Who Does God Say You Are?

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Identity is of primary importance in our culture. From bumper stickers declaring every little thing that makes us special to “identity politics” and social media profiles noting “I identify as…”, the notion dominates much of society. Entire movements rise and fall on the effort to define who we are, what gives us value, and where we belong. And it makes sense that a world cut off from its Creator would wonder, “Who am I?”

But for the Christian, there should be no confusion. God’s Word has spoken with unmistakable clarity about who we are. It is not an identity made up, discovered, or evolving over time. It is received, secure, and decisive. As the Bible tells us who we are, each truth reveals us with more wonder and amazement than the one before.

We are image bearers

In the very first pages of Scripture, God states in no uncertain terms what humans are.

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness’” (Genesis 1:26).

We stand apart from the rest of creation, even the angels of heaven, with the unimaginable dignity of bearing God’s very image. There is nothing like us. The vast cosmos displays His power. The intricacies of the microscopic world showcase His wisdom. Cherubim and seraphim eternally proclaim His praise. But only humanity is given the honor of bearing His image.

To bear God’s image is to be created to have a relationship with Him. It means we possess qualities unseen in any other creature that suit us to have personal closeness with the Creator of all. We aren’t a distant servant class. We were created for fellowship and friendship. Even in spite of our fallenness, we maintain a semblance of that image. This alone gives each and every human remarkable dignity and worth.

We are children

When we come to the gospel, we see humanity moved beyond being image bearers and into being children. Through the work of Jesus Christ, we are brought into a realm of honor and privilege not even afforded to the highest angels: we become members of God’s family. No longer standing outside the house, we are welcomed into the family room. No longer worshipping on the fringes of the courtyard, we are brought into the Holy of Holies. Our adoption is perfect and final. We aren’t just barely His children, tolerated in the house as long as we keep quiet and walk on eggshells. No one can look at us with a smirk, saying, “You really don’t belong here, you know.” The death and resurrection of Christ sealed us. We are truly children of God.

Paul presses this even further. “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Romans 8:15)

The language here is intentional. “Abba” is not a formal term spoken fearfully by a child to a distant father. “Abba” is the cry of a child who knows they are safe, accepted, and loved. There is no trepidation, uncertainty, or hesitance in this word. It is a word of belonging. It is astonishing that God would bring us this close to Him. For many of us, the status of an angel would have been more than enough. Yet God has brought us into the royal family.

We are heirs

Perhaps we could come to grips with the notion of being adopted by God into His family. But surely that is where God draws the line. Not so, says the Bible. Not only are we children, but we are co-heirs with Jesus Himself.

“And if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17).

This statement begins to test the limits of our understanding. Jesus is God the Son, the One through Whom and for Whom everything was made. Yet through His grace, His inheritance becomes ours.

This does not mean that we are equal to Jesus, or that His glory is diminished in any way. It means that we are united to Him, that the work He accomplished was for us, and the reward of His work is shared with us. Paul writes that believers will reign with Jesus in eternity, not as rivals but as participants: “If we endure, we will also reign with Him” (2 Timothy 2:12). The destiny of believers is active participation in King Jesus’ perfect reign over a renewed creation, for all eternity.

We are loved

By now, it should be apparent how powerful and deep God's love is for believers. Let’s examine what kind of love is given to us. On the night before His death, Jesus prayed these words:

“I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26).

Believers, through Jesus Christ, are drawn into the very love shared within the Trinity. The love that has eternally flowed between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is extended now to us. This is enough to finally silence any doubt in our minds about our acceptance before God. God loves us with a love that predates creation.

We are named

Considering our identity as image-bearers, children, heirs, and recipients of divine love, we can feel as if we have reached the mountain top. But even here, our identity takes one step further. God knows you and calls you by name.

This may be the hardest fact about our identity to grasp. But the Bible affirms that our identity is not just corporate. You aren’t just one person among many. Your identity, in God’s eyes, is deeply personal. God has gathered a people for Himself, but no one is lost in the crowd.

Jesus compares God to a shepherd who knows each of his sheep. “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (John 10:3).

Isaiah proclaims God’s own words: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

In the family of God, there are no neglected, nameless, faceless children. You are seen, known, and cared for individually. God knows us, names us, and loves us one by one.

These truths should be more than enough to anchor us in a world of constant self-definition. When confusion presses in, or temporal feelings betray us, we can hold fast to this:

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are” (1 John 3:1).

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