IDENTITY IN GOD ’ S STORY , CHARACTER , AND SON
The Christian is to live with a God-defined , Jesuscentered , gospel-driven identity . Any other source and any other identity are false and lead to a faulty way of living . Our ability to navigate all the world ’ s messages is tied to our understanding of who Christ is and who we are as a result . Only as we understand our life in God ’ s larger story of redemption will we begin to live God-honoring lives as imitators of Jesus Christ .
Who I am is rooted in these three areas , and only in the context of these themes will our identity make sense :
God ’ s Story
The Christian narrative , specifically salvation and judgment , establishes our identity in Christ as part of a new humanity . Those who come by faith to know the Lord Jesus Christ are incorporated into the life of the church as a foretaste of the fullness of life in Christ that will be fully known in the kingdom to come . The Bible describes our identity in straightforward terms — we are lost , dead in our sins , and the very enemies of God . But thanks be to God , we are not left there . The Gospel of Jesus Christ declares salvation and redemption to all who believe in Him .
Creation : I am created . I am not God . I am dependent . I am not self-sufficient . I am human . I am not an animal . I am created in God ’ s image . I have value and dignity , not because of what I do , but because of whose I am .
Rebellion : I am sinful , corrupt , depraved , blind , and lost . I am not good by nature or spiritually alive . I crave glory that does not belong to me . I am not the center of reality . Sin makes us glory thieves . There is probably not a day that goes by where we do not plot to steal God ’ s glory in some manner . We need help because of the sin we commit and because of who we are . Sin is our heart ’ s desire for something or someone other than Christ .
Salvation : I am saved . I am not a child of wrath . I am a son of God . I am Satan ’ s enemy . Christ broke the power of sin over me ( Rom . 6:1-14 ), but the presence of sin remains . I am an adopted child of God and a follower of Christ .
Restoration : I will be made new . I will have a new home . I am not made for this world . I have a purpose in this life . I am God ’ s ambassador and His steward in this world , working for His good and glory in all that I do .
God ’ s Character
We receive our identity from God . It is the divine that defines . Who God is determines who I am . The way our children get their identity has everything to do with God and nothing to do with them . He calls us out of darkness , He loves us , He possesses us , and He sets us apart as holy ( 1 Peter 2:9-10 ). God gave us our identity by virtue of His irresistible call . Therefore , we cannot understand who we are until we understand who God is . When we finally realize that God is holy and we are not , that is when God ’ s identity becomes our identity through faith in Jesus Christ .
The Christian self is not defined in terms of who we are in and of ourselves . It ’ s defined in terms of what God does in us and the relationship He creates with us . As Christians , we cannot talk about our identity without talking about the action of God in us , the relationship of God with us , and the purpose of God for us . Identity must be God-centered , not self-focused .
God ’ s Son
Identity is simply an understanding of myself in relation to Christ and living out this gospel reality . This is why we can say that the most significant quest is to ground ourselves in the gospel and to teach our children to do the same . Our lives are either shaped by indulging the sinful nature or by abandoning ourselves to the sovereign grace of God . When identity is sought internally , it leads to confusion , selfishness , and sinfulness . When identity is pursued externally in Christ , self is defined by another and rests on what Christ did and who He is , not on our accomplishments , failures , preferences , or character .
There is much talk of self-identity and self-esteem . These notions must be rejected as these aspects of personhood can only exist apart from Christ . The only individual who needs self-identity is the person who has no identity in Christ . The apostle Paul reminds us , “ to live is Christ .” Identity is always rooted in Jesus and is Christ-centric , not mancentric . Our identity is correctly captured when our gaze is fixed on Christ . Our self-focus and self-centeredness must be confronted at their roots .
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF OUR IDENTITY ?
Our identity is not an end in itself , but for the sake of service to the King ( 1 Peter 2:9-10 ). God made us who we are so that we might proclaim the glory of who He is . Our identity is for the sake of making known His identity . We are given our identity so that God can be seen in us . Therefore , being a Christian ( our identity ) and making God ’ s greatness known ( our purpose ) are closely tied to one another .
Who we are is for the sake of God . God made us who we are to show the world who He is . One ’ s identity in Christ radically redefines one ’ s agenda , values , priorities , passions , and purposes in life . Ultimately , the Redeemer lived , died , and rose again so that we would no longer live for ourselves but for Him and His glory ( 2 Cor . 5:14-15 ). ■
Dr . Josh Mulvihill is the Executive Director of Church and Family Ministry at RenewaNation . He served as a pastor for nearly 20 years , serves on the board of Awana , and helps to provide leadership to the Christian Grandparent Network . He holds a Ph . D . from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary . He is the author of Biblical Grandparenting , Biblical Worldview , and 50 Things Every Child Needs to Know Before Leaving Home . Josh is married to Jen , and they have five children . Josh blogs at GospelShapedFamily . com .
RENEWANATION . ORG 25