The Biblical Counselor’s Toolbox: Identity
Who am I? This question drives people, often without them realizing it. Our culture offers answers through success, sexuality, career, feelings, possessions, and wealth. Identity becomes wrapped up in what we do or what we own. The problem is that these cultural identities never satisfy—they leave people restless, striving, and often feeling worthless.
Christians are not immune to this struggle. Believers also wrestle with questions of identity, sometimes living more as cultural chameleons than as disciples of Christ. Phrases like “Christ-centered” or “gospel-driven” are repeated in churches, but without a deep grasp of what they mean. To grow in faith, we need a biblical theology of identity.
A Theology of Identity
From the very beginning, Scripture speaks to who we are. “So God created man in his own image… male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27). This is the doctrine of the imago Dei: we are made in God’s image, given dignity, worth, and purpose by Him.
The New Testament expands this truth. Paul writes, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Identity is not self-made—it is God-given. Yet sin distorts this identity, leading us to define ourselves by broken desires or cultural standards.
Practical Implications
Biblical identity is received, not achieved. Our attempts to manufacture identity—through work, relationships, or performance—inevitably lead to sin, discontent, and fractured relationships. But Scripture points us to something better:
Adopted: “In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 1:5).
Forgiven: “He has delivered us… in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:13–14).
Secure: “Nothing… will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:38–39).
The gospel replaces the lie “I am worthless” with the truth “I am loved by God.”
Stability in Christ
Cultural identities shift with trends, but identity in Christ is stable. Success fades, relationships change, careers end, and feelings fluctuate. Yet the believer who roots identity in Christ stands firm. Faith in Him provides security when culture insists we must constantly redefine ourselves.
Identity in Christ brings freedom and stability. It is not tied to performance, possessions, or popularity but anchored in who God is and what He has done. When the world says, “Define yourself,” Scripture replies, “You are defined by Christ.”
That answer doesn’t just tell us who we are—it grounds us in the unchanging character of God Himself.
Christian Bringolf MA LMHC