Cultural Message: Our identity is:
- How we look
- How we perform
- The people in our lives (and how they appear and perform)
- The communities we live in
- How much money we make and the jobs we have
- Our gifts and talents
- Who we affiliate with politically
- What sports teams we are fans of
There are many things we can try to find our identity in, but all of these things will falter at some point or another. When these things falter, our identity will crumble with them. Our appearances and performances are circumstantial and will vary, our relationships may become strained at times, money and jobs also may not last forever. There is only one firm foundation to trust with our identity.
What the Bible Says:
1.) We are created by God for a purpose.
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. Then God said, "I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground-everything that has the breath of life in it--I give every green plant for food. And it was so. God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day. Genesis 1:26-31
We are created by God, in His image. We are a special piece of creation that is very good. God created us male and female and instructed us to rule over the earth and subdue it. God also created us to glorify Him. God is zealous for His glory.
Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, "Give them up!" and to the south, "Do not hold them back." Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth--everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Isaiah 43:5-7
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Romans 9:17
God used Pharaoh’s evil treatment of the Isrealites for His own glory. Even though Pharaoh’s heart was wicked and he wasn’t obeying God, he still displayed God’s glory and worthiness.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. Revelation 4:11
We are called by God’s name to bring Him glory. Our identity is in our image bearing of God and our purpose is to glorify Him.
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
2.) We are fallen creatures but redeemed by Jesus.
Genesis 3 gives the account of humanity’s fall into the sinfulness of this world. We are a fallen people and there is nothing that we can do to bring ourselves back to a relationship with God. Thankfully, God would not allow us to stay dead.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:1-10
Even though we are broken and sinful people, we can still be called children of God. When we are relying on Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins and salvation, we are made right with God and are co-heirs with Christ.
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— John 1:12
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. Romans 8:14
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2
3.) We are now strangers in this world and we need to walk in God’s ways.
After being made new in Christ, we find out that this world is hostile towards Christ. This also means that the world will be hostile towards us. Our identity still lies with Him.
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1
This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister. 1 John 3:10
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us. 1 Peter 2:9-12
So What?
All of humanity was created by God so that we can glorify Him with our lives. We were made male and female in His image to be fruitful and multiply to subdue the earth and fill it. Unfortunately, mankind fell in the Garden of Eden. We became separated from God because He can’t be in the presence of sin. We started out being very good image bearers and then fell to objects of wrath. Because of God’s great love we were able to be called children of God through Jesus’ punishment on our behalf. Now that we are called children of God we walk in this world as aliens and strangers because the world doesn’t know God, so it won’t know His children.
So who are we? We are God’s created children that are set apart to do His good works and glorify Him with our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin, and we aren’t measured by how much money we make or how we perform. Our identity is being a child of God and we now live to serve Him with our lives.