CHAPTER 13
Lost Identity
What happens with a loss of identity and where does it lead? Sin fractured our identity, alienating us from God. Likewise, many in our present culture have fractured family ties, leaving them alienated from their family and paternal identity. Presently our nation is experiencing ideological divisions and a transformation from being a Christian nation to pagan nation, causing many to lose their national or American identity. Rejection of truth has also resulted in some even losing their gender identity. These are all root identities that are fundamental in our existence. When they are fractured people begin looking elsewhere hoping to find something to provide a connection for them. Our innate desire for identity cries out to be satisfied.
As I have already stated, nothing is going to satisfy our desire for identity like reconciliation with God would do for us. If we can be reconciled with our Father in heaven it will provide emotional, mental and spiritual healing. Even if we never establish our identity with our earthly family, or a national identity, we can be made whole because God will provide that family and kingdom identity for us. But without God, when there is a loss of family and a national or ethnic identity, the desire for a personal identity becomes intense. That craving in turn creates vulnerability for people to be taken advantage of, and no one knows this better than the enemy of our souls.
Independence
“Independent and free” were once presented as being synonymous with being an American citizen. For the founders of the colonies and later the United States, this meant that we were free to govern ourselves within Biblical moral standards. Each individual was free to pursue the potential of his God-given life within the bounds of those standards. Equality under the law for everyone provided the security of those individual freedoms of our God-endowed rights. If you think about it, I am sure you can see how that this freedom was intended to allow us to find our true identity. As I have pointed out, that identity is rooted in heavenly Father. In God’s eyes we are equal in value but as unique as our fingerprints. In other words, the development of our identity will not be the same as anyone else’s.
The removal of God and His Law has created an entirely different concept of independence and freedom for our present generation. Our country, which was once referred to as a land of opportunity, has now become a land where you can receive your desires at the expense of someone else. Equality has been shifted from opportunity to outcome. This goal is unattainable, but the pursuit of it will result in the total loss of freedom for everyone. The independence proposed is an independence from God. The freedom to do as one pleases is a freedom from God’s law that is intended to protect us. The bondage that results is a bondage to sin and tyrants.
Creating Your Own Identity
“And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life’s span?” (Lu 12:25 NAS95)
It is in this environment that the subtle twist on freedom is presented in this phrase: “You can be anything you want to be.” This may sound good and seem like an inspirational message to give to our children, but is it true? Freedom from kings and dictators was intended to keep others from forcing us into a mold of their choosing. But when we deny that we were intended to find our identity as a child of God, we set the course for an attempt to create our own identity, and the ramifications for that are seen in the resulting failures and perversions.
“Under three things the earth quakes, And under four, it cannot bear up: Under a slave when he becomes king, And a fool when he is satisfied with food, Under an unloved woman when she gets a husband, And a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.” (Pr 30:21-23 NAS)
Our identity begins with a DNA blueprint and a God-given gift of life. It has been said that we all are a product of our heredity and our environment. This simplistic explanation leaves out some important factors; the most import one is that of choice. We all are confronted with the revelation of God in various ways, both subtle and dramatic. When we choose to pursue our God-given identity in Him, then our journey is one of discovery and application. We are in discovery of our inherent potential, and of finding application to the time and place in which we live. Of all generations we are most privileged in having the revealed Word of God so readily available to guide us in this journey. Our choices play a large role in who we become, but our original blueprint remains foundational. Trusting God to help us develop that unique blueprint will be a constant comfort and inspiration. It is in our God-given identity that we find meaning and purpose.
But if we turn from the revelation of God, denying that life is found in Him, we are left to seek our identity elsewhere. It all begins with a denial of the image and likeness in which we are fashioned. It is not that we are not granted a broad spectrum of choices, but the reality is that those choices are limited within the scope of who we were created to be. When Eve was told she could be like God, it was a lie. If someone had told me as a child I could be seven feet tall if I really wanted to be, it would have been false. The lie of the devil is that you can be whatever you want to be; you can create your own identity. The truth is, that each one of us has a unique root identity on which to build. When we build on it within the safety of God’s laws our life has meaning and purpose.
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” (Ro 1:18-23 NAS)
A denial of the truth produces fools and foolish speculation, exchanging the glory of God for corruption.
“Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, that their bodies might be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper,” (Ro 1:24-28 NAS)
I have already touched on some of the issues that have arisen as man has distanced himself from his Creator. My focus here is to show how following a godless path leads people to eventually seek to be their own creator, as foolish as this sounds. People have flipped reality. Instead of accepting that we have descended from God, they assert that we can ascend to be God.
