Many years ago, a group of psychologists asked people to write down twenty statements in response to the question “Who am I?” Children tended to say things like “I am a girl/boy”; “I am ten years old”; “I am blonde”; etc. Adults were more inclined to include things like “I am a teacher/manager/secretary”; “I am a mother/father/daughter/son”; “I am a good friend”; etc. Children were more likely to answer the question “Who am I?” in purely descriptive terms, while adults’ answers were more in terms of social roles and relationships.
If we were to consider who we are as followers of Jesus Christ, what sorts of things could we say? Do we appreciate all that we have as a result of being children of God? Do we really know the difference that following Jesus makes to our identity?
Here are three of my answers to the question “Who am I?”
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I am a child of God (John 1:12). This reminds me of the great price he paid in order to bring us into his family. That price was the blood of Jesus and shows that he thought we were worth dying for. This demonstrates we are valuable and precious to him.
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I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20). This confirms that we belong to God for all time and eternity. This gives us security.
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I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). This indicates we are significant to him and gives purpose to our lives.
When we realize that our identity lies not primarily in what we’ve done, but in what Jesus Christ has done for us, we’ll begin to appreciate how valuable, secure and significant we really are.
Many Christians are living in defeat and not enjoying all God has for them because they don’t know who they are. Perhaps negative events in their past have eroded any sense of self-worth they might have had. They blame themselves for any rejection they’ve experienced and believe if they could only perform better or please a particular person more, they could earn acceptance. Other think their value or self-worth can be measured in terms of successes they’re already achieved. Isn’t it good to know that, as followers of Jesus, our value is not determined by what we do or don’t do, but is based on what God has done for us: he has rescued, redeemed and forgiven us (Colossians 1:13, 14), and we are complete in him (Colossians 2:10).
Likewise, our security doesn’t depend on what other people do or say about us. If we are genuine believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, then our security is non-negotiable. We are completely free from condemnation (Romans 8:1) and nothing can ever separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:38, 39).
A lot of Christians are also unclear about their purpose in life and often measure their significance in terms of temporal goals, for example, marital status, work promotions, bank balance, etc. However, these things don’t define who we are, nor do they give us the purpose for which we were created. Have you ever considered that one of your purposes in life is to bear witness to Jesus (Acts 1:8) while another purpose is to live as God’s co-worker (1 Corinthians 3:9)?
We can spend our whole lives standing in front of the mirror, looking into our own eyes and asking, “Who am I?” but never receive an answer. But, a few minutes spent looking in the mirror of God’s Word gives us the clearest possible picture of who we are. That’s because it’s written by the One who knows us perfectly: our heavenly Father.
(Taken from "Equipped to know who you are", May 2009, ©
Equipped for Living)