This is Who I am: Understanding Identity

Why is it important to know our identity? Moreover, if God doesn't create our identity, then who or what will?

If someone asked you, "who are you?" What would you say? Most of us might answer with what we do for a living, that we're a husband/wife, or give some cool nick name that our friends gave us. So, honestly, how would you answer that question?

Answering this question, in whatever your answer is, is vastly important for all of life. Proverbs 27:19 gives greater insight, "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man" (NIV). This verse shows us that our "heart" (identity) impacts all of life. Our identity, like the heart, is the control center for all of life. It becomes of critical importance to know our identity because it is the control center for our life.

Scripture shows us that there is a direct parallel to our identity (the core of who we believe ourselves to be) and the actions that we choose to take in life. Jesus illustrates this further by saying, "A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions (Matt 7:17-20). There is a direct correlation and consistency to our identity and our actions. 

God's Identity vs. Our Identity

This brings us to the next question, if God does not create our identity, then who or what will? There are only two main options of who can construct our identity: 1) God, or 2) people (i.e. ourselves, our community, or other people). Let's compare to get a clearer picture:

God’s Identity	Our Identity
Built on eternity	Built on earthly things
Eph 2:6: Seated in heavenly places with Christ	Matt 6:19: moth and rust destroy
1 Cor 6:14, 2 Cor 4:14; Rom 8:11-14: We will be raised up with Christ	Psa 49:6-20, 52:5-7; Pro 11:28: Riches of man will fail
Matt 7:24-25: A house built on a rock	Matt 7:26-27: A house built on sand

This comparison reveals that an identity built outside of anything other than God himself is an identity that will perish. The only identity that can surpass, or exceed, what anything of this world has to offer is the identity we can find in Christ. Any belief, or life, that we try and build outside of Christ simply will not endure into eternity.

A Life Outside of God is Lost

As we said in our YouTube video, a people who do not know themselves in Christ are a people who are lost. In the video we explain how the younger son in Luke 15 tried to create an identity and find himself in worldly things. Eventually, he was left lost, poor, in slavery, and with no place to belong. 

The younger son attempted to build a life outside of where he was supposed to be (with his father) and only found himself in a place he never belonged in the first place. Likewise, we too can build an identity for ourselves outside of where we belong (with God) and end up becoming someone or find ourselves in a place we were never meant to be, only leaving us feeling more lost. There came a point in the younger son's life that he realized he did not have a place to belong because he chose to build a life outside of his identity as his father's child (Lk 15:15-19). 

This story of the younger son is meant to illustrate for us that: 1) building an identity outside of Christ only amounts to vanity, 2) those who are lost do not have a place to belong, and 3) the Father has a place for us to belong in his house and is willing and ready to reveal our identity to us. 

Not All is Lost 

We mentioned in our video that we too had times of rebellion that left us feeling lost, but that is not the end of the story. We too, like the younger son, found God to be a loving Father read to restore our identity and place of belonging in his house. More of that to come later...

So, why is it important to know our identity? It is important for two reasons: 1) so that we do not rebel, and 2) so that we know that we belong in Father God's house. Those who know themselves in Christ will not take the same tempting action as the younger son and try to construct their own identity outside of Christ, leaving them broke and destitute. Rather, those in Christ understand that they belong in the Father's house and live in a secure sense of identity as God's child.