Identity Crisis

Published: April 28, 2019
Post updated: March 07, 2025
By: Brian C Jenkins
Ephesians 2:10

In 1850, Ernest Hemingway created an American Classic Novel called The Scarlet Letter. Hester Prynne is the story’s main character, and she just so happens to have a baby out of wedlock. She was under the impression that her husband was lost at sea. The problem was she got pregnant after her husband was thought to be lost. Since she wouldn’t tell anyone who the Father was, the townspeople made her wear a scarlet “A” for an adulteress. Her punishment was to stand on a scaffold for three hours as a form of public humiliation. She also was required to wear the scarlet “A” on her chest for the rest of her Life.

How do you label others?

How do others label you?

How do you label yourself?

Are we aware of what God says about us? In some way, shape, or form, the world has done all it can to reroute how we identify ourselves. Whether through horoscopes, organizational affiliation, geographical location, gender manipulation, sexual orientation, etc. There are those of us who identify ourselves with our traditions or their situations. Some people will even identify with their sins. We all have fallen victim to being labeled at some point. If healing is the goal, we take an introspective look at who we are in Christ.

How many of us have a past that would cause us to wear a label on our chests? Some of us have had to wear an “A” before. Maybe, currently reading this post, you are wearing an “A” right now. Perhaps you’re wearing an “L” for Liar, “C” for covetous, “T” for a thief, etc., etc., etc.

Why does any of this matter? 

To figure this out, we need to identify who Jesus is. For this, we will first look at Moses and the Burning Bush in Exodus 3:3-15.

Moses at the Burning Bush

When Moses asked God who he was at the burning bush, v14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. God’s will was to free his people. He wanted to do it through Moses. Before Moses could learn who he was, he had to discover who God was.

God told Moses what he was going to do, how it would happen, as well as the results. Yet Moses was afraid and in Exodus 4:1 asked “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” God showed him signs to prove to him that God was with him.

In Exodus 4:10, we finally see the way Moses viewed himself.

Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”

When God begins revealing himself to us, it’s because he has a greater goal in mind. Within that goal, he chooses to use us to accomplish his purposes. It is an honor to be used by God. Yet like Moses, we focus on our fears. Even after seeing signs and wonders, if we are honest with ourselves, the fear that we face the most is what we say about ourselves.

What if we no longer feared who we were? What if we had the confidence to believe God about who he is and what he says about us? He is always with us. Right?

Let’s get a little deeper and turn to John 8:48-59.

When Jesus was deep in his ministry, he told the Jews that he knew the Father. If he denied that fact, he would have been a liar. The Jews couldn’t believe what they were hearing Jesus say because he wasn’t even 50 years old. How could he make such a claim? I mean come on, Jesus is claiming to have seen Abraham!? v58 Jesus answered, “Before Abraham was born, I am!”

In the book of John, Jesus powerfully declares “I am” in seven profound ways.

I am the bread of Life: Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. John 6:35

I am the light of the world: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

I am the door: I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. John 10:9

I am The Good Shepherd: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. John 10:11

I am the resurrection and Life: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die. John 11:25

I am the way, the truth, the life: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

I am the vine: “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me, you can do nothing. John 15:5

Jesus possessed a profound understanding of his identity. Being without sin, he stood unwavering in truth. With no trace of evil or selfish desire, he embodies our Savior and King. As the first among us to dwell with the Father, he is preparing us for the glorious day of reconciliation.

If this is who our Savior is, then who are we?

I have met countless people over my lifetime who have been an advocate for inspirational self-awareness mirror exercises. You know the type. They’ll stare into their mirrors and start talking to themselves. “You are awesome.” “The day is yours.” “You are not going to fail.” There is nothing wrong with this technique; however, there are two ideas I would like to point out.

Firstly, regardless of our willingness to confront our true selves, we must acknowledge the aspects of our identity that we choose to embrace. We often ponder these elements more than we realize. Today’s believers identify themselves with various factors, including, but not limited to, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, political affiliation, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity.

“In other words, a major crisis in the church becomes evident when believers derive their identity from the world rather than from who our Father in heaven declares us to be.”

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Secondly, how much greater would the impact of heaven be if we replaced our worldly identifiers with God’s words in our lives daily? What does God say about race, color, ethnicity, national origin, political affiliation, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender expression, and gender identity? Most importantly, what does God say about you?

For example, I am Brian. 

I am a child of God: Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God John 1:12

because I am born again: Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit John 3:5

I am fearfully and wonderfully made: I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14

I am God’s Masterpiece.  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

Being children of God means we are heirs to the kingdom:  Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings so that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17

God is faithful in keeping all his promises so long as we continue to put our hope, our trust, and our faith in Jesus.

