Question 1

On what should I base my identity?

Accepted Answer

Genesis 1:27God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.Psalm 8:3-8When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge of everything you made, putting all things under their authority—the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents.Psalm 139:13-15You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.Ephesians 2:10We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.We must base our identity on the truth that we are made in God’s image. We were created on purpose by God for a special purpose in his world. It is impossible to understand our identity without understanding the identity of the good God who made us. And God created us all, specifically, and for a purpose. We are all precious and valuable in his sight.John 3:16“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”Romans 5:6-8When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.1 John 4:9-10God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.We should base our identity on the truth that God loves us and sent his Son to die for us in order to establish an eternal relationship with us.Colossians 3:12Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.1 Peter 2:9You are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.1 John 3:1See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!Though our identity involves our origins and associations, it also involves things that we learn. Children often reflect their parents’ appearance, personality, or mannerisms. But they also learn by imitating what they see, for better or worse, and make it their own. When we embrace our identity as children of our heavenly Father, we learn to reflect his character: his mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and so much more!Romans 8:15-17You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.1 John 3:2Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.We are tempted to measure our value on the basis of performance or other external measurements. But our identity is rooted in the fact that we are created in God’s image and loved as God’s children. These truths should affect not only how we view ourselves, but also how we view the people close to us.1 Corinthians 12:12-18The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it.1 Corinthians 12:27All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.Galatians 3:28There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.Having an identity as God’s child naturally means having an identity as part of his family, the church. The early church experienced many challenges. People who previously had nothing in common were suddenly joined together, and conflicts did arise. Despite that, members of the early church loved one another deeply, even making significant sacrifices of time and resources to care for one another. Their identity together in Christ was far more important than race, gender, social status, or anything else. Your identity in Christ is most fulfilled and complete when you are engaging with your eternal family, the Body of Christ.John 13:12-15After washing their feet, he [Jesus] put on his robe again and sat down and asked, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”Jesus calls us to follow him—to build our identities around his identity. Central to Jesus’ calling on our lives is his call for us to love and serve each other. Many in this world set out to build their identities on roles that promise power, comfort, and material success. Jesus, on the contrary, calls us to be servants, no matter what our profession or calling may be. If we claim to follow Jesus, serving others must become an important part of everything we do.2 Timothy 1:7God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.1 John 4:15-18All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.Peace, clarity, confidence—everyone going through an identity crisis longs for these qualities or character traits. When we realize how much God loves us and trust him completely, we will experience these things in full. But a full identity—even an identity in Christ—does not become complete in a day. John says that “as we live in God, our love grows more perfect.” Search the Scriptures and you will find people who doubted, fell into temptation, and suffered. But that wasn’t the end of their stories, and it need not be the end of yours, either. Keep living in obedience to God, even when you are afraid or in doubt, and he will give you more and more reasons to trust in his love.Romans 6:1-4Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.Galatians 2:20My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.Baptism is a choice to identify ourselves with Jesus—in his death and in his resurrection. When we identify with Jesus in his death, we are acknowledging the weight of our sins against God and others; we are accepting Jesus’s sacrifice for our sins; and we are choosing to die to our old life of sin. When we identify with Jesus in his resurrection, we are making a public statement that we are not just leaving an old life—we are living a brand new life! Now, we are living a life defined by our love for God and our desire to follow him.

Question 2

What might keep me from finding my identity in the right things?

Accepted Answer

Luke 5:31-32Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do. I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”Romans 3:23Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.Romans 5:12When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.Romans 7:21-25I have discovered this principle of life—that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God’s law with all my heart. But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.1 John 1:8-9If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.Understanding our identity requires acknowledging the dark and ugly things about ourselves as well. We cannot be saved if we deny our need for a Savior. We cannot be healed if we deny our need for the Great Physician. Admitting our sin before God and choosing to follow Jesus is the only way to be freed from sin’s shadow—and to embrace our identity as God’s children.Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”Matthew 6:31-33“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God* above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”Matthew 13:22“The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.”1 John 2:15-17Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world. And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who does what pleases God will live forever.Each of us has needs and desires. We get hungry. We get cold and need clothes and shelter. We long for sex. We need money to provide for many of our other needs and wants. We want to accomplish things about which we can be proud. These are normal human desires! However, if we allow such fears and longings to grow out of control, they can crowd out our love for God. Imagine your identity like a garden. A garden is nurtured and cared for so that specific plants will grow and others will be kept in check. Part of having a stable identity as God’s child is choosing which desires to allow to grow in the garden of our heart. We want our hearts to be fertile soil for God and his love—not crowded with the thorns and thistles of lust, greed, or pride.Romans 8:15-17You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.Philippians 4:11-13I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.Hebrews 12:2-3We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up.It’s easy to allow our circumstances to influence our identity. Success can bring pride, while struggles and suffering can bring doubt. A healthy, biblical identity is not grounded in changing circumstances, but on the One who never changes. We serve a God who endured many sufferings, griefs, and hardships for our sake. When we face similar trials, we can face them with a steady confidence—not because of our own strength, but because of the strength of the One we follow.1 Samuel 16:7The Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”Proverbs 31:30Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.Jeremiah 9:23-24This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!”Luke 12:21“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”Wealth, attractiveness, power, intelligence—all these things are limited and can be lost in an instant. Each is a fragile foundation to build our identity on. When we are given these qualities, we are often tempted to trust in them, even though they are not a solid foundation.Proverbs 15:31If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.Mark 15:15So to pacify the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.Galatians 1:10Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.Philippians 2:3-5Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.Humility is a crucial piece of a healthy identity. It is not the same as low self-esteem. Low self-esteem leads to despair, and it leaves us desperate for the approval of others. It has the same root as pride—that is, selfishness. In contrast, humility is selfless. When we are humble, we don’t worry about appearances, and we easily accept constructive criticism. Still, humility does not make us pushovers. Those who are truly humble can be motivated by love for God and others, not a fear of public opinion. If Pontius Pilate had been humble, perhaps he would have stood for what was right instead of caving in to the pressure of the crowd.

Question 3

What keeps me from resting in my identity with Christ?

Accepted Answer

Ephesians 1:4-5Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.Your identity is not something you earn through performance, approval, or success. Before you ever accomplished anything, God chose and adopted you through Christ. Rest comes when we stop striving to prove our worth and remember that we are already worthy because we belong to Him.1 John 3:1See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him.Romans 8:1So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.Shame and guilt often keep us from resting in Christ. But because of Jesus, condemnation no longer defines you. When accusing thoughts rise up, remember that your standing before God is secure through Christ.Luke 10:38-42As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me." But the Lord said to her, "My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her."Galatians 1:10Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ’s servant.The pressure to please others can distract us from resting in who God says we are. Our identity becomes unstable when it depends on the opinions of people. True peace comes from knowing we are already fully accepted by God.Colossians 3:2-3Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.Fear, comparison, and worldly expectations can pull our focus away from Christ. But our true identity is not found in status, appearance, or achievement. Our real life is securely hidden with Him.Psalm 139:13-14You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.Philippians 3:8-9Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith.Philippians 4:11-13Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.Contentment is not found in perfect circumstances but in the steady strength of Christ. Paul reminds us that whether we have much or little, our identity and security remain rooted in Jesus. When fear, comparison, or striving steal our peace, Christ provides the strength we need to rest in Him and trust that He is enough for every season.

Identity