Finding our Identity in Christ - Part 1 of 3

Our identity is basically a combination of how we define ourselves to others, along with who others would say that we are. Another way to think about our identity is our “self-worth.” We each have a separate sense of “self” and a sense of “worth.”

Our self is the “durable core” of who we are in all of the various roles that we have in our lives - husband, wife, parent, student, worker, friend etc… That “self” travels with us in all of our roles and defines the core of who we really are.

Our sense of worth is what makes us feel significant and confident of our value as a person. The combination of our sense of self and worth make up our identity.

We attempt to form our identities in one of two ways. First, we may try to create one ourselves and project it outwardly for the world to accept. This approach is very common today because current culture embraces radical individualism. There is complete freedom to be whomever one wants to be. All of this freedom is not necessarily bad but it can go to a bad place --- especially if we attempt to create our own core identity. Let’s look at a few reasons why:

1. It would be an untrustworthy identity – Our feelings & desires cannot always be trusted - they often conflict with who we want to be and who we are. We have good and pure desires and we have impure and selfish desires marked by greed, jealousy etc..…

2. It would be a changing and unstable identity – It wouldn’t be a “durable core” that stays with you all of the time. It’s always evolving as you move through life from your teens, to 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s. School, career, relationships, physical features all change over time so an identity that is tied to any of those is unstable.

3. It’s an illusion – We attempt to create an illusion that we want everyone else to see. This identity is not based on the feelings and desires that you always have but those that you want to show others.

4. It’s a huge burden to have to create and manage an identity – You have to create a persona and a dream and then go live up to it and try to prove who you are. Social media fuels this with the added pressure of “status anxiety” by trying to create the ideal identity for everyone to see and approve of.

•5. It requires relativism for us to feel good about our own identity. It’s not enough that we feel good about what we have created but also how it measures up to others. My illusion vs. your illusion.

The idea of creating our own identity clearly has a lot of flaws. The other way to form an identity would be to “receive” one from somewhere outside of ourselves and adopt it as our own.

Ephesians helps us determine the right path:

Ephesians 4:22-24 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

As Christians, our identities are to be “received” - not “achieved.” We receive the name of Christ in calling ourselves Christians and “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” There is no pressure in having to create something that we have to try to live up to every day. An identity in Christ is stable, unchanging, not an illusion and can always to be trusted. Doesn’t that sound like a better than trying to do it ourselves?

Stay hungry,

Big E