I have already spent some time dealing with sex and its proper role. But those things that were once of such a personal nature that they were kept behind closed doors have now become center stage. The beauty of God’s design and interaction of the separate genders has been marred by many perverted acts that violate the sanctity of this relationship. But when it is done correctly the relationship between man and woman provides comfort, safety, companionship, and the avenue through which new life enters the world. In addition to these things, it is obvious that God intended the union of man and woman to help to forge our identity. Marriage unites male and female together in a unit God calls, Man. When I married my wife we became, Mr. and Mrs. Gunderson, or Bob and Rachel, for those who knew us best. Each of us is the result of the consummation of male and female. It is who we are, and the further we drift from the truth the greater our identity crisis becomes.
I am reminding you of some basics to explain the departure from reality that our society is pursuing. How did we get to a place where individuals seek to identify themselves as something they are not? How did a society get to the place that they would support the idea that a man could identify as a woman or vice versa? How can a society advanced in science and logic entertain the concept that a person’s imagined identity should trump their physical reality?
I believe what we are seeing in our culture today is the result of people’s quest to fulfill their desire for identity in a world that has distanced itself from God. If you have followed me this far you have seen how important it is to establish our identity. It is an innate desire that reveals itself in different ways. The purpose of this desire is that we seek to connect with our Father in heaven. We can see in our relationship with our earthly father and mother how God leads us toward Himself. We can also see how, when we are deprived of our mother and father, people seek their identity in their association with an idol, a gang, friends, peers, or whatever or whoever. The problem with these avenues is that they never fully satisfy our basic need for identity.
With the breakdown of family and culture there is an open door for everything from cults to political organizations to take priority in defining a person’s identity. Normally there are a range of things that define who we are as a person. We seek not only to find and establish our own identity, but also acceptance within that identity. It is not only our core identity but the affirmation of that identity that seems to be necessary to satisfy this basic need. The bottom line is that none of our affiliations are going to satisfy our basic desire for the affirmation of our identity.
This brings us to the issue of LGBT and why it has become an identity issue. The categories represented by these letters represent deviant sexual behaviors, and have been around for a long time. These behavior problems were addressed in the Scripture and condemned because they violate the precepts of God that were intended to keep us safe. As a society drifts further from God these types of behaviors become more common and as such affect a broader segment of society. As we progressed in the understanding of our physical world, our knowledge of the damage these behaviors had on the people’s physical, mental, and social lives became evident. In an effort to distance themselves from the clear mandates of Scripture, our intellectuals referred to these actions as being the result of mental disorders or illnesses. From there it was a slippery slope to finally arrive where we are today. Our societal view went from sin, to sickness, to misunderstood and oppressed, and finally arriving at acceptance as a natural state of being worthy of celebration.
As our society was sliding in this direction there were many who were unconcerned, even in the Christian community. Their attitude was that the actions of others did not affect them and so it did not matter. But as these unnatural behaviors were moved from the behavior category to the identity category they ended up center stage. A generation estranged from their connection to God, family, history, and culture, is seeking for an identity. For some their letter L, G, B, or T became their identity, or who claimed to be. But assuming an identity based upon their sexual behavior was not enough. There remained within them an intense desire for affirmation.
Pandora’s Box has been opened and there seems to be no end in sight. People are grasping at anything and everything in an attempt to define their identity. It is indeed a world turned up-side-down. America did not get this way overnight. But what has happened to America in my lifetime has been shocking. The speed of our transformation continues to escalate. At the heart of the matter is our identity, our personal identity as well as our identity as a nation. Who and what we identify with is crucial to who we are and what we will become. How do we as Christians address this identity crisis?
We cannot give up the high moral ground here or it will be an endless battle. We can see how the deterioration of our culture has left many people drifting without an anchor. Having an identity is crucial for our well-being. We can see the many ways people seek to find their own identity and how those avenues often fail to satisfy our innate desire. We have seen how in desperation people have come to seek their identity in behavior when the normal associations fail them. It is our identity as Christians that we need to exhibit by example and testimony, for this is the answer for the healing of these desperate souls.
Marring the Physical Image
We can see how that the silent scream and pain of lost identity have affected people’s actions in their quest to create their own identity. It is not enough for people to just have an identity, but they also crave affirmation from others. Gender identity is not a new phenomenon. Gender is an important part of our Christian identity. Marriage brings the two into a common identity. The loss of a Christian identity creates an insecurity that is often acted out as men and women try to impress others of their masculinity or femininity. Without Godly morality those actions include sex outside of the safe bonds of marriage. Romans 1 exposes the degradation and abuse of people’s bodies that results from following a path of rebellion to God and where it leads.
Solomon said that there was nothing new under the sun. Sexual perversion is not a new phenomenon. But the loss of shame in my lifetime in America seems to have brought us to new lows. Those sins that were once hidden for shame, are now blatantly exhibited. We have digressed from marriage to sexual freedom, to homosexuality, to same sex-marriage, to cross-dressing, to identifying as the opposite sex, and finally surgically and chemically deforming bodies to resemble the opposite sex. I cringe thinking where this will all end.
