Identity

Let me start off with a question: who are you?

That’s a funny question, if you pause to think about it. If you walked up to someone on the street and asked them that question, how do you think they would answer? They’d probably start off by telling you their name and where they’re from, or something like that, right?

But think about it. That doesn’t really answer the question. Sure, I can tell you my name (Chris) and where I’m from (Columbus, Ohio), but that doesn’t really tell you anything about who I am; it just tells you what you can call me and where you can find me. If you want to find out who someone actually is, you’ve got to go deeper than just names and places.

The truth is, I can give you my height, weight, hair color, occupation, and even my life history. But all of those things only describe me; they don’t tell you who I am, and we really aren’t much closer to finding out how to answer the question, who are you? Who am I?

You may be surprised to find that at least one person in Scripture had to answer this same question, and he certainly didn’t go about it in the conventional way. In John 1, we read about an interaction between some Jewish priests and John the Baptist. Now, John had been going around Israel, preaching repentance and baptism for the forgiveness of sins; the Bible tells us that he was actually preparing the way for Jesus to fulfill His own ministry. The Jews didn’t yet know about Jesus, but they did know that they ought to be expecting God to send them a Messiah, whom they hoped would set them free from the oppressive rule of the Romans, and they were hoping that John might actually be that Messiah. The story picks up in verse 19:

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" And he answered, "No." So they said to him, "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said" (John 1:19-23, ESV)

Do you notice anything strange here? Take a moment to see if you can find anything, and then keep reading.

Okay, time’s up. What’s so weird about these verses? Well, the Jews are asking John the question, “who are you?” Okay, that’s not too weird. Lots of people ask that question all the time. What’s weird is how John answers it: he doesn’t. Instead of telling the Jews who he is, he tells them who he’s not: “I am not the Christ.” The Jews aren’t satisfied, so they keep asking: “Are you Elijah?” “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” “No.”

At this point, the Jews are clearly a little bit confused (I would be, too); this mysterious guy isn’t answering their question! Instead, he’s just said, “Nope” three times in a row. Weird.

So the Jews pull out all the stops: "Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"

This time, John finally answers them, but he does it by quoting a Bible verse from Isaiah: "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord,' as the prophet Isaiah said." What’s amazing about this response is that John defines his own identity in terms of who Jesus is and what He came to do.

He’s saying, “You want to know who I am? You want to know what my identity is? I’m the one who’s making a way for Jesus. My identity comes from Him. I don’t define myself by my name, or where I live, or what school I go to. I don’t define myself by who my parents are, or where I work, or what I’ve accomplished. I define myself by who Christ is, and what God’s Word says about who I am.”

For followers of Christ, this is how we answer the question of who we are. It’s not about us. This life is not about you, or me, or anyone else. It’s about Christ. You want to know who I am? Look to Christ. I am who He says I am, and who His Word says I am. I live for Christ and I die for Christ. I abide in Christ, and He abides in me. My identity is found in Christ.

So now it’s your turn: who are you? If you’re a follower of Christ—you guessed it—your identity is found in Christ. Not what the world says about you. Not what your friends say about you. Not what your past says about you. You are what God’s Word says about you. You might be wondering, well, what does God’s Word say about me? I’m glad you asked. Here are some things that Scripture says about you if you are a follower of Christ:

-You are loved. (Romans 5:5, 1 John 3:1)

-You are forgiven. (1 John 1:9)

-You are victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57)

-You are being conformed to the image of Christ. (Romans 8:29)

-You are free from sin. (Romans 6:20-23)

I could keep going, but you get the idea. If you belong to Christ, this is who you are.

If you don’t know Christ, then many of the things that I’ve said don’t apply to you. But here’s the good news: they can. Right now, you can make the choice to find your identity in who Christ is and what He did for you.

Step 1: Admit that you’re a sinner.

Step 2: Believe that Jesus died to pay for your sin.

Step 3: Confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and receive Him now through prayer as Lord and Savior.

Part of confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior means choosing to find your identity in Him. It means acknowledging that He is in charge of your life, and the One who is responsible for saving you. By choosing to accept His payment for your sin, you are choosing to believe that this life isn’t about you; this life is about Jesus.

So, back to my original question: who are you? How would you answer that question, given what you know now? What does God’s Word have to say about you?

For myself, my name is Chris, and I’m a follower of Jesus Christ. It’s nice to meet you.