Keep it Practical

I am Brian, and God will always be with me. I am a child of God; I identify as a child of the true Living God. I am born again; I acknowledge that Jesus died and rose so that I may live. I am fearfully and wonderfully made; God took his time with me. I was made on purpose and for a reason. I am God’s Masterpiece; God knew what he did when he made me, including my quirks and personality. I’m good to go. I understand that I have a co-heir share in Heaven because Jesus guarantees everlasting Life for trusting in him. This is the best identity profile I can have. My identity has no hurt, no pain, no issues. I know who I am in Jesus, and it’s been awesome so far!

Why is it so hard to identify with what God says is true about himself and ourselves? 

We label ourselves and the people around us with Scarlet Letters.

Everyone has some type of sin they hate and cannot stand.

Let’s look at the way we are branded by an external label. Let’s say a woman tells me, I hate liars. Well, what is a liar? A person who chooses not to tell the truth. It is a sin. Let’s say I lie a few times to her. After a while, she gets fed up and, in her mind, labels me. She might even make a public declaration about it. In the end, in her eyes, I am a liar. Brian the liar is the label she has put on me.

Now let’s look at how we can brand ourselves with an internal label. Because of the many issues in life, my battle may turn into depression. Someone may notice and ask me, “Brian, what’s going on?” My answer would be, “I am depressed, I have issues, I’m hurting, and I don’t know what to do.”

In the first example, I became labeled by the woman through my sin. In the second example, I labeled myself. Proverbs 18:21 says that life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits. That means whatever you speak over your life will come to pass regardless if it is of the Spirit or of wickedness. Notice the word’ fruits.’ Not fruit as in singular, but fruits, plural. Many things can branch off what you speak.

So how do we eliminate these labels to enjoy the fruit of the spirit? 

Don’t judge or condemn each other! Forgive them. Judging is one’s ability to see a person in a situation and begin to sew a sin letter onto that person’s chest. In the second example, judging is your ability to see yourself in a crisis. You sew the letter to yourself. Condemning is making it public and putting on display, saying this is who I am now, or whoever deserves the note will never change. Condemning is cursing. Speaking to the end of that person. They will, or I will, always have that specific letter on the chest. They deserve that letter. I deserve this letter.

Just because someone labels you does not mean you must live with it. 

Forgiveness is the act of removing a letter from a person. In the example of being a liar, if the woman holds on to ‘Brian is a liar.’ She will reap the fruits of that condemnation, which in turn can result in strongholds of the mind. See A Thought to a Stronghold. In the example of depression, it’s the same thing, but you’re condemning yourself.

God calls us to forgive each other.

That also means you have to forgive yourself as well!

Brian, you don’t know what this person or that person did to me. 

You’re right; I don’t.

Brian, you just don’t know how I feel deep down. 

You’re right; I don’t.

However, a loving and just God tells us if we would just get up under his wing and let Jesus be our rock. Forgive others as well as forgive yourself. He will forgive you, and you will no longer have to deal with a false identity. You will then learn who you are in Christ, which means you will reap love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Critical Application

We need to learn to forgive by removing the sin letter from someone and love that person the way God does through Christ. Jesus did the same thing on the cross. He was convicted for a crime he did not commit. He was beaten when he was alone. He was crucified to pay the price of sin that we could not pay. On that cross, Jesus removed our letters. With all of our sins on himself, Jesus forgave us as he suffered the cost of all those letters. If we love Jesus, we must recognize the power of forgiveness. Forgiveness is one connection that allows us to experience God’s love and peace.

James 4:11-12 Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. Our job is to obey the law, not consider whether it applies to us. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?

What is God’s law? 

Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus replied:” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and strength.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Luke 6:27 Love your enemies. If someone wrongs you, pray for them. Bless them. Let God fight the battle for you. Forgive them as quickly as possible.

Why?

John 13:34 Just as God loves us, we are to love each other. 

Matthew 6:15 If we can’t forgive each other, the Father won’t forgive us.

Speak God’s Word over your Life. It’s a game changer that will impact you individually and bleed into your family and community. The more we speak Life over ourselves, the easier we can let God remove all the letters off our chest. In other words, he will change our heart of stone to a heart of flesh. Then we can have the wonderful and glorious experience of understanding how much he loves us. Underneath the sin and the labels, God loves us. Accept God’s free gift of grace and forgiveness by trusting and identifying with who you are with the one he sent. Jesus Christ.

Thank you for reading my blog. Please comment and let me know how God has blessed your Life. We currently have a group called Christ Seekers on Facebook if you need prayer for anything. We have prayer warriors that will not only pray for you but help if you need help, even if just to point you in the right direction.

God bless you and yours. Stay Salty!

Amen