Insights

At its most simple definition, identity is an understanding of who one is. As we grow, that understanding should grow as well. Similarly, our understanding of who God is must be continuously growing. Our life should be a constant state of giving all we know of ourselves to all we know of God with the goal of becoming more like Christ each day. There also must be a point in our journey when we accept God’s free gift of salvation. This requires a recognition of our need. When we talk about helping our kids learn about their identity, we often focus on helping them find their strengths and recognize their God given talents. It is truly essential that we speak words of life over our children. We must demonstrate their value through our words and actions. However, their ability to understand their value is rooted in their ability to understand what it means to be an image bearer, to be deeply loved by God, and to accept God’s promise of a new heart and a new spirit through salvation.

All are born as image bearers. We are all born deeply loved by God. God desires that all would choose to accept His free gift of salvation and believe in his Lordship. Elements of our identity change at the point of salvation. 

“And you also were included in Christ when you heard that message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of His glory.” Ephesians 1: 13 -14.  

This is the Spirit promised in Ezekiel 36:26. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” Having received our new heart and God’s Holy Spirit, we can rest assured of our identity as chosen, adopted, forgiven and redeemed. These are all truths about identity that must be taught to our children. Understanding who they are in God will help them battle against the lies about identity being propagated in society.

A wonderful verse to discuss and memorize with your children is found in Genesis chapter 1:27. “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Here we learn that we were created on purpose, by design. Not by any design but by a design that was taken from God’s own image. This should both inform how we feel about ourselves and others. Before God instructed us to love our neighbors as ourselves, He informed us that ALL people are created in His image. Though not everyone has received their new heart and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, all people have great value in the eyes of God. Before birth, we were intentionally thought about and designed. That is an essential truth for our children to grasp in a world trying to tell them that life is random, without specific value, or absolute truth. 

Following in verse 28, God gave Adam and Eve a mandate to be fruitful and multiply, ruling over other living creatures and subduing the earth. It is important for children to understand that after creating us on purpose, God gives us each a purpose. Helping them discover their strengths and talents will help point them to God’s purpose for them but it must be preceded by an understanding of their identity as children designed by God, in His image. Let us plant these important truths in the hearts of our children before the lies of the world have a chance to take hold. 

Tammy McIlvoy
Head of School
Logos Preparatory Academy