Take Back Your Identity

In 1964, 16-year-old Frank decided he wanted to do his own thing. Since Frank looked much older, he took out his license, altered his age to 26, and ran away. That day marked the beginning of a 5-year journey of forgery and fraud that took him to 26 countries and all 50 US states. Frank impersonated his way around the world, cashing over 2.5 million dollars in fraudulent checks. Frank pretended to be a college professor, an airline pilot, and a doctor until French police finally caught him. 

Frank had an identity problem—and so do we. But our problem is not just that we want to be someone other than who we are, and our problem is not just that we see ourselves differently from the world—our identity problem is that we see ourselves differently than God sees us. If the truest thing about us is what God says about us, but we see ourselves differently than He does, it’s a problem! This mistaken identity is the root of all insecurity and pressure to be someone other than who we are.

This tendency to see ourselves differently than God sees us is a problem that goes back to the beginning of creation. If we are going to see ourselves as God sees us, we need to understand these three truths: 

1.) God Created Us in His Image

“Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:26-27 

Genesis One is the story of how and why God made everything, and it’s also the story of how and why God made us. If we want to see ourselves as God sees us, we must understand how and why God made us. The word "image" used in Genesis is translated from the Hebrew “tselem,” meaning, "shape, resemblance, figure, shadow." We were created to resemble our Father in Heaven, and we were made to reign. If we ever wonder what this looks like, we can look to Christ. Colossians 1:15 describes Jesus as the visible image of the invisible God. 

2.) Shame Clouds Our True Identity 

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.” Genesis 3:4-7

When Adam and Eve believed the serpent's lies, they began to question their identity. This identity crisis led to sin, which opened the door for shame. The truth is, we weren’t meant to be God. We were meant to be image-bearers, sons, daughters, and ambassadors—but not God. Disobedience will only cover us with layers of shame and cloud our true identity. 

3.) God Wants to Restore Our Identity in Christ

“So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death (in Adam), now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 5:21

Inside a relationship with Christ, we discover (or re-discover) who we were created to be—our true identity. Our real identity is not found in sin or disobedience. It is not found in doing our own thing. It is not found in the law or a list of rules or regulations. It is not found in trying to be someone that we’re not or trying to look at or act a certain way. Our true identity is found in grace. It is found in what Jesus did for us and our relationship with Him.

For more Take Back Your Life Series resources, click here.