Who Am I? I. Introduction A. The great existential question of life B. Who am I? C. While closely related to other questions of meaning/purpose, "who am I" is also an attempt to ascertain identity D. What defines "us" as human beings in general? E. What are the hallmarks of my identity? How do those factors work together to constitute my whole identity? F. Let us consider the question: who am I? II. Who Are We? A. We begin by trying to establish who "we" are B. As humans, who are we? C. The "Scientific" Answer 1. We are the most advanced species in a particular line of evolution 2. Our brains have gotten too big for our own good 3. We are the product of our genes attempting to perpetuate those genes 4. Anything beyond this involves a "misfiring" of evolutionary principles D. The Bible's Answer 1. We are the creation of God the Creator, made in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) 2. We have sinned against Him, and thus fall short of His glory (Romans 3:23) 3. We therefore maintain our disfigured identity as fallen humans or seek to be conformed to the image of God in the Son to be restored to the relationship had with God in the beginning (Romans 5:6-11, 6:15-23, 8:1-10, 29, Galatians 5:17-24) E. The Bible's answer much more meaningful 1. It explains the "higher" and "lower" aspects of our identity 2. It explains our struggle within ourselves 3. It honors mankind as creatures seeking identity and meaning III. Who Am I? A. We may understand something about our identity as humans, but what about my own, unique identity? B. What is the basis of our identities-- "who am I?" C. Our names: it may say something about our origins and our parents, but others might share our names D. Our family relationships: we derive identity from our parents, spouse, children, extended family, our relationships with them E. Our friends: we derive identity from those with whom we choose as friends F. Our race/ethnicity G. Our class H. Our religious views I. Our language J. Our professions K. Our nationality/culture/society L. These days, our sexual preferences M. Even things like our sports teams, hobbies, etc. N. We do not lack identity markers O. So how do all of these identity markers end up defining us? IV. The Challenge of Identity Markers A. As we can see, there are many markers which we use to identify who we are B. They are all true of us at the same time! 1. We are our relationships with our parents, spouses, children, other family, friends, etc. 2. We are our profession, our hobbies 3. We are our race, ethnicity, class, culture, society, nationality, etc. C. There is the overwhelming reality that we cannot define ourselves equally by all measures of our identity! 1. All of us privilege certain aspects of our identity over other aspects 2. We all have a list of priorities that define what is most important to us! 3. Some "live to work"; others "work to live" 4. Some put children above everything else; others work 5. Some people see the world entirely through the lens of their nation, culture, race, class, etc., and act accordingly D. The Darker Side of Identity: Tribalism 1. Tribalism: we use identity markers to establish with whom we will associate as "us" as opposed to those whom we are not going to associate with as "them" 2. Thus, not only do we have identity markers, we identify more strongly with some markers over other markers a. There is always some level of commonality with every other human being in, if nothing else, being human! b. We automatically have commonality with half of the population based on gender c. But, based in the carnal aspects of humanity, it is easier to seek ways of defining "us" versus "them" than to figure out what is common among us all (cf. Titus 3:3)! d. Thus, when guided by that impulse, we dwell on what divides and is different rather than what unites and is common! 3. For thousands of years, identity has been used to perpetuate all sorts of divisions among humans, from social exclusion to genocide! E. So who, really, am I? And who am I supposed to be? V. Who Am I Versus Who Should I Be? A. Identity is not a "clean slate" type of thing 1. We will establish our priorities in our identity 2. If nothing else, we will find that our priorities in our identity will mirror the expectations of our family, friends, culture, society, government, etc. 3. Should we go along with that? What aspects of our identity should we privilege over others? B. Outside of God in Christ, who is to say what aspects of our identity should be privileged over others? 1. Should externals have more or less weight than internal factors? 2. Should work be privileged over family? Children over spouse? Or the opposites? 3. Who is to tell? On what basis? 4. Culture and society? The answers seem to change every decade. 5. Government? It has its own interests. 