Our culture is certain that its worldview bestows ultimate dignity upon the individual. After all, what could grant more dignity than one choosing one’s own identity? What more could we ask for than to declare who we are and be affirmed for that choice?
Meanwhile, our culture would have us believe that what the Bible says about who we are ought to cause us to blush.
But we need to shrink back. The Bible’s explanation of who we are grants us far more dignity than the autonomous vision of the West. Allow me to briefly explain the weaknesses of an autonomous vision of our identity and then consider how the Bible speaks of our identity through its story arc.
How do we define ourselves today? In Strange New World, Carl Trueman explains that, “The modern self assumes the authority of inner feelings and sees authenticity as defined by the ability to give social expression to the same.” What are the problems with the contemporary Western understanding of the self? Books have been written about this subject so there is far more to say than I can capture here. Let me speak to two issues. The first is that we define ourselves by our desires. But our desires are not always good (such as my desire for fried chicken) nor are they unchanging (such as my childhood love of Nerds candy). Second, when we grant the individual power to define his existence by his desires, we absolutize the therapeutic. By that, I mean that our longing for affirmation becomes a demand. It’s not enough for us to feel good about who we are, it is immoral for others not to support who we say we are. But what of conflicting desires? Is it appropriate for me to affirm a narcissist’s desire for attention, a politician’s desire for unfettered power, a pedophile’s sexual desire for children? Surely there are standards for morality with which we can weigh the goodness of our desires.
The Bible’s vision of identity lends the individual far greater dignity than the modern therapeutic conception of identity. Consider how the Bible speaks of our identity in creation, fall, and redemption.
In the creation account we learn that all human beings are endowed with the dignity of reflecting the image of our Creator. In the creation account in the first chapter of Genesis we read, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:26-27).
What does it mean that we were created in the image of God? It means that we reflect God in his dominion, in our relationality, and in reflecting his attributes. In Genesis 1:26, we learn that the first way we reflect the image of God is through our stewardship of his creation. “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock…” (Gen. 1:26). The King of the Universe has appointed us as kings and queens to rule over his world. We are his vice regents.
Our Triune God is relational from eternity and has made us to reflect his relationality. In Genesis 2, God reflects that, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him” (Gen. 2:18). God has made us for relationship with himself and with one another. We reflect his image in community.
We also reflect God’s image as we reflect God’s attributes. God’s holiness, goodness, justice, love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, wisdom, and beauty are all imaged in human beings. We are created to be mirrors which reflect God’s character to the world.
But the image of God has been marred by our sin. Paul explains that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Roms 3:23). In fact, we have not only sinned to mar the image of God, but we were born in sin. Paul explains, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men” (Roms 5:12). The image of God in us is smudged in every way: through our dominion, relationality, and reflecting his attributes. Like a shattered mirror, you can still make out the image, but imperfectly.
And yet, God uses that which is shattered for his glory. Through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, the image of God is restored in those who are children of God. Paul explains, “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Cor. 4:6-10). God has not given up on this dark world. And he has purposed to use us to shine his light into the world. Our brokenness is used to display his glory. When we are in him, his light shines out from the cracks in our broken vessels.
Unbelievably, Jesus tells us, “You are the light of the world” (Matt 5:14). Paul affirms that we “shine as lights in the world” (Phil. 2:15). This is not to be confused with the anthem of the modern self Rihanna sings about, “Shine bright like a diamond,” where shining bright is found in fulfilling one’s sexual desires and we “choose to be happy.” In contrast, the Christian shines only when we die to ourselves with Christ. As Paul says, “always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Cor. 4:10). We shine when we die to ourselves and find life in Christ.
In his mercy, God has made us in his image. In his mercy, God continues to use us to reflect his image to the world. The biblical vision of our identity grants us far greater dignity than the modern conception of our identity ever can.
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Photo by Михаил Секацкий on Unsplash