I want to start by asking you some questions: Who are you? Who am I? Who are we? If you haven’t already, these will be questions that you will ask yourself during your life.
We live in a culture in which identity is of great importance. Gender, sexuality, race, nationality, religion—all these things play a significant role in our culture’s definition of identity. But despite the culture’s emphasis on identity, why do we grapple so much with answering basic questions about who we are?
One reason is that we have forgotten the most important Biblical qualities about what it means to be human. We have forgotten our origin story.
Humanity’s Origin Story
In superhero movies, origin stories play a huge role in defining the essence of who that hero is. Origin stories normally explain how a superhero got their powers and/or what drives them to fight against evil. Whether it’s Batman, Superman, Captain America, Black Panther, or Spiderman, if you want to understand who a superhero is, you have to understand their origin story. And the same is true for us.
What is humanity’s origin story? If we can answer that question, then we can answer some of the most important questions about who we are. And we find that answer in Genesis 1.
If you read through the entire chapter, you will notice some key phrases being repeated over and over again during the days of creation. And anytime we see something repeated in the Bible, pay attention! What is repeated in the creation narrative?
- “And God said…”
- “And it was good…”
- “And there was evening and morning…”
What can we learn from these repeated phrases?
- “And God said…” – God is the creator of all things. He is the only one who created the heavens and the earth. No other god was involved in the creation process. This declares God’s sovereignty and his omnipotence, meaning he is all-powerful. Only he had the power to create everything.
- “And it was good…” – God made all things good. So, when we think about all the things that God made, we need to remember that he made everything good. This includes us. When God had finished creating human beings, he called it “very good.” So, when we talk about the ways in which God made us, when we talk about our created identities, we have to remember that the way he made us is good and expresses his glory.
- “And there was evening and morning” – helps divide and frame the different days in Genesis 1
So, what can we learn about our identity from Genesis 1? There are 3 identities that we can glean from the text.
Identity #1 – Created Creatures
Our first identity is that we are created creatures.
Since God is the creator of all things, that also means that he created humans as well. We are finite, created from the dust of the earth. This is attested to from beginning to end of Scripture:
- “So God created man in his own image…” (Genesis 1:27)
- Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. (Genesis 2:7)
- “Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)
- “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:11)
And if God creates us, then that means who we are at our most fundamental level is determined by God our maker and creator, not by us. Because we are created by God, God defines who we are and God defines our purpose and meaning in life.
This leads to an important principle about our identity: The most fundamental parts of our identity are given to us, not created by us.
This flies in the face of everything our culture tells us.
For instance, our culture tells us that you must find yourself or discover your identity and who you are. Certainly, while there are some parts of ourselves that we discover or figure out in our lives, the most important things about us are already given to us by God and are things we have no say in and no control over whatsoever:
- Image Bearer of God
- Male/female
- Race/Ethnicity
- Parents & Family Lineage
- Where you are born
- When you are born
All these qualities are integral parts of our identity, yet are not determined by us and are outside our control.
Our culture also tells us that you must create your own identity and make yourself in whosever image you want. However, we can’t remake ourselves into an image of our own choosing because we are already made in God’s image.
Lastly, our culture tells us to look within to find out who we are and that we are defined by how we think or feel about ourselves. Unlike what culture says, our identity doesn’t come from looking within ourselves, it comes from looking outside ourselves to God.
Our identity as created creatures is perhaps the most difficult for us to accept because:
- It goes against the grain of culture where self-determination of our identity is so highly prized.
- It requires us to humbly accept the given realities of who we are. This can be especially difficult because so many of us struggle to accept the way that we’ve been made. Maybe we don’t like the way we look. Maybe we don’t like the gender we are. Maybe we don’t like the race/ethnicity that we are. But the fact that we are created by a good God means that we have to accept the way he created us because we cannot change the most fundamental aspects of who we are. We don’t have that power.
- Ultimately, it requires us to surrender our pride and our desire to be in control.
As Christians, we must accept and believe the given realities of who we are—those things which are created by God. God must be the anchor and source of our identity.
Identity #2 – Image Bearer of God
Our second identity is that we are image bearers of God.
Genesis 1:26-27 is one of the most important passages in the Bible about our created identity. Let’s read it together.
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Being created in the image of God is our primary identity as human beings. And it is what sets us apart from all other creation like animals. It is the highest compliment that God can give to his creation.
But you might be wondering – What does it mean to be created in the image of God? Let’s talk about that.
The Bible doesn’t exactly answer what the image of God is, but it gives us some clues about what it entails or implies for humanity. In other words, being made in God’s image is not only connected to our identity but also to our mission and purpose.
We get some clues by looking at Genesis 1. Throughout the creation narrative of Genesis 1, we see God create the heavens and the earth out of nothing, and then organize the entire cosmos and everything on earth to bring forth order and flourishing and goodness.
Now, look again at Genesis 1:26. Right after God says he will make man in his image, he says to let them have dominion over all the animals. In other words, what God just did on a large, macro scale, he wants us to do now on a micro scale here on earth. Of course, unlike God, we can’t create things out of nothing merely by speaking, but we can help continue the order, flourishing, and goodness that God already established.
