Chasing After An Identity
I’m grateful to have another guest post, this time by Nicholas Lewis.
“I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it? Already you have all you want! Without us you have become kings” (1 Corinthians 4:6-8).
You ever feel like you are constantly trying to define who you are? Especially for those of us who are under the age of 30, it feels like the goal of your 20’s is to discover yourself, make a name for yourself, or prove yourself. We throw ourselves into our studies; we take up new hobbies; we refine our social media image through well-timed posts, pics, and status updates; we develop our work ethic and skills; we get around the “right” and “influential” people; we try and be in the know when it comes to pop culture and current events. We approach our identity as something that needs to be crafted and forged, not as something that is given to us.
As followers of Christ we tend to forget the identity that was given to us through Jesus Christ and instead, we attempt to discover or pursue some other identity. Maybe it is being the smartest intellectual like a Stephen Hawking or Elon Musk. Maybe it is being the Renaissance man who is well-rounded and skilled, always prepared for any outcome or challenge. We picture ourselves like a Teddy Roosevelt or a John Wayne character; tough, hardy, charismatic. Perhaps, you are simply trying to shape and fashion yourself to be as beautiful and good-looking as possible. Images of models and popular celebrities become your standard. Or it could be that you find your identity in the people around you. People will start to characterize you by something unique to you and you jump on that as an opportunity to make a name for yourself. Oh, that guy?! He has got the greatest sarcasm. Her? She is super smart, always in her books and studies. That person? He is always willing to serve and do the menial tasks. He is such a servant! Our pastor or minister? He is a man of deep theology and understanding, always has an answer to our difficult questions. Are these necessarily bad qualities? No, but a quality cannot be your complete identity. The problem starts when we invent our image using a “script” that others give us while ignoring the Scripture’s answer to who we actually are.
Paul was coming up against this type of attitude with the church in Corinth. There were severe divisions as members of the church attempted to create different social cliques based on whose teaching they favored, whether it was Paul or Apollos or Cephas. They wanted to create their own identities based on their social surroundings and leaders. They found their “popularity” and “status” from who they believed was the better teacher. It was about knowing the right people. Knowing God Himself was not as important.
This reminds me of when I worked at Pizza Hut. I was a cashier for carry out and dining, the front seat to the best of humanity in the slummiest part of Fredericksburg, Virginia. You want to see how ugly people can get? Work in the dining service for a few months. You will not be disappointed. Our small little joint was ran by one of the most popular and richest business men in that county, a snarly old man who was the bane of every employee that worked on that fast food strip. Every other night, this man would sit in the back-dining room, straight in front of the helm of my cash register. He would sit there with his large, hand-tossed pepperoni pizza and his diet, caffeine-free Pepsi and come up with new things to complain about every thirty minutes. To say the least, he was a frustrated and very unfriendly man who was constantly agitated. Despite his character and demeanor though, he was much loved by everyone that benefited from his money. I remember people coming in, ordering a pizza, and exclaiming (sometimes very rudely) about how they do not owe $15.00 because this businessman had given them a free pizza card (They would wait to reveal this after I rung up the cash register). And yes, he would hand those out to close friends and people he liked. I remember one woman handing the card to me, insulted that I should charge her money for a pizza. She put her hand on her chest and sighed, “Yes, that man, he knows me and likes me.” There were others who would feel high and mighty because they were an acquaintance to this man. I felt sorry for them, to think that some part of their identity was defined by such an ill man. How often have I don’t the same thing though?
I think this is what was going on in the Corinthian church. People felt important and powerful because they knew Cephas, Paul, or Apollos. They prided themselves on who they knew. Of course, none of these leaders desired this type of influence. Instead, they were rebuking the people for acting this way! They were seeking to create their own identity, forgetting that they were given one in the first place by Christ! Paul goes on to remind them of their united identity in Christ! He asks them, “For who sees anything different in you?” In other words, if you all were saved by faith in Christ alone, why are you acting like you are better than the other person next to you? Why are you comparing yourself?! There is nothing to compare! We all were in the same state of sin and we all were rescued to be made children of God! Furthermore, Paul asks why they act like they did not receive this identity? Why are they acting like they acquired it themselves or made it on their own? That identity was given not earned.
So maybe it isn’t that we are trying to find our true selves or discover who we are meant to be. Maybe, we are bashful of our identity in Christ. Like a child that inherits a fortune, we prefer to give it all up so we can “make it on our own”. We want to be a self-made people. We want to be defined and recognized for more than just a “child of God” or a “sinner saved by grace”. It’s not enough that we’ve gained the God of the universe through Christ’s sacrifice. Maybe it is because we are ashamed of an identity in Christ that shows our incompetence to save ourselves. It’s a message that ultimately gives all the glory to God. Paul reminds them in the first few chapters that the Gospel is a “foolish” message to most people. It’s not a popular identity, but it is a valuable identity.
Unfortunately, most of us live a restless life of pursuing our self-made images and we slowly forget that we already have one established in Christ. “Already you have all you want! Already you have become kings!” Have we easily forgotten the treasure and awe-inspiring gift of an identity in Christ? To be named a child of God is not something to take for granted or to be bashful of. Still, we’ll find our comfort and satisfaction in some old, cranky businessman knowing you. Or we’ll find it in our hobbies, social media presence; in our abilities, talents, or right social connections. We end up wasting away spiritually because of our restless and tiring pursuit to craft an identity that makes us “feel” better about who we are. And the entire time we forget that in Christ we’ve already “become kings,” and that we already have all we would ever need or want.
Nicholas Lewis lives with his wife Courtney in Rolla, MO where he has worked as a campus minister at the University of Science and Technology for 4 years. He is also a graduate from Boyce College and is passionate about international outreach, biblical counseling, and discipleship. He writes at www.thescribblingscribeblog.wordpress.com
