As we begin this miniseries on identity I have some hopes and expectations for you the reader. Firstly, my prayer is that you would have a richer appreciation for why what you believe Is more important than what you do and in particular, why healthy and whole identity beliefs are so important. Secondly, I pray that the Holy Spirit would gently and effectively reveal areas of your life where your identity beliefs have become corrupted through lies, along with practical tips on how to offload these lies and make room for the Truth that sets us FREE. Lastly, I pray that you would come to know on a deeper level the Lord’s incredible ability to restore areas of your life which have been hijacked through a false identity, and learn to partner with the Holy Spirit as he invites you into greater explorations of Who he says you really are.
I’ve grown up in the church and have heard the good news that I am a child of God and that I am a co-heir with Christ along with many more wonderful and yet general identity statements. Praise God for these truths! And yet, the pain and sorrow that has followed me as a result of identity confusion is undeniable. Could it be that there’s more to what I believe about myself? Is it possible that there are specific and unique identity markers for each of us that actually help inform what we should do in life? I hope we can discover that together. Jesus promises us that the Truth that we know and experience will set us Free (John 8:31-32). The evidence of liberty is what I have been searching for (I will expound more on this liberty over the weeks to come)!!
I always say (even if it’s only to myself) that the bookends of Identity are belonging and relational conflict. Everything in the middle is the adventure, creativity and innovation that comes from partnering with Who God says we are. But ultimately what I believe has to show that I belong somewhere and that I come from something greater than myself, and what I believe about myself has to lead me to the place of true love for my enemy.
Today I will touch on both origin and belonging when it comes to identity. I’ll cover identity and relational conflict in a future post.
“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:17-20)
Here Jesus is not carelessly throwing words around. At this point he has not yet died or been resurrected and so the opportunity for any of his disciples to be born again with their “names written in heaven” is not possible, and YET because He is the resurrection and the life He is speaking about a future moment. That future moment is when He is raised from the grave and seated in heavenly places as the New Prototype of humanity – never yet to exist before Him. Although that moment is in the future to the disciples, to God it is His current reality. This reveals something so beautiful about the heart of our heavenly Father: He looks at us and regards us not according to our past or even our present, but he starts from the End (which is His present reality) and shapes our present until it conforms to the future.
The greek word used here for names is ónoma. Ónoma is a rich word as it states that a name is not simply a name, but it is the manifestation and revelation of someone’s character, distinguishing it from all others. A name is inseparable from the person to whom it belongs because it is something of their very essence. For OUR names to be written in heaven reveals that Who we are comes from something so much greater than ourselves and Who we originate from is the One who is Love and Spirit, the fullness of wonder, beauty and power. That is Who we come from.
“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)
I don’t think we appreciate what the Hebrew writer meant when they used the word ‘name’ here, at least I haven’t for most of my life. Nowadays we throw names around as if they are some fluid thing; we learn to ignore our names if someone seems to repeatedly say it in a tone of disgust and frustration; we get made fun of in grade school if someone can rhyme our name with something silly or hurtful and so we change our name if there’s pain associated with it. But when the Hebrew writer uses the word shêm (for name) to record God’s words to us it means more than just some empty moniker. Name here represents reputation, fame and glory. Someone’s name is inseparable from their character because their name manifests and represents Who they are. What is so fascinating is that this word shêm has its roots in the Hebrew word sûwm which is generally used in a wide application meaning to set in place and even extends to describe a storage facility for placing provisions. Are you as blown away as I am? This means that not only do you belong to God (you are mine) but that your life is a storage facility for his character. He has safeguarded within each of us a unique manifestation of his nature and personhood here and earth.
WOW. God is known by so many names and each of his names represents how he reveals himself to humanity, and his being one name doesn’t diminish or undermine his being another one of his names. You know what that means right? That means there’s room for all of us and Who God uniquely made each of us to be doesn’t take away or diminish who he has made another to be. No competition. No scarcity in relevance and worth – more than enough to go around. “By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17) It’s not about trying harder to become something. God is saying Your identity is already made in his likeness. It’s a done deal and it can’t be taken away through failure, weakness or trial. Your identity is incorruptible because Who He is reveals Who you are. Where Jesus ended is where we begin. Now, he invites us into a journey of learning to believe that everything He says we are is in fact true!