Now, look at verse 27. Again, God says that he created us in his image. This time, though, it is closely connected with our identity as male and female (more on that shortly).
In Genesis 1, we see our primary identity of the image of God being connected to our ability to have dominion—to perpetuate and continue the order, flourishing, and goodness established by God—as well as the fact that God created us male/female. In Genesis 2, we see how Adam lives out this identity of being created in God’s image by naming the animals, working and keeping the garden, and marrying Eve.
So, while there’s a lot of mystery surrounding the image of God, it seems deeply connected with humanity’s identity and purpose.
Jesus as the true image of God
We also get a clue about what it means to be created in God’s image by looking at Jesus.
Colossians 1:15-16 says,
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Jesus is said to be “the image of the invisible God.” Notice, however, a crucial distinction. Jesus is not said to be “in” the image of God like us. He “is” the image of God.
Only Jesus, who is fully God and fully human, can be said to be “the” image of God. He is the eternal Word, God, who was made flesh (John 1:1-3, 14), and only he can be the perfect image of God because he is both God and man. As Hebrews 1:3 says, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power…”
In part, that’s why when Jesus says to Thomas, “If you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.” (John 14:9). Jesus is the image of God, so to see him is to see God perfectly represented, and that’s exactly what Jesus did during his earthly life.
We, on the other hand, are made “in” the image of God. We can never “be” the image of God because we aren’t God.
This difference is subtle but important. It might be similar to the difference between seeing a picture of someone versus seeing them in person right in front of you. A picture can tell you some things about the person, but unless you meet the person and have a relationship with them, you will never fully and truly know and understand who they are.
So, if I had to give a definition of what it means to be created in God’s image, it is that we are meant to “image” or mirror God on earth—in other words, we are created to uniquely reflect and represent God on earth. Because we are made in God’s image, we can reflect God’s character and represent him to the world around us. By doing this, we can bring glory to God in a way that only people can. All of creation glorifies God in its own way, but God reserves the special honor of being created in his image to humanity—people like you and me.
Being created in God’s image gives our lives the highest purpose and meaning imaginable. It’s who we are and what frames everything we are made to do.
Identity #3 – Male/Female
The last part of our identity that Genesis highlights for us is being created male and female. Look again at Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
We see this testified throughout Scripture. Just a few chapters later in Genesis, we see this reaffirmed again:
Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. (Genesis 5:2)
Even Jesus, when he was discussing marriage and divorce, reinforces the male/female binary of Genesis.
“But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’” (Mark 10:6) [Jesus] answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? (Matthew 19:4-5)
The meaning of male and female
When the Bible is talking about being created male and female, it isn’t talking about our modern notion of gender identity of whether you feel male or female. In fact, that concept would be completely foreign to the Bible. When the Bible talks about being created male and female, it’s talking about our bodies. And that’s where we need to take our cues from when we have conversations about gender.
Our gender, just like our ethnicity and our age is connected to our bodies and the way that God made us. According to the Bible, our “gender identity” is derived from our bodies, not our minds.
How do I know? Look at what the Bible says:
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…” (Genesis 1:27-28)
Now, without being too crass, I’ll just say that being fruitful and multiplying (having children) is directly connected to the physical process of sex, a process that is deeply connected to our bodies and requires both a man and a woman to accomplish.
But look at the next chapter when it talks about how maleness and femaleness is lived out within the context of marriage
Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:23-24)
Notice all the body language (bones, flesh) present in these verses. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul also understood Genesis 2:23-24 as referring to the very real physical realities of our bodies. When discussing sexual immorality, Paul says,
"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, 'The two will become one flesh.'" (1 Corinthians 6:15-16)
Our body is the core of our male and female identity. The way God made us in our bodies is what defines our gender, and it forms the basis for what the Bible says about sexuality. Sexuality isn’t primarily about who we are attracted to, but about how we live out our maleness and femaleness, especially in the covenant of marriage.
Likewise, our gender isn’t defined by our psychology, what we think, or how we feel, but by our bodies. It isn’t our feelings or desires that define who we are, but the way God created us.
Again, this is the complete opposite of what our culture says. What you’ve probably heard all your life is that it is how we feel that defines who we are, especially when talking about homosexuality and transgenderism. That’s why we’ve adopted the language of “being” gay, straight, bi, queer, trans, cis, etc. But we have to understand that such things do not define who we are and should not be a part of our identity.
And let me be clear about one thing. If you find yourself feeling uncomfortable with your body or your gender or think you are a different gender, or you have sexual desires that don’t align with the Bible says is good, I understand that you didn’t choose to have those things. But also understand that just because you didn’t choose to feel that way, that doesn’t mean that God made you that way. Everyone experiences desires or feelings that don’t align with God’s will for our lives, and sometimes, those desires and temptations don’t always diminish or go away. Through God’s grace (and though we aren’t perfect), he calls us to be able to boldly fulfill Jesus’s command to die to ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him (Matthew 16:24-25).
