our relationships, our past mistakes, our biggest wounds. But here's the thing: according to pastor and biblical counselor Paul Tautges, most of us are looking at our identity through the wrong lens entirely. And his book Remade: Embracing Your Complete Identity in Christ might just change the way you see yourself forever.

Nova: Great question, Leo. What makes Remade unique is its central framework—a threefold identity that Tautges argues every Christian needs to grasp. He says we are simultaneously a saint, a sinner, and a sufferer. Not one of these at different times—all three, all the time. And when we embrace that complete picture, it fundamentally transforms how we live.

Nova: Exactly. That's the problem Tautges wants to solve. He says when we only look at ourselves through one lens, we get a distorted picture. You think you're only a saint? You might become prideful, thinking you're invincible. Only a sinner? You'll live in defeat. Only a sufferer? You become a victim. But viewing all three together gives you what Tautges calls a complete biblical selfie. So today we're going to explore his book, his framework, and why it matters for anyone trying to figure out who they really are.

Nova: Before we dive into the threefold framework, let's talk about the man behind the book. Paul Tautges is a pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, and he's been in gospel ministry for over thirty years. He's also a biblical counselor and has written or edited over seventy books.

Nova: It really is. And this one, he says, is the book he's most excited about—truths that have been marinating in his soul for years. His previous bestseller was a thirty-one-day devotional called Anxiety: Knowing God's Peace, also published by P&R Publishing. He blogs at counselingoneanother. com, and his writing is shaped by decades of sitting with people in their struggles—their anxieties, their grief, their identity confusion.

Nova: That's exactly right. And his personal life reflects that too. He and his wife Karen have ten children and a growing tribe of grandchildren. This is someone who understands the complexity of human relationships, family dynamics, and the long, slow work of sanctification. When he writes about suffering, he's not being abstract. When he writes about sin struggles, he's been honest about the battle.

Nova: Yes, and Joni's endorsement is particularly striking. She wrote that Remade "has arrived just in time, given the way so many people—Christians, even—are searching for their true identity." She highlighted how Paul explains that understanding our position in Christ gives meaning and power to our struggle against sin and perseverance through suffering. Coming from someone who has lived with profound physical suffering for decades, that endorsement carries weight.

Nova: Right. Ninety meditations, each one saturated with Scripture and designed to be read day by day. It's a devotional, but it's deep. Tautges is not offering quick fixes. He's inviting readers into a sustained, thoughtful reflection on who they are before God.

Nova: Let's get into the heart of the book. The big idea is this threefold identity framework. Tautges argues that every Christian needs to see themselves through three lenses simultaneously: saint, sinner, and sufferer. He actually uses the analogy of a smartphone camera—the kind with three lenses that work together to create a sharper, more complete image.

Nova: It works surprisingly well. Tautges writes that his adult children all have three-lens cameras on their phones. One lens zooms in for detail, another gives a wide-angle view, and a third captures better images in low light. Combined, they produce a much better photograph than any single lens could. In the same way, looking at your identity through these three lenses—saint, sinner, and sufferer—gives you a clearer and more comprehensive picture of who you are.

Nova: I love that you said that, because you're not alone. But Tautges is clear: your first and primary identity as a Christian is firmly rooted in your union with Christ. Every other identity marker is secondary. He quotes Mike Emlet, who says, "Ongoing struggle with suffering or with sin must be understood in this basic context of our new identity as children of the living God. We are saints who suffer. We are saints who sin. But we are saints nonetheless at our core."

Nova: Exactly. Tautges points to First Corinthians—Paul writes to the believers in Corinth and calls them "saints," even though their lives were messy and full of problems. They were sanctified in Christ Jesus. Their standing before God was secure, not because of their performance, but because of their union with Christ. The challenge, Tautges says, is learning to practice your position—to live out who you already are.

Nova: Yes. That's why you need the second lens: sinner. At conversion, we turn from sin to Christ, but we are redeemed sinners—saints who still sin. The sinner lens reminds us that we need ongoing repentance. Biblical repentance isn't a one-time event; it's a lifestyle of continually turning from slavery to sin and clinging to Christ. Without this lens, you lose sight of your daily need for grace. But Tautges also warns: if you only look through the sinner lens, you'll feel defeated. You'll forget that in Christ, you've already been raised with the One who conquered sin and death.

Nova: It does. But Tautges makes a provocative claim here. He says suffering is actually one of the main tools God uses to work out believers' sanctification. It's a gift from God whose loving intent is to bless us even when we experience pain. He points to Second Corinthians 12, where Paul begged three times for his thorn to be removed, and Jesus replied, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

Nova: He does. He writes that God wrapped up a thorn, labeled it with Paul's name and address, and had Satan deliver it—because God knew about Paul's temptation to exalt himself. No suffering enters our lives apart from God's plan to sanctify us and remake us in his Son's image. But again, the warning: if you only look through the sufferer lens, you may fall into the crippling power of victimhood. You need the other lenses to see yourself as a sinner-saint who meets suffering with worship, actively responding to God's sovereign goodness.

