Blog

by Katie Erickson

Who are you?

You may answer that question in a variety of ways. The simplest way is to give your name, but there are many other ways we share our identity and answer the question of who we are Perhaps you identify yourself with your employment or career: I’m an engineer, a teacher, etc. Perhaps you identify yourself with your role in the family: I’m a mother, a father, a grandparent, etc. Perhaps you identify yourself with your current role in life: I’m a student, a homemaker, etc.

While all those things may be true about us and they do form a part of our worldly identities, everyone who is a believer in Jesus Christ has an identity much greater and more important than that: I am a child of God, loved by Him.

Around 6-7 years ago, the church I was attending at the time spent months focusing on how we can fully grasp that identity while living in this world. While it was impactful for me at the time, I don’t think I could have gotten through the major life transitions I’ve had over the past year without that foundation of my identity rooted in Christ. I do a lot of different things in life and I have a lot of titles, but only one actually matters: I am a child of God, loved by Him.

Where does this idea come from? There are 5 key Scripture passages that build the foundation for this identity in Christ, which is who we are as believers in Jesus. Note the phrases that I have bolded in each passage.

Genesis 1:27: “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

1 John 3:1-2: “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. 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.”

Ephesians 2:8-10: “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.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-18: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

Colossians 3:1-4: “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”

Each of us has been created in the image of God. We share some (not all) attributes with the almighty God of the universe! We were created with souls and the free will to choose to love God (or to reject Him). He has created us to be His children, whom He loves with unconditional love. There is nothing we can do to make God love us less, and there is nothing we can do to make God love us more.

We will be like God one day; we will never BE God, but we will be like Him when we join Him in heaven for all eternity. He chose to save us and give us the gift of His grace, which we accept through faith. He created us as His handiwork, and then when we as humankind sinned and separated ourselves from God, He redeemed us through the sacrifice of Jesus and made us a new creation in Him.

Our life is hidden with Christ in God. While the things of this world matter while we’re in this world, the significance of our lives is not in what we do but in who we are: we are children of God. It is His working in our lives that matters, and how we are obedient to what He calls us to do.

While these ideas may be somewhat easy to grasp intellectually, it’s another matter to fully grasp them to the core of our being. How do these truths play out in daily life?

The main impact of these truths is how we see ourselves, which then flows out to how we relate to others. My value as a person is not in what I can accomplish but in who I belong to; I am a child of God. My identity as a person is not in the roles I have in this world; I am a child of God. My purpose in life is not to do what I want to do or to be successful financially; I am a child of God, loved by Him, so my purpose is to be obedient to my heavenly Father.

If we truly believe these statements, then we will be secure in our identity in Christ no matter what happens to us in this world. We will still face difficulties in this world, whether as a consequence of our own actions or as a consequence of living in a broken and fallen world, but our attitude in facing those difficulties will be totally different. Nothing in this world can change who we are in Christ! Losing a job, being bullied or called terrible things, the breaking up of a family, serious illness – nothing can change the fact that I am a child of God, loved by Him.

Our identity in Christ and who we are is not based on circumstances. It is based on who the eternal God is, and He never changes. No person in this world can change who you are in Christ, no matter how much influence they have on your life.

If you are not a believer in Jesus, then you may not yet have this identity, but it is available to you! Just as is written in Ephesians above, this is the gift of God. God’s grace allows us to have faith in Christ, and that is when we are able to start fully grasping this new identity.

Who are you? You are a child of God, loved by Him.

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