Adventure Quest #1: What is My True Identity?

Adventure Quest #1: What is My True Identity? 

To Quest (a very active verb): To engage in a long, difficult and adventurous journey that requires hard work in order to achieve a worthwhile goal or a valuable possession; to give oneself to a focused search, a single-minded pursuit, that frequently involves challenges, exploration, and personal growth; to invest personally in a prolonged endeavor in which the process is just as important as the product; to engage in a mission or expedition in an extensive search to discover something important.

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness… So God made man; in the image of God He made him; male and female He made them.”(Genesis 1:26-27).

The Foundation of Our Self-Identity. When God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…,” to whom was God speaking? Let’s assume that God wasn’t speaking just to hear Himself talk. Was there anyone to talk to at that early stage of creation? One Hebrew scholar suggested that this was a “general hint of a distinction in the divine personality.” (Zodhiates). Notice too that God is using plural pronouns like ‘Us” and “Our,” as well as “image” in the singular. Multiple People holding one image… What else could that point to but an early reference to the Holy Trinity? In creation, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were working on a group project. So, when God spoke, there was indeed someone listening. The Father was speaking to the Son. When God said to make man in divine image, the Father was suggesting to the Son what the next step in creation would be. It appears that when the Trinity created mankind, they already had within them a prototype… Jesus the Son. Yes, when man was created, God had Jesus in mind. Why? Because Jesus was the perfect image of God for all eternity, the exact representation of God, the divine likeness of the Father (2 Cor. 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb. 1:3). So Christ is the image in which man was made. Man and woman were created in the image of Christ. Both genders are gifted with the dignity that comes with being image-bearers of Jesus Christ. Both genders have the honor of being made in the likeness of God Himself.

“Identity is found when we place ourselves into God’s story of what He is doing in the world, and what His plan is, not where we make ourselves the center of the story and either push God out or squeeze Him in.’ (Dustin Crowe).

The Modern Identity Crisis. We are in the 21st century, and Americans are having a serious identity crisis. We seem to be on a mad race to discover who we are. And once we have latched onto an identity, it becomes the centerpiece of our lives. We orient our lives around this identity. We consider our identity sacred, infallible, the essence of who we are. Our identity becomes our idol. There are many, too many, identities from which to choose. Let’s see… which identity do we worship? Racial identity? Gender identity? Political identity? Religious identity? Sexual identity? Social Class? Appearance? Ability? Whichever identity we choose, we tend to place it front and center, and we view ourselves and everyone else through that lens. The motive for choosing our identities appears to be earnest and sincere and well-meaning: We want to identify ourselves, we want to have a personal brand. We want to have a world view through which we can look at everyone else. So most of us have embraced one identity among the options as if our lives depended on it.

Our Eternal Brand. Out of all the options, the one identity worthy of being the centerpiece is that of being an image-bearer. This is the only foundational identity that goes deeper than anything else into who we are, that truly defines us at the most basic level. Each of us as fellow human beings is sacred, because we are stamped by a holy God. Image-bearing is a unifying factor among all human beings, it’s the one identity that we all share. The others mentioned above are secondary and incomplete. All those identities are minor spokes on the wheel of our life, and it’s no surprise the wheels have fallen off. When we try to replace the hub of the wheel, being an image-bearer, with one of those spokes, the wheel won’t run properly, we have lost our purpose in life, our true self. All these other identities are not meant to be primary, whether racial, gender, political or sexual. They are not up to the task of central identity. Secondary identities are intended to be inspired by that one most primary identity. The spokes in the wheel are meant to be centered on the hub, stabilized by it. The central identity of God’s image is meant to morally and personally shape whatever identity that is being considered in one’s self-definition. Every identity that we claim for ourselves which is not a direct off-shot of our image-bearing identity will be sadly lacking in depth or meaning.

“What is the mission of man? To be a reminder of God. As God is compassionate, let man be compassionate. As God strives for meaning and justice, let man strive for meaning and justice. If we are created in the image of God, each human being should be a reminder of God’s presence.” (Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel).

