The Importance of Identity
November 4, 2021 • by Matt Lantz
“Who are you and what are you doing here?”
That was the question the Jewish Rabbi heard booming at him from above. Startled, he realized he hadn’t been paying attention to where he was going. He had wandered directly into a Roman encampment. And Roman encampments in the 1st Century were not hospitable places for Jewish rabbis.
He loved the question though.
Quickly, he gathered his thoughts and said, “How much do you get paid?” Answering a question with a question was one of his favorite rabbinical techniques.
Puzzled, the Roman guard shouted back defiantly, “I make 2 denarii a day; what is it to you?” He hoped it would help shoo away this Rabbi and his silly question.
The Rabbi was unphased. He stared up at the Roman guard without missing a beat and plainly, yet firmly, said, “I will pay you twice that amount if you come to my house, stand outside my door, and ask me those two questions every single day.”
***
The Rabbi in this parable is wise. He realizes the world is already asking him those two questions every single day anyway. And he also knows if he leaves his home without a confident and specific answer to those questions, the world will fill in the blanks for him.
That’s why he was willing to double the Roman’s salary: if he starts each day remembering who he is and what he is doing here, he won’t get pushed around by his circumstances, his feelings, or the world he lives in. He will stay true to his purpose and faithful to his calling.
That sounds nice, doesn’t it? Wouldn’t it be great not to be haunted by feelings of inadequacy? Wouldn’t it be thrilling to live with a strong sense of purpose and direction each day? What kind of joy would we have if we knew we were living exactly how the Lord wanted us to be living in every moment?
It sounds nice.
But it’s not usually our reality. And, frankly, it feels unrealistic; impossible.
“Who we are is not a matter of choice; it is a matter of design. ”
A Matter of Design
Why? Because most of us have found the answer to those two questions by looking at other people around us and trying to find a good way to fit in with them and feel normal. We take our cues on who we are from what other people tell us to be (or what we think they want us to be). We find our sense of purpose from what we think will distinguish us and make our lives more meaningful.
That’s the tyranny that happens when the world answers those two questions for us.
The truth is, who we are is not a matter of deep introspection, thoughtful choice, or strong effort. It’s not derived from a trend, what’s popular and normal, or what we think will make a difference in the world.
Who we are is not a matter of choice; it is a matter of design.
Who Are You?
As followers of Jesus, we believe God is the designer of humanity and we are his creations. As such, we also believe he has handmade each of us for good works that he has purposed for us to be and do (Eph. 2:10). God, as our creator, is the only one who is qualified to speak with authority about our identity. If we listen to him, he is answering those two questions for us.
He says that we are his children (Rom. 8:17), aliens and strangers in this world (1 Peter 1:2), who are loved by God (Jer. 31:3) and chosen to be his people (John 15:16). He designed us with purpose (Eph. 2:10), loves us even though we sin against him (1 John 4:10), and has made us his new creations in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). As his people we are holy and set apart (1 Peter 1:15), ambassadors of his Kingdom (2 Cor. 5:20), and proclaimers of his Gospel (Matt. 28:19-20).
Those are just a few of the foundational elements of how God helps us answer the question, “who are you and what are you doing here?” These identity statements help us understand who we are as Christ-followers, they unite us together as a community of believers, and they give us common mission and purpose.
“We can learn about our specific design through the spiritual gifts, special talents and abilities, life experiences, and personal relationships that God has used to shape who we are. ”
How Are You Designed?
Even though all those statements are true of every Christian, we don’t all answer the questions, “who are you and what are you doing here?” the same way. God did not mass produce us to all be the same; he has hand-crafted each of us and, therefore, made each one of us unique. So, in addition to knowing what God has declared about who we are as Christians in general, we also must seek to understand how God has designed each of us specifically.
So how do you do that?
In the same way a duck understands its purpose by how it’s designed with wings, webbed feet, and a bill, we too can learn about our specific design not just by how our physical bodies are designed, but also through the spiritual gifts, special talents and abilities, life experiences, and personal relationships that God has used to shape who we are.
For example, if you have the gift of mercy, if you are incredibly talented at organizing information and tasks, if you have a college degree, if you have a passion to help people who have been marginalized, if you yourself have experienced homelessness, and if you have friends in your life who are telling you that you are good at helping others, then you could put all of those elements together prayerfully to understand that God has designed you to be an advocate who does for others what they cannot do for themselves.
You don’t have to be like the mom who has a Bible study ministry in her home and knows how to speak Hebrew. You don’t have to be like your sister-in-law who feels called to share the Gospel in countries where it is not welcome. God designed them differently than you. You should be and do what God has created and designed you to be and do so that, together, we can complement one another as we live out our identity and embody the words and work of Jesus as members of a local church (1 Cor. 12:4-26).
“Who are you? And what are you doing here?”
The answers to these two questions aren’t up to you to decide, but they are yours to discover. Identity is not an achievement; it is a gift we have received from our creator and designer. God has already spoken the answers to those two questions over us. It is our responsibility to discover and realize that design and become the woman or man from whom the good works he has prepared for us to walk in naturally flow.
That’s why the Rabbi wanted the Roman outside his door every day. It wasn’t because the Rabbi didn’t know who he was or what he was supposed to be doing. It was because he didn’t want to forget what God had said about him. He wanted to find freedom from the tyranny of performing for others, freedom from being pushed around by his circumstances and emotions, and the simple joy of doing exactly what God designed him to do.
Matt Lantz is a husband, father, and pastor who lives in Fort Worth, Texas with his wife and three children. He’s a graduate of TCU and Dallas Theological Seminary and has been working in full-time ministry since 2000 preparing the way for the Lord Jesus in the lives of men and women. Matt was the founding director of a discipleship program called the Forge at Pine Cove where he spent 12 years helping young men and women learn their identity and steward it well. These days he is serving as the West Campus Pastor for Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth, TX.
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