Nova: That's it. That's the heart of Remade. And Tautges organizes his ninety meditations around helping readers internalize this complete picture, day by day, through Scripture.

Nova: One of the most compelling aspects of Remade is how it speaks directly into our cultural moment. We live in a time when identity questions are everywhere. Who am I? What defines me? The secular world offers answers—your identity is what you feel, what you desire, what you've experienced, how you perform.

Nova: Right. And Tautges pushes back hard against that. In his interview with Christine Chappell on the Hope and Help Podcast, he talked about how the secular understanding of identity is fundamentally different from what Scripture teaches. The world says look inward to find yourself. Scripture says look upward—your identity is received, not achieved. It's given to you by God in Christ.

Nova: That's beautifully put. And that's exactly why Joni Eareckson Tada said the book arrived "just in time." Christians are also searching, also confused, also tempted to define themselves by the same categories the world uses. Tautges is saying: no, your identity is richer and more complex than any single label. You're more than your worst sin, more than your deepest suffering, and your sainthood isn't something you earn—it's a gift.

Nova: That's exactly the kind of nuance the threefold framework provides. And it matters practically. Tautges explores questions like: how does resting in our provision in Christ as a sinner help us when we're struggling to extend forgiveness? What does submitting to our purification in Christ as a sufferer have to do with experiencing the consequences of sinful choices? These aren't abstract theological puzzles—they're real-life dilemmas.

Nova: Yes. Tautges emphasizes that identity formation isn't a solo project. It happens in community. The local church is where we help one another better understand and embrace our complete identity in Christ. We need other believers to remind us we're saints when we feel like failures, to gently confront us when we're blind to our sin, and to sit with us in our suffering. Remade is a devotional, but it's meant to be lived out among God's people.

Nova: Let's talk about the practical shape of the book. Remade is structured as ninety daily meditations. That's roughly three months of reading. Each meditation is short enough to read in a few minutes but dense enough to chew on all day. And every single one is saturated with Scripture.

Nova: Exactly. And Tautges, as a pastor and counselor, knows that identity transformation doesn't happen overnight. It happens through the slow, steady work of renewing your mind. Day by day, meditation by meditation, you're learning to see yourself the way God sees you. The subtitle isn't just Embracing Your Complete Identity in Christ—it's about discovering how grasping this threefold biblical reality centers your thoughts and affections on the Savior.

Nova: There are several powerful ones. For the saint lens, Tautges talks about practicing our position in Christ. This means learning to rest in our standing before God rather than striving to earn approval. For the sinner lens, he emphasizes resting in our provision in Christ—the gospel isn't just for conversion, it's for every day. We need daily forgiveness, daily repentance, daily reliance on grace. And for the sufferer lens, the focus is on submitting to our purification in Christ—trusting that God is doing something redemptive even in our pain.

Nova: Yes. And Tautges doesn't shy away from the tension. He quotes Second Corinthians 3:18, which says that as we behold the glory of the Lord, we are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. The key is what we focus on—who or what we behold. As we gaze on Christ, our spiritual lenses align with our threefold biblical identity. We grow in assurance, we're strengthened against sin, and we become steadfast in suffering.

Nova: It really is, and that's what makes it so powerful. The world says to find yourself, you need to look inward. Tautges says to find yourself, you need to look upward—to Christ. When you immerse yourself in God's Word, your evaluation of yourself, your sin, and your circumstances aligns with God's perspective. That's what it means to be remade.

Nova: So here's what we've learned from Paul Tautges' Remade: Embracing Your Complete Identity in Christ. First, Christian identity isn't a single-dimensional thing. It's a threefold reality—you are a saint in good standing before God, a sinner who must daily battle your desires, and a sufferer undergoing hardship that God is using for your sanctification. All three, all the time.

Nova: Third, identity is received, not achieved. It's a gift rooted in your union with Christ. And fourth, this isn't a solo journey—the local church plays a vital role in helping us embrace our complete identity.

Nova: Beautifully said, Leo. And that's really the invitation of Remade. Ninety days of meditating on these truths until they sink deep into your soul. As Tautges writes, God wants to sanctify us—to remake all believers in the image of his Son. And he uses our sin struggles and our suffering to do it.

Nova: That your identity is more complete than you think. You are not defined by your worst moment, your deepest wound, or even your proudest achievement. You are a saint, a sinner, and a sufferer—and in Christ, you are being remade.

Nova: Thank you, Leo. And to our listeners, if you're wrestling with identity questions—and honestly, who isn't—pick up a copy of Remade. Take the ninety-day journey. Let Scripture reshape how you see yourself. This is Aibrary. Congratulations on your growth!