Avoiding Our Identity Crisis. So if we were created in the image of Christ, what does that mean for us? For one thing, being image-bearers, we have found our central identity as human beings. We have discovered our self-identity. We need not go through an identity crisis. Along with our identity, we have found our life purpose, our mission. We know that we are intended to represent God in the world. We are God’s ambassadors. As representatives, we were gifted with what is needed to resemble Christ, who is the original version of the Trinity’s image. We were made to be living reminders of God, displaying God’s nature in Christ. We were created to imitate the attributes of God’s character, to mirror God’s very essence. As image-bearers, our destiny is to be like God, to live into His likeness.

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make humanity in Our image (“tselem”) and likeness to resemble Us…’ So God created mankind in His own image (“tselem”), in the image (“tselem”) of God He created them; male and female He created them.“ (Genesis 1:26-27).

“Tselem” = a resemblance in shape; a representative figure of a looming presence; an essential similarity; the shaded image of something greater; the general form of a more substantial reality; the basic outline of something solid. The root word is “tsel” which means shadow.

We are each a shadowed image of our Creator God. Here is another angle we can consider as we consider being made in God’s image. Each person is a shadow cast by God Himself as the heavenly light blazes upon Him. We are each a lesser image of an unimaginably greater God, similar to but not the same as God. As God’s shadows, we resemble Him and we represent Him. As God’s shadows, we remind each other of His presence in the world. As shadows of God, we each are an outline of His qualities, but not the full substance of them. As God’s shadows, we each are aware of His presence because of the shadowed image we reveal of Him.

Sacred Shadows. Creator God is so overwhelmingly sacred, so completely holy and set apart, that even His shadows are sacred. Even the shadows of God, each and every person He creates, have the eternal dignity of His presence. God is so gracious that He even cherishes His general shape. He highly values His shadowed image, even though we are less substantial than Him. Creator God considers us worthy of His love, even though we are only shadows of His holiness. As God’s shadows in this world, each person is nonetheless treasured by God as an image worth dying for. The Eternal Substance of the cosmos intends to dwell with His shadows and develop an everlasting relationship with each one. Because of God’s lovingkindness, each of us shadows are destined to enjoy an eternal relationship with He who is casting His shadows.

Qualities of Each Shadowed Image of God. Since we generally resemble our Creator and remind each other of His presence in the world, in what ways are we similar to Him? What does it mean for us to be image-bearers?

