Christian Identity

The senior youth have started a series on the Bible and Self-Esteem. Our hope is to walk with youth in the pressures they face every day to conform to peer or media standards. The Bible definitely has lots to say about being counter-cultural, so it’s important to support each other in upholding that calling.

I thought I would recap some of my lesson as it actually has much more to say to parents and mentors of youth than it does the youth themselves. The lesson is primarily about our identity.

After reading Psalm 8, which is written by someone questioning his identity, I asked the youth to come up with a list of things their parents tell them TO DO or not do. Wasn’t too hard to do: do homework, clean room, walk the dog, be nice to siblings, be on time, etc. The second list I asked was for all the things parents tell them TO BE. This list was much harder to come up with.

Here’s the main point: “If people were taught more about who they are, they wouldn’t have to be told what to do.” If we have an identity of being a life-long learner, no one has to tell us to do our homework. But how often are youth taught who they are, IN GOD’S EYES?

I then provided a number of different identities that are presented in the Bible. These are our identities as GOD SEES US, and our challenge is to learn to accept and grow into these identities. Very brief overview:
1. Made in the Image of God (Genesis 1)
2. Made new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
3. Made part of the Body of Christ, ie part of church community (1 Corinthians 12)

How does the Bible shape your identity? How can you encourage youth to grow in their emerging Christian identity?