These are very intriguing and challenging questions, and people have been struggling to answer them for as long as the question has existed. Who am I?
Physical:
Some say that I am merely a physical being, bound by instinct and to be directed simply by my physical desires.
Mental:
Others say that I am a spiritual, emotional, and mental being, with this body simply being a vessel, and of no real importance.
Material:
Giving a more surface level answer people will say that I am what I like or dislike, or I am the gender that I feel most suited to.
These answers carry a very important weight as they dictate how we will answer the next question of who we SHOULD be. For those who argue that we are purely physical, this question is pointless. We are what we are and we cannot change any meaningful part of us, and anything we do will not have any meaning as we will only be doing what we are expected to do. With the other viewpoint of being a solely mental creature, any idea of what we should be is limited to the level of intellectual enlightenment, and removes any action that might be taken that could exhibit change.
What does God say?
What answer is there then? What answer can be given that helps us understand not just the question of who I am, but also that of who should I be? God provides it in His Word. In Colossians 3:3-4 it says:
“3 For you died. And your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our life appears, then also will appear with Him in glory.”
What these verses show is that who I am or who used to be was not good enough. I needed to die, to change. Before I died, I was a physical and spiritual being, created in the image of God, but marred by the blight of sin. This created a need for change, a necessity to grow into what I should be, and the only way that that is possible is through Christ. He takes away our sins, and recreates us, bringing us to life in Him. And this new life that he gives us is described as being hidden in Christ. For all intents and purposes our lives should not appear as our own. What we do and how we live should reflect in everything what Christ would do. This idea of living with Christ is not a new one either. From the very beginning man was created to live with God and have fellowship with Him.
Growth is found in these questions…
The answers that God provides us for life’s questions are wonderful, and they are complete, perfect, and lead us to salvation. The answers to the questions of “Who am I?” and “Who should I be?” lead to each other. When I think about who I am I realize God created me, and that He created me in His image, answering the question of who I am but also of who I should be. When I think about who I should be I think about who I was created to be, and the purpose for which I was created.
Knowing that we need to be like Christ means we should never stop working to become more like Him. This process of becoming more like Christ brings up another question; since I know that I need to be like Christ, how exactly do I do that and what all does that entail? In next week’s bulletin I will write more about that question. Right now I ask you to consider who you are, and who you are working to look like.