Created in the Image of God — Who Am I?
Before Purpose Comes Identity
Before we can understand our purpose, we must understand our identity.
The world encourages us to define ourselves by what we accomplish, what others think of us, our relationships, possessions, appearance, career, or even our failures.
Scripture begins somewhere very different.
Our identity begins with God.
You are not an accident. You are not simply the product of circumstances. You were intentionally created by God and made in His image.
That truth gives every human life dignity, value, meaning, and purpose.
Begin With God's Word
- Genesis 1:26–28
- Genesis 2:7
- Psalm 139:13–16
- Isaiah 43:7
Who Are You?
When someone asks, “Who are you?”, how do you normally answer?
Perhaps you give your name. Maybe you describe your occupation, family relationships, accomplishments, interests, or background.
But if all of those things were taken away, who would you still be?
That is the deeper question Scripture helps us answer.
Your Story Begins With God
We Begin With God
The Bible does not begin with us. It begins with God.
That matters because we cannot properly understand ourselves until we understand that our lives originate with Him.
We did not create ourselves. We do not ultimately belong to ourselves. We exist because God chose to give us life.
Genesis describes God creating the heavens, earth, oceans, vegetation, animals, sun, moon, and stars.
But when God creates humanity, something changes.
God declares His intention to make humanity in His image and likeness.
Human beings therefore occupy a unique place within God's creation.
What Does It Mean to Be Made in God's Image?
Being made in God's image does not mean that we physically look like God.
Rather, humanity was created to reflect something about God's character and to represent Him within creation.
Human beings can reason, communicate, create, love, make moral choices, form relationships, exercise stewardship, and recognize meaning and beauty.
But the image of God is more than a collection of abilities.
It describes our identity and vocation.
Humanity was created to know God, live in relationship with Him, reflect His character, and represent Him within His world.
Your Worth Comes From Your Creator
This changes how we understand human value.
Our worth does not come from how much money we earn, how successful we become, how attractive we are, how intelligent we are, how useful others believe us to be, or what we have accomplished.
Our worth comes from the fact that God created us in His image.
A newborn child bears God's image. An elderly person bears God's image. The wealthy and the poor bear God's image. The healthy and the disabled bear God's image.
Every person possesses dignity because human worth originates with God.
That truth also changes how we should see other people.
If every human being bears God's image, then every person we encounter should be treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.
You Were Created Intentionally
Psalm 139 makes this truth deeply personal.
David describes God as intimately involved in his formation and fully aware of his life before birth.
David does not describe himself as an accident. He sees himself as the work of God.
Your life matters because God intended your existence.
You may not understand every circumstance surrounding your life. You may carry painful experiences from your past. You may have experienced rejection, failure, disappointment, or loss.
Those experiences can profoundly influence the way you see yourself.
But they do not have the authority to define your ultimate identity.
Your Creator does.
The Image Was Damaged, But Not Destroyed
Genesis 3 tells us that humanity rebelled against God.
Sin entered the human story and distorted everything.
Our relationship with God was broken. Human relationships became fractured. Fear, shame, selfishness, violence, suffering, and death entered human experience.
Yet Scripture continues to describe human beings as made in God's image even after the Fall.
The image was damaged, but it was not erased.
This helps explain why human beings display both remarkable dignity and profound brokenness.
We were created in God's image, but we are fallen image-bearers who desperately need restoration.
That restoration ultimately comes through Jesus Christ, which we will explore in Week Two.
Identity Comes Before Purpose
Many people ask: “What is my purpose?”
That is a good question.
But Scripture first helps us answer an even deeper question:
“Whose am I?”
Before God gave humanity something to do, He gave humanity an identity.
We were His image-bearers.
Purpose flows from identity.
You do not have to create a life meaningful enough to justify your existence.
You already possess meaning because your life originated with God.
You were created to know Him, reflect His character, love others, steward what He has entrusted to you, participate in His work, and ultimately live for His glory.
How Have You Defined Yourself?
- How have you typically defined yourself?
- Which things have had the greatest influence on your identity—career, family, accomplishments, appearance, relationships, failures, or other people's opinions?
- Have you ever believed your value depended on what you could accomplish?
- What changes when you begin with the truth: “I am someone intentionally created by God and made in His image”?
- Are there labels from your past that you have allowed to become more powerful than what God says about you?
Write this sentence somewhere you will see it this week:
My life has value because God created me, knows me, and made me in His image.
Talk About It
- When people today talk about “finding yourself,” where do they usually look for identity?
- What does Genesis 1:26–28 teach us about humanity's unique place in creation?
- How does being created in God's image affect our understanding of human value?
- How can accomplishments become an unhealthy source of identity?
- How can failures become an unhealthy source of identity?
- What does Psalm 139 reveal about God's involvement in our lives?
- How should belief in the image of God affect the way Christians treat other people?
- Why is it important to understand identity before trying to discover purpose?
Genesis 1:26–28
1. God chose to create humanity.
Humanity exists because of God's decision and initiative.
Your story begins with God.
2. Humanity was made in God's image.
Human beings are unlike anything else described in the creation account.
We were created to reflect and represent our Creator.
3. Identity leads to responsibility.
God's image-bearers were entrusted with stewardship over creation.
Biblical purpose is therefore not merely about personal fulfillment.
It is about faithfully representing God with the life, relationships, abilities, opportunities, and resources He has entrusted to us.
What has God already placed within your care?
Your family? Relationships? Abilities? Time? Resources? Workplace? Neighborhood? Influence?
Purpose may begin much closer to home than we sometimes imagine.
Respond to God
Father,
Thank You for creating me and giving me life.
Forgive me for the ways I have allowed accomplishments, failures, possessions, relationships, or the opinions of others to define who I am.
Help me see myself through Your truth.
Teach me what it means to bear Your image.
Help me reflect Your character in the way I live, love, speak, work, and treat others.
Show me how to faithfully steward the life You have entrusted to me.
And as I continue this journey, help me understand both who You created me to be and the purpose for which You created me.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Begin Each Day With Identity
Every morning this week, begin your day by saying:
“I was created by God, I bear His image, and my life belongs to Him.”
Then ask:
“Father, how can I represent You faithfully today?”
Pay attention to the ordinary opportunities God places in front of you.
Your purpose does not begin someday when you finally discover the perfect calling.
It begins today by faithfully representing God wherever He has placed you.
Read Through the Week
Genesis 1:1–31
Genesis 2:4–25
Psalm 8
Psalm 139:1–18
Isaiah 43:1–7
Colossians 1:15–20
Ephesians 2:1–10
You do not have to create your identity or prove your worth. You were intentionally created by God, made in His image, and created to reflect Him in the world. Your purpose begins with knowing whose you are.