Feelings don’t define who we are
Don’t let your feelings and your desires and your temptations define who you are. If we do, the logical progression of that kind of thinking doesn’t always stop with gender and sexuality. If we apply that same logic to other human qualities besides gender, it’s much easier to see the flaws. Let me give you some real-life examples of this.
1. Race/Ethnicity
What would happen if we could be any race or ethnicity that you genuinely felt like? Well, one woman, Rachel Dolezal, did just that. Through a series of tanning and hair treatments, though she was white, she actually passed as a lighter-skinned black person, to the point that she actually became the chapter president of an NAACP in Washington. But then some people found some old photos of her, and controversy erupted.
Listen to what she says about herself. “I feel that I was born with the essential essence of who I am, whether it matches my anatomy and complexion or not,” says Dolezal. “I’ve never questioned being a girl or woman, for example, but whiteness has always felt foreign to me, for as long as I can remember. I didn’t choose to feel this way or be this way, I just am. What other choice is there than to be exactly who we are?”
Sound familiar? That’s the same logic used by transgender activists. If our feelings about ourselves define who we are, then who’s to say she’s wrong?
Another prominent example is Oli London, a YouTube influencer. Growing up, he says that he struggled with bullying because of his weight, leading him to hate his body and go down the path of plastic surgery. Seeking salvation through plastic surgery, he continued modifying his body into his ideal, which was to be a Korean, and then a Korean woman. He went through 32 surgeries to achieve the way he says he felt on the inside.
But it was his experience of being loved at a Catholic church that helped him to see that true self-acceptance meant accepting the way God made him, not trying to make his body match his feelings. He has since stopped seeking surgery and is striving to live as he was created to be.
So, the absurdity of “my feelings define who I am” is more easily seen when we apply it to race and ethnicity. But what about something else like age?
2. Age
A Canadian man who was married with seven kids left his family to fulfill what he said was his true identity as a six-year-old girl. And another couple actually informally adopted him and allow him to live in their home and live out what he says is his “true identity.”
Emile Ratelband, a 69-year-old from The Netherlands, sued to legally lower his age to 49 to improve his employment changes and so that more women would go on more dates with him. His reasoning? “You can change your name. You can change your gender. Why not your age?”
Again, if feelings are all that matter, who’s to say that they are wrong?
3. Animals
Here are news articles about people identifying as animals, all on the basis of feelings.
- The US Sun: I identify as a cat, wear a tail and ears each day – my boyfriend puts me on a leash and thinks it’s cute.
- The Daily Mail: Transgender man identifies as a DOG and says chasing sticks and playing on all fours has brought him closer to his husband
- Grabien: Girl says she’s a non-binary bird because birds don’t inherently have a gender
Again, if feelings are all that matter, who’s to say that they are wrong?
4. Fantasy Characters
Some people identify as fantasy characters and believe that they are things like minotaurs or elves.
5. Objects
Some people even say that they identify as non-living things like clouds or other objects.
Conclusion
I want to be clear: I’m not showing you these news articles to make fun of these people. Even with all the confusion they struggle with, they are still image-bearers of God worthy of dignity. In fact, it’s because they are image bearers of God that these things are so tragic.
I’m giving you these real-life examples to demonstrate that if we let our feelings be the thing that controls our identity, then it can quickly spin out of control. If my body doesn’t define who I am, then not only can my gender change, then so can my race, my age, and even whether I’m human. Don’t fall for that trap.
Again, I want to say that if you struggle with gender dysphoria or don’t feel at home in your own body, just know that God loves you. God loves you just as you are, and because he loves you, he also doesn’t want to leave you just as you are. That’s true for all of us. He wants us all to embrace the identities he created us with.
Don’t fall into the trap of trying to change your body to match your feelings. Look to God, who is the only one who can change our hearts. He doesn’t promise us that all of our temptations will go away now, but he makes life here and now worth living. And he gives us eternal life to look forward to, where all sin and brokenness and confusion will be done away with. That is the hope we have in Christ.
Identity #4 – Christian/New Creation
Although it’s really important to look at creation and the way God made us in order to know who we are, the most important identity you can ever have is the new creation of our spiritual identity, the one connected to Jesus and the gospel – that is, our identity as a Christian.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul says,
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
That phrase “in Christ” is the Bible’s way of telling us that we are Christians, that our salvation and identity is in Christ. When we look at the gospel message, we also see an interesting progression of identities.
- In the beginning, when God created humanity, he created us in his image. We are image-bearers of God.
- But humanity sinned, and because of the judgment we deserve from sin, the book of Ephesians calls us children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) who are under God’s judgment.
- But praise be to God, he saved us through Jesus and his perfect life, death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, and ascension to the Father to sit at his right hand. Because of the work that Jesus did, we can become children of God through faith in Jesus. We become part of God’s family. We can be “in Christ.” We can be Christians.
And the joyful news about that is that, in Christ, our sin and our brokenness no longer define who we are. The same is true for anyone reading this.
I am not my sin.
I am a Christian.
I am who God says I am.
Let’s live out our true identities.