A generation of lost identities elevates and parades these deviant behaviors. Shamelessly they proclaim their pride in sin and choose it as their identity. Blatantly they demand that we all affirm their new created identities, no matter how distorted and absent they are from reality. And a country without a moral compass meets their demands.
The Nation’s Identity
As our country is attempting to convert our culture and nation from a Christian nation into a secular one, a new identity must be forged. The very root of that new identity is what will eventually destroy the emerging society. Whereas our nation was built upon the principle that all men are created equal, the emerging society is based upon the principles of evolution. Our freedom has been experienced by the measure in which our laws and culture reflected our founding principles. It was the acceptance of the laws of our Creator that preserved that freedom. Envy and pride are two forces that undermine that freedom by inspiring lawless behavior. It is this abuse of freedom that has fueled the illusions that freedom can exist in a secular society. For when the concept of our universal identity as God’s creation is totally erased, then our freedom will also cease to exist.
The root of our new secular identity is evolution. In other words, everything made itself. As the pinnacle of this mindless, purposeless process of evolution, mankind is becoming “god”. We have “evolved” to the point where we are solely in control of our own destiny. From this “progressive” mindset nothing is sacred because everything is evolving. Truth for the “progressives” is relative. In their imaginative world anything can be true, so therefore nothing is true. “Progressive” is the term the godless use to identify themselves. Rejecting the timeless truths or their Creator it is only in their imagination that their ever-changing standards could be considered “progressive”.
The irony is, that outside of the environment that was created by those who built this culture and nation, their world would collapse. Their imaginary world in which moral values are continually in flux creates uncertainty and chaos. In their “progressive” mindset they propose that they can take a society built upon the absolute laws of science and truth and operate it under the assumption that their wishes and desires can be fulfilled simply by declaring them to be so.
The “progressives” have been able to propel us as people and a nation to the point that we are existing on deficit spending. The wealth that was created through hard work and sacrifice is being squandered. Just like the prodigal son squandered his inheritance in riotous living, this nation will eventually come to their senses when their wealth is gone and they are destitute.
Instead of cherishing our heritage, our nation is becoming bankrupt financially and morally. Through fiscal irresponsibility deficit spending will eventually bankrupt a country. In the same way, irresponsibly ignoring the laws of God will eventually bring a nation to moral bankruptcy. Since the Christian moral values the country was founded on are no longer taught in our institutes of learning, morality is in flux. The protections afforded by godly moral standards are diminishing as the older generations are passing away. Without a godly standard, moral bankruptcy is inevitable.
The Church’s Identity
Without God, we as individuals lose our true identity. Without Christ, the Church also loses its identity. The Church was intended to be the body of Christ here on earth. The head of that body is Christ. Churches, like people can end up being Christian in name only. The moral high ground remains unwavering and unchanging. When Churches cede the high ground they end up in a compromised position and their identity as the body of Christ is lost. In regards to the subject of identity, the Church has a responsible role to play. The Church is to uphold the standard that has come from heaven, which is God’s Word. The Church is to be a moral compass reliably pointing to righteousness and truth. As a compass it is intended to point people to the path to establishing their identity with God their Father. Another important role of the Church is to provide affirmation of our identity through ministering the Word and the bond of love and fellowship found in the family of God.
When the Church cedes the high ground the compass become unreliable, not pointing in the direction established by God through Christ. The confusion multiplies when the Church affirms those who have not followed the path of repentance and baptism that lead to a new life in Christ. Again, I remind you that it is not about identifying with the Church, but it is in finding our identity as a son of God. It is our new birth that makes us a son of God. The Word of God affirms our salvation that if we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Christ is Lord we will be saved. If the Church takes it upon itself to affirm people by any other standard they place in jeopardy the salvation of a soul.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel about on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.” (Mt 23:15 NAS)
The Church was given the message of salvation, deliverance from sin, and life everlasting. But if that message is compromised, then there is no redemption, and at best the Church provides false comfort for people on their way to hell. The Scribes and Pharisees were entrusted with the Word of God, but because of their compromises they produced sons of hell instead of sons of God. In essence, they taught people to become like they were instead of teaching the Law of God that molds people into the image of God. Today those who have been entrusted with the Word of God must share that word in its purity. When churches lose their identity as an assembly of the saints, the body of Christ, they are no longer the beacon of hope they were intended to be.
The loss of our national identity as a Christian nation is leaving a vast hole the world for those seeking hope and freedom. As churches across this nation are losing their identity as the body of Christ, the message of salvation is fading. If we, as individuals, lose our identity as Children of God, the world will be plunged into darkness. Those of us that remain must stand fast on the high ground! From here we can strengthen the churches. Together we can reestablish this nation that has lost its way. But it is only by holding to the high moral ground that there is hope.