Rooted in Christ: Your True Identity

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." Genesis 1:27 (KJV) Before we can talk about what a Christian woman does, we must first understand who she is. So much confusion in our lives comes from forgetting our true identity. When a woman does not know who she is in Christ, she will try to find her worth in her husband, her children, her education, her beauty, her job, or what other people say about her. Every one of these things can be taken away in a moment. But the identity God gives you can never be taken away.

The Bible teaches us three great truths about who you are. First, you are made in the image of God.

Second, you are redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. Third, you are filled with the Holy Spirit and set apart for good works prepared by God Himself.

Consider the first truth. In Genesis 1, when God made the world, He spoke the stars into being, He filled the seas with fish and the skies with birds, He formed the beasts of the field. But when He came to make humanity, He did something different. He said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." And then the text says clearly that He made them male and female, both in His image. This means that as a woman, you are not a lesser reflection of God. You are a full image- bearer of the Living God. Your mind, your emotions, your will, your capacity to love, to create, to reason, to worship — all of these come from God and reflect something of His nature.

The second truth is that you are redeemed. The fall of Adam and Eve brought sin and death into the world, and all of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But God in His mercy sent His only Son, Jesus Christ, who was born of a woman, who lived a perfect life, who died on the cross for our sins, and who rose again on the third day. When you put your faith in Jesus, your sins are washed away. You are no longer condemned. You are adopted into the family of God. The Bible says that as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.

Think about what this means. You are a daughter of the King of kings. The same God who made the mountains of Rwenzori, who spread the waters of Lake Victoria, who hung every star in the sky — this God calls you His daughter. The apostle Paul writes that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Whatever your earthly situation may be, whether you live in a small house with a leaking roof or a large home in the city, your true inheritance is in heaven, and it is far greater than anything this world can offer.

The third truth is that you have the Holy Spirit living within you. When you came to Christ, God did not leave you to try to live the Christian life by your own strength. He gave you His Spirit, who comforts you, teaches you, convicts you of sin, and empowers you to live a holy life. The same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you. You are not weak. You are filled with the mighty power of God.

Let me show you this truth through the life of one woman in the Bible. In the Gospel of John, chapter four, we read about a woman of Samaria. She came to the well in the heat of the day, probably because she was ashamed to come when the other women came in the morning. She had been married five times, and the man she was with now was not her husband. Her life was broken.

Her identity was built on relationships that kept failing her. But Jesus met her at the well. He knew everything about her, and yet He did not condemn her. He offered her living water. He told her who the true Messiah was. And she ran back to her village and told everyone, "Come, see a man who told me all things that ever I did." Many believed because of her testimony. That same woman, who had hidden from her neighbors in shame, became the first evangelist to her village. Jesus changed her identity.

Or consider Mary Magdalene. Scripture tells us that Jesus cast seven demons out of her. Before meeting Jesus, she was tormented. After meeting Jesus, she followed Him, supported His ministry, stood at the cross when most of the disciples had fled, and was the first person to see the risen Lord on Easter morning. The One who knew her fully is the One who gave her a new name and a new calling.

In the history of the Church, we see this same truth lived out beautifully. Consider Perpetua, a young North African woman who lived around the year 200 AD. She was only twenty-two years old, a new mother with a baby still at her breast, when she was arrested for being a Christian. Her father pleaded with her to renounce her faith and save her life. She refused.

She wrote a diary from prison that survives to this day. In it, she recorded that she knew who she was — a handmaid of Jesus Christ. That identity was stronger than her father's tears, stronger than her love for her own child, stronger than the fear of death. She went to the arena singing psalms and died for her Lord. The early Church remembered her name for centuries. Her identity in Christ gave her strength that nothing could take away.

My sister, what is your identity built on today? If it is built on your appearance, it will fade. If it is built on what your husband says about you, he is only a man and may fail you. If it is built on whether your children succeed, they are still sinners who may grieve your heart. If it is built on what your neighbors think, they will judge you by standards that change. Only Christ is the Rock.

Only in Him is your identity unshakable.

Take some time this week to meditate on who you are in Christ. Write down these truths. Say them out loud. You might say, "I am a daughter of God. I am made in His image. I am redeemed by the blood of Jesus. I am filled with the Holy Spirit. I am loved with an everlasting love. Nothing can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus my Lord." When the enemy whispers lies to you, answer him with the truth of God's word.

A Prayer Heavenly Father, I thank You that You made me in Your image. I thank You that You sent Your Son Jesus to die for my sins and to make me Your daughter. I thank You that Your Spirit lives within me. Forgive me for the times I have built my identity on things that do not last. Teach me today to know who I am in You. Give me the courage to walk in that truth, so that I may glorify You in all I do. In the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour, Amen.