Having the right sense of identity is crucial to our lives. Our sense of identity guides our choices in life and is vital in living our lives to achieve or fulfill purpose.
Moses was born as Hebrew but was raised as an Egyptian Prince. He could have continued living in Pharaoh’s Palace as royalty as he grew into adulthood, but he recognized his true identity as Hebrew. This led him to fulfill his divine purpose in the emancipation of his people from their slavery in Egypt. Can you just imagine how different the whole of the history of the Israelites would have been if Moses did not recognize who he was?
Consider also our Saviour Jesus during His walk here on earth. Scripture records in John 6:14 & 15 that the people wanted to make Him an earthly King by force but He refused to bend to their wishes because He had an unshaken understanding of His true identity. Even John the Baptist who had been given a visible sign affirming Jesus’ identity as the Son of God began questioning whether Jesus was truly the Messiah at some point in time (Matthew 11:2-6, Luke 7:18-23). Jesus was firmly rooted in His sense of identity and that led Him to the Cross at Calvary where He purchased our everlasting freedom and eternal redemption. I shudder to think of what would have happened if by any chance, Jesus had become confused about His identity. We would have remained in our sins, hopeless, godless and eternally doomed!
Common Sources of False Identity
Unfortunately for man, since the fall of Adam and Eve, we have continually looked outside of God for identity. People rarely turn to God for the answer to the question that plagues the human mind “who am I?”. The following are some common sources of false identity:
1. Physical appearance: Many people derive their personal identity only from their physical appearances and they go all out of their way to meet acceptable standards in their culture. Some young men would go to any length to develop well-toned muscles while some young women make huge expenses to modify their skin colour or even alter their body shape with a view to project themselves in a way that is acceptable.
2. Performance or achievements: Many individuals derive their identity from their performance or achievements in different areas of life and this is where their value is found. Such people will always search for something to excel at to show superiority over others. This often results in individuals who are so focused in only such areas that they become shallow and isolated. Academics, athletics, job performance and personal achievements then become their only focus. If, however, anything goes wrong they then view themselves as failures which may lead to depression or states of emotional imbalance.
3. Possessions: Many people derive their identity from their material possessions. This has been described as an “I am what I have” mentality. Many people own possessions that project their desired images. In fact, many people purchase items not out of need but to gain status among their peers. For such people, the brand they wear, the logo on their shirts, the shoes they wear and cars that they drive make them who they are. This usually produces people who are driven to obtain the best possessions among their peers and many times such people could go to any length to get these possessions. Eventually for such people, life will be full of greed, worry and jealousy of others’ belongings. In addition, any minor change in their financial state will almost completely erode this foundation. Scripture teaches us after all: “…one’s life is not in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15)
4. Past or prevailing circumstances: Many individuals derive their identity from either past events or current circumstances in their lives. Usually it is based on their interpretation of those events but such mental or psychological constructs are firmly rooted in people’s minds. It is very likely for instance that someone who perhaps failed academically at different times in the past would begin to carry a label of “failure” and perhaps adopt that as a personal identity. We find such an example in the life of Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law, who adopted a new name (Mara) to reflect the bitterness of the events she had been experiencing (Ruth 1:20 & 21).
Each of these common false identity sources or bases can be easily affected by any change in the life of the individual. All 4 described above are based on factors that are constantly changing. It means therefore that if we develop an identity based on them, it will be an unhealthy identity as it will always be changing. It will be an identity based on a weak foundation, not a solid foundation.
God Wants Us To Have The Right Sense Of Identity
God however, desires for each of His children to have the right sense of identity. He wants us to know and be assured of our true identity. His desire is that we are not confused by the perceptions from the culture around us or the deceptions of the devil. Our true identity is found only in our Creator. All through His dealing with people recorded in Scripture for us, God acted at different times to ensure that His people had the right sense of identity. Let us consider the following examples of such instances:
Abram and Jacob: In earlier dispensations, people’s personal names were sometimes descriptive of the circumstances of their conception or birth and at other times their names were reflective of their future endeavor or unique personality traits. Many times in those dispensations, people’s names became representations of their identity. God gave Abram and Jacob new names to emphasize to them their true identity. To Abram God gave a new name Abraham (Genesis 17:5) because He wanted Abraham to start seeing himself indeed as a father of many nations and to Jacob He gave a new name Israel (Genesis 32:28) so that Jacob would no longer see himself as just that serial deceiver who perennially schemed his way to his achievements. Their new names-Abraham and Israel were symbolic of the new identities that God wanted them to have.
The nation of Israel: 400 years of slavery in Egypt must have deeply damaged the mentality of the Israelites. They had never personally known any freedom, maybe some of them would still recollect stories passed down from previous generations of how they initially came to Egypt as free men and women. However, for that generation, the only identity they had was that of slaves. So, after Moses led them out of Egypt God made sure He told them about their new identity:
“...you will be My own possession out of all the peoples..., and you will be My kingdom of priests and My holy nation” Exodus 19:5 & 6 HCSB
They were no longer slaves, they were now to be God’s own special people, His treasured possession. That was their true identity and He made sure He communicated that to them.
Subsequently after God had established them as a nation in their own land they regularly displayed their rebellious nature towards Him, many times disobeying His commands. Because of their disobedience, they often went through times of tribulation. In some instances, they were invaded by foreign armies and taken into captivity in distant foreign territories. In each tribulation they went through, God always raised a Prophet to whom He gave specific messages reminding the people of their identity as His special possession. One of such Prophets was Isaiah:
“Indeed your husband is your Maker-His name is Yahweh of Hosts-and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth. For the Lord has called you, like a wife deserted and wounded in spirit, a wife of one’s youth when she is rejected, says your God.” Isaiah 54: 5 & 6 HCSB
Jesus Christ: In the life our Lord, there were specific events in which God gave public affirmations of Jesus’ true identity. At His baptism in the river Jordan by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:16 & 17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21 & 22) and also at His transfiguration (Matthew 17: 5), a voice from Heaven proclaimed Jesus as the Son of God.
In the same way, even today, God keeps affirming to His children our true identity. Our true identity is not earned but received from God. Your true identity is not about what you do, how you look, what you have or do not have, or what other people say about you. Your true identity is in who God has made you and how He sees you. Your true identity is not based on feelings but on spiritual facts and realities. This true identity of God’s children is clearly elucidated for us in the Scriptures and confirmed to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The link below is to a Youtube video that introduces us to the reality of our identity in Christ.
To be continued…
