Who Does God Say I Am? Discover Your True Identity

Who does God say I am? For someone who struggles with identity, it’s a question that is not asked enough. If you’re like me, the good news is I’ve saved you some time and effort in figuring it out. But before we dive in, I wanted to give a little context for why this post exists.

For a long time, and I’m sure I’m not alone in this, identity was changeable. It was not this firm foundation that I could be sure of. When I thought of identity, of who I am (or was), it had a lot to do with where I’m from, my nationality; I thought my future career would be my identity. When I was a student, that felt like it was my identity. Every time I thought I had a grasp on it, it would slip through my fingers. It got to the point that I had what I call an identity crisis at least once a month, where I would end up in tears.

All these things I based my identity on are part of me, but not my identity. They are just what I was doing or where I lived, not what makes me who I am. No wonder it felt like the ground was shifting beneath my feet. But now that I know better, I can build my identity on a firmer foundation.

“Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go.” Psalm 71:3

God is our rock of refuge where we can always go; He is our Creator. It is from God that our identity comes, and in Him we can always trust. God gave us our identities, and we need to remind ourselves occasionally who He says we are.

Who does God say we are?

Scripture is not vague in its description of who God says we are. God tells us who we are clearly and repeatedly.

Chosen

“For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” Ephesians 1:5

God says we are chosen. Before the world existed, He knew we would. Our existence is not an accident or a coincidence; it is intentional. We exist because God wants us to and because He has a purpose for us.

Loved

“The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3

Not only are we chosen, but we are loved. This is a repeated theme throughout the Bible; in fact, it is the main theme. God loves us so much that He sent His son, Jesus, to us (John 3:16), to teach us and be a living example of how we should live and ultimately die for us, taking the punishment for our sins. This is a love that is freely given and cannot be earned. It is God’s nature to love.

Forgiven

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

In God’s love for us, He forgives our sins if we are humble enough to confess and ask for forgiveness. We don’t need to wallow in guilt and shame anymore. We can walk free in the knowledge that our Father is merciful and has forgiven us. He doesn’t hold our sins against us anymore because we are forgiven.

Redeemed

“In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace.” Ephesians 1:7

We are also redeemed in God’s eyes. On the cross, Jesus took our place; the pain He suffered was meant for us. Where His blood flowed that was meant to be ours, but He took our place to fulfil the Father’s promise that we may live with Him in Heaven. And because we are redeemed, we are set free from the sins of our past. Now only Jesus defines us, and in Him our souls are restored.

A New Creation

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus restores our souls because thanks to His sacrifice and resurrection, we are new creations. From the moment we accept Him as our Lord and Saviour, we are no longer who we were but have been made new by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit lives within us, giving us new life (John 3:3-5), guiding us and teaching us. The Spirit helps us to walk in faith and leave the past behind.

God’s Workmanship

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

God says we are His workmanship. He created us with intention and care. As Psalm 139 says, He knitted us in our mother’s womb. Each of us exists in our uniqueness because we were crafted by God’s hands with purpose. And with that same intentionality, He gave us purpose and good works to complete.

Adopted

“The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; but rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.” Romans 8:15

We are children of God, adopted into His family through Jesus. We are sons and daughters of the Most High, co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). As children of God, we inherit eternal life from our Father through Jesus once our time on this earth is over, and we can approach God with confidence (Ephesians 2:18). We belong to His family forever!

Set Apart

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

As children of God, we are to be set apart. We are called to be different from the world so that through us, others can see God and may come to know Him just as we did. We are to pursue lives of peace and holiness that stand out from the chaos and sin the world lives in. We are God’s witnesses, His messengers on the earth to share the gospel and by both our words and actions testify to God’s glory.

Strengthened and Equipped

“I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13

God never leaves us; He is with us at all times – leading us, comforting us, disciplining us. In all our struggles, He is with us, strengthening us in our weakness. Our Father may not give us what we want, but He will always provide what we need. He knows what is best for us, and sometimes that means we face hard situations that make us ask where He is. But it is only in discomfort that we grow, and God knows we need to grow in order to mature our faith.

God’s Temple

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Jesus paid the price for our freedom with His life. His blood for ours, so we were released from death’s grasp, because the punishment for sin is death. So when we accept Jesus as Lord and the Holy Spirit enters into us, we become temples of the Holy Spirit.

God’s presence is inside us; therefore, our bodies are sacred. To be sacred is to be set apart, which God says we are. In this context, it also means to be dedicated to God. We are called to be set apart from sin, dedicated to God’s glory and pure in heart and action. We do this by honouring God with our bodies by striving to live holy lives.

Light in the World

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Matthew 5:14

God says we are light. We carry His presence into the world, radiating light into the darkness around us. We stand out as witnesses to His goodness and glory. We reflect God’s character in the flesh. Others see God through us in our words and our actions. We shine by living holy lives, sharing God’s love and serving others.

Image-Bearer

“So God created mankind in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27

God created us in His image, according to His likeness. He designed us to do many of the things He can do, like see, hear, think, and speak. This means we reflect who God is in nature and purpose. We were created for relationship with Him, meaning we were made to be a living reflection of His heart and respond to His love.

Being made in God’s image means our worth is rooted in God, the one who made us and whose image we bear. Each of us reflects God in different ways.

We reflect God’s character in creativity. He gave us the ability to build, write, and design. He blessed us with imagination and inspiration. Like God, we reason, we love, we know the difference between right and wrong. We reflect His character as we care about the environment and seek to do what is good. We can also develop aspects of God’s character, including holiness, love, goodness, justice, mercy, grace, faith, patience, wisdom, and truth.

Being made in God’s likeness means we represent Him, embody His character, share His goodness, and use our gifts, time, and influence effectively, as we shine His light in the world. It means we are restored into His likeness through Jesus and are renewed in knowledge, transformed in character, and become more like Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18).

To be made in God’s image is to be created to reflect His character, relate to God intimately, and represent Him in the world, and through Jesus be restored fully into His likeness.

So who does God say we are? He says we are His – loved, chosen, redeemed, empowered and created to reflect Him. We are made with intention, and we have purpose, but that’s for another post. Stay tuned to find out what God says our purpose is.

Have you ever struggled with your identity? Let me know in the comments if this post helped you.

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