Identity

Our true identity is this: we are children of God.

Greg Williams, President
Steele Creek, North Carolina, US

Identity comes from the combination of qualities, beliefs, personality, looks, and expressions that make a person — or a group — who they are. There are many forces that shape how identity is understood and defined. Os Guinness, in his book The Call, observes:

Only when we respond to Christ and follow his call do we become our real selves and come to have personalities of our own.

The Call is one of those classic books I return to from time to time. As I’ve been rereading it, I’ve felt moved to share some reflections — both Os’ and my own — on identity and calling.

There are many fluid forces at work that shape us throughout life. At each stage, we are formed and changed. Among these influences are responsibility, freedom, genetics, and ultimately, Jesus Christ.

Responsibility

From early childhood to adulthood, life places increasing demands upon us. Each stage brings new expectations. We often call this “the circle of life.” Over time, these experiences leave their mark and influence how we understand ourselves.

Our identity is shaped not by responsibility itself, but by how we respond to it. What we learn, how we grow, and how we endure challenges matters. As the saying goes, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”

Freedom

We live in a time that celebrates self-invention. The message is clear: be who you want to be — and expect others to affirm it. In the West, we enjoy enormous freedom of choice and expression. Yet no matter how much effort we invest in constructing a self-image, identity is ultimately more socially bestowed than self-made.

Perhaps what is said at our funeral is the most honest summary of who we were. While the call to freedom sounds liberating, it can easily lead us to live outside our true identity.

Genetics

Our DNA, family of origin, culture, and historical moment all shape us profoundly. While we may resist these influences, the combination of nature and nurture is powerful. At times, it can feel as though we have little say in who we become.

Jesus Christ

The true self is found in relationship with our Creator. The irony is striking — many are confident in themselves while remaining uncertain about God. What if the certainty of our identity was placed in the God revealed in Jesus? What if this was the starting point?

The apostle Paul addresses this clearly in Philippians 3. Though he had every reason to find his identity in lineage, achievement, and religious devotion, he counted it all as loss compared to knowing Christ. Being found in Jesus — not status, works, or causes — became his defining reality.

A common mistake that I have observed with well-meaning people is that they get impassioned with a cause and then attempt to attach Jesus to the cause, rather than start with Jesus and become aligned with his purposes. Better to join Jesus than to hijack him for our perceived priorities.

As Paul writes in Galatians 2:20, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

Our true identity is this: we are children of God — God in us, through Christ, by the Spirit. When we live from that reality, everything else finds its proper place.

It is always me in Christ, and Christ in me.