What Is Your Identity?

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20

For me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Philippians 1:21

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:2-3

There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

Perhaps you’ve heard of young adults who either drop out of college or quit the work force in order to “find themselves.” They do this, because they sense little direction in life. So they hope that some time away will help them discover who they are. Whether such quests are helpful or not is subject to debate. My concern is how this identity crisis manifests itself in the lives of Christ-followers.

There are many ways that people in general and believers in particular define their identity including such things as race, nationality, sexual orientation, gender, and more. So a person might say something like, “I’m a white person, or I’m a black person. That’s who I am.” Another might say, I’m a straight person, or I’m a gay person. That’s who I am.” On it goes.

I’m not so much concerned about the label that the person uses in the description as I am about the conclusion that is made: “That’s who I am.” That’s an identity statement. It’s saying that a particular description is the primary way a person has defined himself or herself. From that identity flows all of life, because the way we define ourselves drives our decisions and actions.

As followers of Christ, these ways of defining our identity are problematic, because they fail to take into account the difference our relationship with Christ makes in determining who we really are. For instance, Paul wrote in Galatians 2, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Again in Philippians he shared a similar viewpoint, “For me to live is Christ.” In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he would go so far as to say, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ.” Finally, there’s the seminal statement in Galatians 3 that states, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

In these statements Paul is not suggesting that these distinctions no longer exist but that they have been superceded by our identity in Christ. Therefore, I may be a white, American male, but that doesn’t primarily define me. My identity in Christ does. It becomes the filter through which all decisions should be made and actions taken. What is true for me is true for all Christ followers regardless of any secondary descriptions that could be used to define you.

This is no small thing. As I stated earlier, all of life flows from our identity. If we allow any number of distinctions to define us, they will inevitably lead to the advancement of the self. In addition our self-perceptions will be distorted causing us to believe things about ourselves which may not be true. Only through our identity in Christ are we empowered to surrender our rights, control our desires, sanctify our souls, and understand who we really are. No other identity does that. None.

I will confess that I still have progress to make in living into this reality. Every time I allow my identify in Christ to define me, my life is enriched while it blesses others and honors God. But when I allow something else to define me as accurate as it may be, all of these wonderful realities are diminished. What is true for me is true for all Christ-followers. We are first and foremost people who belong to Christ. That’s who we are.