Why is identity so important to us? Why is it we are unable to rest until we know, “who am I?” Maybe you can relate to a period of questioning your identity in your journey of life. Many have longed to understand “who am I” and what am I going to do with my life.

This questioning often begins as a teenager. Even those raised in the church begin to question, what they have believed and what their identity in Christ really is? Have you experienced the feeling of dissatisfaction with your life? Feeling like you were missing out on something? The testimony of many who were confused about “who am I,” caused them to start looking in all the wrong places and listening to the wrong voices, to “find themselves,” their identity, “who am I.”

Maybe you can relate, along the way your true identity in Christ got foggy as you followed paths and people that looked promising but led to disappointment. Maybe you chased after a promising career, success, good friends, and a lot of fun, but in the process experienced a whole lot of pain.

In this state of confusion and hurt you no doubt felt your life was spinning-round and round and your search was getting you nowhere that you wanted to be. You may have found yourself broken and desperate, feeling empty and alone and searching for the God of your childhood to find relief.

The question, “Who am I?” is one of personal identity. Who am I = what is my identity? The “answer” to “who am I” is our identity. “Who am I?” gets at the heart of one of our most basic needs: our need for identity. Everyone searches the whole of their life to know their identity, it is a God-given desire to know, and we will not experience peace until we understand who we are. Human beings were intended by God to know their identity. It grounds us. It gives us confidence. And our sense of identity affects everything in our lives – from the choices we make to the beliefs we live by. Although everyone agrees identity is important, not everyone agrees as to how to find it or what it is.

Humanistic Psychology suggests that our identity should be seen as an ongoing process. Rather than a static snapshot, we should embrace a sense of self, where we are perpetually re-thinking and re-making ourselves. They propose, that instead of asking yourself, “who am I,” we contemplate who we want to be. This perspective is humanism, the Big Lie.

The uncertainty of not understanding “Who I am” produces a sense of inadequacy in many people. As a result, many have sought to find their identity in personal abilities, for others their personal associations form their identity, many Americans have looked to their personal possessions (materialism) to determine who they are, but all of these are related to what you have rather than defining who you are. We might say that seeking after these things enhances a person’s individuality.

Every person is distinctive and unique. We are not carbon copies of each other, we do not think the same or act the same. Even when we become Christians, we still maintain personal individuality. God created us with diversity. “Variety is the spice of life.” We have differing personalities, and each of us have idiosyncrasies, our own peculiarities.

Still others answer the question of “who I am” by social identities. Social identities are labels that people use to categorize or identify themselves. Some common social identities include generation, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, political affiliation, relationship status, profession, and socio-economic status. Social identities are shaped by society.

The false theory of “personal resource” is that man is a self-sufficient, self-producing, self-achieving being, an “independent self.” However, there is no such thing as “personal resource.” It is a lie! The Evil One suggested, “You, too, can be like God” (Gen. 3:5), introducing the lie that man could self-determine good and evil apart from the character of God. Fallen man has accepted the humanistic delusion that man can be his own god, and therefore, has been susceptible to many false theories of identity.
God created man as a derivative and dependent being, always to be reliant on the Spirit of God by faith. What does determine the Christian’s identity – “Who am I?” It might be better to ask, “Who determines who you are?” When you were born into this world you were born spiritually dead. You were born “in Adam.” You were a “child of wrath,” connected to Satan. A sinner by birth, condemned. With no rescue, you would be destined for hell, and an everlasting existence apart from God.

But God! God made a way out. As a Christian, you have been crucified with Christ, taken out of Adam and born anew – born from above into Christ’s life. That is the miracle of your second birth! No wonder Jesus said, “Marvel not that I say unto you that you must be born again.”

By virtue of your second birth, you were rescued. Col. 1:13 for He delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son. A new identity in Christ.

Who did it? HE did it! What determines identity? The kind of spirit that you are joined to determines “who you are” but what determines that? One word. Birth determines identity! Christ! The Christian’s identity is established in identification and union in Christ. The Christians identity is only in Christ.

What is the takeaway? Knowing “who I am,” I may now, REST, live in PEACE and receptively walk by faith.