Identity Crisis

By: J.B. Hixson, Ph.D.
01/10/2022

This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk....But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:17-24)

I came across an interesting story from the days of Alexander the Great and his campaign to conquer the world. As the story goes, Alexander the Great received word that one of his soldiers had been engaging continually in improper behavior that was creating a poor reputation for all of the Greek troops. To make matters worse, the soldier’s name was Alexander. The commander summoned this rebellious soldier to confront him about his behavior. When the young man arrived at the tent of Alexander the Great, the commander asked, “What is your name, soldier?” The young man replied, “Alexander, sir.” The commander then looked him straight in the eye and said rather forcefully, “Son, either change your behavior or change your name.”

The lesson here is obvious. As Christians, we bear the name of Christ. In fact, the word Christian means “Christ-like.” When we trusted in Jesus Christ as the only One who can forgive our sin and give us the free gift of eternal life, we were born again. We took on a new identity as a child of God. By His grace, we joined the family of God. We are a “new man,” to use the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 4 and Colossians 3. Thus, when we sin—that is, when we identify with the “old man” in us instead of the “new man”—we are creating a bad reputation for Christ and other Christians.

More than that, even if our sinful behavior is hidden or secret, we still bring an offense to our namesake Jesus Christ. Although the rest of the world may not see our actions, Christ does. How it must grieve Him to watch us sometimes as we ignore the convicting work of the Holy Spirit in our lives and instead indulge in the temptations of the flesh.

What about you? Who are you identifying with? The old man? The new man? The Christian life ultimately comes down to one or the other. The reason so many Christians struggle to live right is because they have an identity crisis. They are identifying with the wrong person in their minds. It reminds me of the time a woman got on an elevator in a tall New York office building and discovered that the only other individual in the elevator was none other than Robert Redford, the movie star. As the elevator slowly climbed upward, she finally mustered enough courage to ask, “Are you the real Robert Redford?” He smiled and said, “Only when I’m alone!”

Who are you when you are alone, when no one is looking? That is your real identity. Let me encourage you to identify with Jesus Christ, who gave His life to save you. If you have trusted in Him and Him alone for salvation, then you wear His name.  Live like it.

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