1. We each have the freedom to live and move and have our being. As image-bearers, God has given us the freedom to reflect His nature responsibly. As His shadows, we are equipped to be creative, and to think with reason, using our imaginations and our reason with the mind God has given us. Reflecting His image, we are intended to exercise our God-given conscience, discerning right from wrong, wise from unwise. As image-bearers, we have been gifted with the ability to make moral judgments, operating within the context of a moral universe. As God’s shadows, we have been given the sacred duty of caring for and managing God’s astounding and beautiful creation. A part of our job description as human beings is to be good stewards of God’s created order, including each other.
2. We each have a mission and purpose. God doesn’t just hang out in the universe, a divine blob who is content to merely exist for no apparent reason. As God’s shadows, we know that our lives have a profound purpose and reason for being. We are intended to represent God’s presence in the world. We are God’s ambassadors, His representatives, who are intended to duplicate His work and be His apprentices in His workplace, the world. As God’s shadows, we are gifted with what is needed to resemble Christ, who is the original version of the Trinity’s image. We were made to be living reminders of God, displaying God’s nature in Christ. We were created to imitate the attributes of God’s character, to mirror God’s very essence. As image-bearers, our destiny is to continue clarifying God to His world, to live into His likeness.
3. We each are made to have relationships. Made in the Trinitarian image, we were created to be relational. The Holy Trinity is an eternal, intimate community of Three, a divine fellowship that is everlasting. So made in that image, we find fulfillment and satisfaction in community, in relationship. To be fully human, we need to be in meaningful relationship with others. We will be fully alive when we love others and are loved by others. If God is love, and He is, then being made in His image means we are people of love. As God’s shadows, each of us reveal the basic form of what His personal love looks like. As God’s shadows, we go out of our way to resemble the shape of His grace, which will enable the world to understand and experience the substance of God’s love.
4. We each are eternal beings. Our Creator God is an eternal being, with no beginning and no end. God has no birthday, because He has always been in existence. As God’s shadows made in His image, we resemble His everlasting nature. We each have been gifted with our own unique piece of eternity. Each human being has been given a soul and spirit that reflects the essence of God’s being. Each of us is not only a physical being having a spiritual experience, but also a spiritual being having a physical experience. We each are living souls, talking spirits, body and soul tightly woven in a way that can’t be torn apart. We each breathe the very breath of the Holy Spirit. We have an indivisible part of us that is spiritual in nature, because that is what God is. So each person is sacred, each person has a holy center in his being that sets us apart from the rest of all creation. As God’s shadows, His image in us means that we reveal the general shape of His eternal status, His everlasting existence.
5. We each resemble the shape of Jesus. “For He knew all about us before we were born, and He destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of His Son.” (Romans 8:29, TPT). To be made in God’s image means that we are His shadows created to look like the prototype, the very Son of God. God’s image is Christ, and we are created to look like Him. Yes, when mankind was created, God had Jesus in mind. Why? Because Jesus was the perfect image of God for all eternity, the exact representation of God, the divine likeness of the Father (2 Cor. 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb. 1:3). So Christ is the image in which we were made. As Father Reardon puts it, “Christ is the original meaning of humanity.” Man and woman were created in the image of Christ. Both genders are gifted with the dignity that comes with being image-bearers of Jesus Christ. Both genders have the honor of being made in the likeness of God Himself.
6. We Are Destined for a Full Restoration. “Christ is the image in which man was made, and toward which man is moving.” (Orthodox Study Bible notes). Mankind was created in the image of Christ, and it still is true, no matter how damaged the image due to sin. The full renewal of all creation, including us, awaits the Lord’s returning at the Second Coming. In the meantime, the Jesus Christ has begun the lifelong process of renewal by appearing in the flesh, dying on the Cross, and rising from the dead. Those who accept the Holy Spirit through the Father and the Son are in the process of being restored to the original image of Christ in us. As we follow the Lord Jesus, we are being changed, transformed into His very image, restoring what was lost through sin. “God destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of His Son.” (Romans 8:29). The Cross began the restoration through the forgiveness of sins. We are in the process of being continually renewed into the likeness of Christ, and we move from one degree of glory to the next through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The longer we follow Him, the closer we get to the full image of Jesus. At the Lord’s return, we will join all of creation in the final restoration of all things for all eternity. We will be fully restored into the likeness of Christ and will be just like Him. The Lord’s work of the final restoration will renew all of creation, returning to the state of the world before sin entered Paradise. (Acts 3:21; Colossians 3:10; 2 Corinthians 3:18 and 4:16; 1 John 3:2).

“The real man is the divine idea of him; the man God had in view when He began to send him forth out of thought into thinking; the man He is now working to perfect by casting out what is not he, and developing what is he. It is the original God-idea of the individual man that will at length be given, without spot or blemish, into the arms of love. The man who does not house self has room to be his real self – God’s eternal idea of him.” (Life Essential: The Hope of the Gospel).

We Are Not Our Own. An important aspect of being image-bearers is the matter of ownership. We carry God’s imprint. We bear His brand, His identifying mark that means that we are not our own. Every person belongs to God. We are rightfully His. God in Christ is our ultimate authority, because we are engraved in His image. We all owe our allegiance to the Holy Trinity, in whose likeness we are made, in whose image we exist. We owe ultimate allegiance and loyalty to God, because we are imprinted with God’s image. Because we are stamped with God’s image, God has overriding authority in our lives. God is due our supreme commitment, so we owe Him that. We are ultimately obligated to God, for we carry His image.

“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. It is immortals whom we joke with, marry, snub and exploit.” (C S. Lewis).