The last couple of decades, we have seen an influx in conversations about understanding our identity and our worth in Christ. There are probably hundreds of resources that go into scriptural truths about who you are and whose you are – and knowing these truths is essential. But today, I’d like to present a new perspective on how you get to the point that you no longer just know “who you are and whose you are” but that you actually walk in that identity with confidence.
Let’s start at the very beginning. In the beginning, God created mankind (Genesis 1:27). Why did He create mankind? Isaiah 43:7 says “for I have created him for my glory.” Colossians 1:16 says “all things were created by him, and for him.” Isaiah 43:21 says “the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.”
You may be wondering why I didn’t list out the dozens of scriptures that indicate mankind’s mandates to multiply the earth (Genesis 1:28), preach the gospel (Mark 16:15) and do good works (Ephesians 2:10). That’s because there is a fundamental difference between our purpose and our mandate and to confuse the two can be detrimental to our identity. Each of us has a specific mandate on our lives that aligns with God’s ultimate mandate to mankind while on this earth. However, our purpose – the core reason we were created – was not to just do God’s work, it was to praise Him and give Him glory. Our worth and our identity is directly tied to what we believe at our core is our purpose.
It’s easy for us to put the ultimate emphasis on being “good little Christians” on our holiness. We think that if we obey all God’s commandments then we are at our best. Inversely, this causes us to believe that the worst thing we could do are clear acts of disobedience – murder, adultery, lying, fornicating, etc. However, when we peel back all the layers, that logic lends itself to the belief that we were created to be holy. And although holiness is something that God desires from us – it’s not the reason mankind was created. Rather, holiness is the path to praise – for without holiness, we cannot fully experience God’s goodness, give Him praise or glorify Him with our lives – and that is the ultimate purpose of our existence.
So then, if the core of why we were created is to praise God and glorify Him with our lives, then it could stand to reason that the worst thing we can do as a Christian is complain. Let that possibility sit for a moment.
In our society as a whole and as individuals – especially In the last couple of years – the emphasis in our thoughts and actions has largely been consumed by the complaints of what we lack – what we lack in possessions, in rights, in appearance, in worth, etc. We can see the consequences of ungratefulness in our declining mental health.
If your lips are more filled with complaints and negativity moreso that God’s praise, I’d venture to say that you are probably also questioning your worth and identity. No matter how well you know the facts of who you are and whose you are; until your life is filled with praise, you will only be trying to convince yourself of your worth and identity rather than walking in it.
Like most things in scripture, the road to victory seems counter-intuitive to what culture teaches us and the road to complete security is no different. You cannot walk in confidence in your worth by building yourself up. You can only walk in confidence in your worth by building God up. We spend too much time declaring truths over ourselves in an effort to be more confident in our worth and not enough time declaring truths of God’s goodness.
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20) – the only way to “know your identity in Christ” is to be less focused on who you are and more focused on who God is. “He who boasts is to boast in the Lord” (2 Corinthians 10:17) – the only way to know your worth is to declare God’s worth. To do the opposite through complaining about yourself and your situation will strip you of your identity and your worth. We were created to praise God – so your praise is your identity and without it, you have nothing.
