"Forever God had stamped upon humanity the personal pronoun mine, but Adam and Eve tried to erase the divine claim and replace it with their own possessive pronoun, ours." [1]
"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Gen 1:27). "…Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine" (Isa 43:1).
Identity is a familiar and comfortable term that is attributed to a person. No matter what your age, gender, socio-economic background, or cultural affinity, every human being has been created in the image of God. Whether our circumstances at birth were good or bad, we all have an identity based on our Creator. "God is a person with all the essential components of personality- intellect, emotion, and will. With the mind God could know, with the heart He could love, and with the will, He could choose. Man, distinct from the animals, was endowed with the essential components of personality so that he could exercise those qualities Godward: with the mind to know God, with the heart to love God, and with the will to obey God. Thus as a person man was made in the image or likeness of God" (Pentecost, 32).
Humanity was made by perfection, for perfection. However, in our pride through original sin, we distorted the image that we comprised. We continue to bear this burden. We conjure up idols in nature and motive. We lie to gain worth and demoralize others. We go along to get along. We manipulate, steal, and deceive and some believe they are good (better than the rest), and the list continues. The Bible is clear that "all have sinned," meaning all have missed the mark of God's perfect standard. "All have fallen short of God's glory" (Rom 3:23). However, there is a way to reconnect the standard humanity has lost and experience God's forever love. Perfection! No! You will never be perfect unless you realize that Jesus Christ, God's precious son, stands in the place of perfection for you. In receiving God's love through Christ, we have hope that when this life ends, we will never worry or fret again because our bodies will be glorious and forever changed! We will forever be with our Creator, our redeemer, our friend! With this said, God gives freewill to all to do whatever one chooses. In your choosing, there are natural and eternal consequences.
Identity comes in knowing your Creator. Knowing your Creator comes through trusting Jesus Christ, the perfect One, who atoned for your sins (1 John 1:9). Knowing Jesus Christ is a process. In this life, we discover who we are, how we are wired, and why we exist. The more we know God, the more we understand who He is and who He created us to be.
If you would like to know more, contact me. I am here for you.
[1] C. H. Bullock, "Ethics," ed. Tremper Longman III and Peter Enns, Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry & Writings (Downers Grove, IL; Nottingham, England: IVP Academic; Inter-Varsity Press, 2008), 194.
J. Dwight Pentecost, Thy Kingdom Come, Tracing God's Kingdom Program and Covenant Promises Throughout History (Kregel Publications, a division of Kregel, Inc., 1995), 32.