6. Family and friends? Beyond their own interests, who is shaping their priorities in their identities? C. Chaos ensues! D. Confession: humans not able to properly establish priorities on their own 1. Proverbs 3:5-8, 14:12, Jeremiah 10:23 2. Romans 3:23, Titus 3:3 3. We tend to focus on the short-term to the expense of the long-term 4. How many people have so many regrets about the past because they did not establish proper priorities? E. Therefore, we must entrust ourselves to God to establish who we should be F. God establishes what our primary identity ought to be: Servant of Christ 1. Matthew 6:33, 16:26 2. Romans 6:16-23, 8:29, Galatians 2:20 3. This is an unabashed attempt to set priorities, and God wants us to understand that if this priority is not in order, everything else suffers G. As servants of Christ, we are to understand the rest of our identity markers in terms of Christ 1. We are to understand all relationships in terms of God in Christ, and to serve God in Christ through those relationships (Ephesians 5:21-6:9) 2. We are to privilege the relationship we have with others through God in Christ (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11) 3. We are to understand that hostility is to be reckoned as killed through the cross of Christ so that we all can come together as one in Christ (Ephesians 2:11-18, 3:1-11) 4. We are to learn to appreciate the uniqueness of each person and what they contribute to the cause of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-28) 5. As we prioritize the various aspects of our identity, that prioritization should be governed by the emphasis or lack thereof regarding those aspects in Scripture, understanding all things through Christ (Colossians 2:1-10) a. Race, class, language, ethnicity, nationalism should take a back seat (Galatians 3:28, James 1:9-10) b. Relationships should take prominence (Ephesians 5:21-6:9) 6. Humility should govern the whole process (Galatians 6:3) H. As servants of Christ, we must keep in mind the distinction between where we are in our walk with Christ versus where we are heading (or "should be") 1. The answer to the latter comes more easily than the former 2. Through preaching and study of Scripture we understand what we should be 3. We should be humble servants of Christ the King, following in His footsteps, accomplishing what is right while avoiding what is wrong, showing people His way throughout (Philippians 2:1-4, Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 12:9, etc.) 4. But we humans like to idealize ourselves! a. We have mental images of ourselves that are a bit more attractive, a bit younger, a bit better off than we are in reality b. It is easy to develop the same type of mirage in spiritual terms, as James warns in James 1:22-25 I. The Problem of Distortion 1. Why is it a big deal if we see ourselves as we would like to be? 2. If we focus on the ideal, we may deceive ourselves into thinking ourselves better than we are (1 John 1:8) 3. We might delude ourselves into thinking our priorities are properly placed when they really are not! 4. We may think ourselves more righteous or less sinful than we really are and therefore do not feel the need to change a lot (cf. Laodicea, Revelation 3) 5. Such self-deception was a hallmark of the Pharisees! D. Therefore, it is quite important for us to soberly consider who we really are! 1. It is good to maintain an ideal for oneself (Philippians 3:13-14, 1 John 2:6) 2. But we must keep in mind how we really are so that we can effectively work toward that ideal (cf. 2 Corinthians 13:5)! 3. The more conscious we are of our own failings, sins, warped priorities, and tribalistic ways of thinking, the easier it is for us to remain humble and show compassion toward others and their failings and sins! 4. Titus 3:3-8! E. Therefore, we can only effectively work toward being full servants of God when we recognize who we really are! VI. Conclusion A. Who am I? What is my identity? B. I am a human being, created in the image of God, able to be reconciled back to God through Christ, constantly in conflict internally between the distorted image of reality from sin and the true image of reality in God through Christ C. As a human being, I have various identity markers rooted in my relationship with God, my family, my spouse and children, my friends, and others; I also have identity markers based on my race, ethnicity, class, language, nation, etc. D. My identity is rooted in the level of emphasis I place on each aspect of my identity, and how I look at myself and the world around me based on those emphases E. If left to my own devices, these emphases will not lead to righteous living and will lead more to finding ways to disagree and to exclude, further alienating me from not just God but also my fellow man F. It is only when I submit to God in Christ that I can find my primary identity that will lead to righteousness and life, and all other emphases in my identity can properly fall into line G. Then, and only in Christ, can we break down the hostility and alienation and learn to appreciate each as they serve the Lord H. Let us root our identity in Christ our Lord and be saved! I. Invitation