The Uniqueness of You

Right now, our world is full of confusion. There is confusion concerning education, government, the environment, and a host of other issues. One of the largest and most hotly debated issues in our world is the issue of personhood and identity. Many are struggling to find answers to questions like: Who am I? Who am I supposed to be? What is my purpose? These questions, when answered from a secular worldview, only lead to more confusion and deeper heartache for those seeking an answer. And, unlike what we are fed to believe, the answer to these questions, even on an individual level, has far reaching implications for the family and society as a whole. The LGBTQ+ sector of our society would have us believe individuals are free to self-identify any way a person chooses. It’s their life, their choice, their identity, and their truth. One of the problems with this worldview, especially for Christians, is that this perspective is not founded on actual truth. As a matter of fact, it flies in the face of objective truth. God and God alone has the power and authority to direct his creation the way he sees fit. One of the wonderful things about God is that he does not leave us guessing as to his will. He has given us his revealed word to instruct us on his will for our lives. When God’s word is consulted, we quickly see the problem with the LGBTQ+ worldview of self-identifying because it is opposite of God’s created order. 

As to the three questions posed earlier, (Who am I? Who am I supposed to be? What is my purpose?) we can find the answers in Genesis 1:26-28.

In Genesis 1:26-28 God says, 

Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth. So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.

Who am I? 

In this short passage we see that each individual person has been carefully and intentionally made just as they are right now. Regardless of how a person perceives themselves, there are no mistakes in their creation. God has created male and female. He has created male and female with the express purpose for those who will be in intimate relationships to be in relationships with the opposite gender. As believers who hold to a Christian worldview, we would not tell a child born with Down Syndrome there is a mistake in his creation. We also would not affirm someone who identifies as gay, lesbian, or transgender as having a mistake with their creation. God created each person male and female. So, who am I? I am fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. God has not made a mistake in my creation and my identity. 

Some who struggle with identity do so because they do not understand where their identity stems from. Each person has worth, dignity, and value not because of something they have done, but because each individual has been created in the very image of God. It is God’s image that rests upon each person and gives them his or her own unique identity. Rest assured, when God grants an identity, he does not make a mistake. 

Who am I supposed to be? 

This question can be even more difficult. For those who are sure they are male or female, but struggle with same sex attraction you may wrestle with who you are supposed to be and who you are supposed to be with. If you listen to the LGBTQ+ community, you will be fully affirmed and instructed to chase your passions and allow your lusts and desires to have complete reign in your life. You are told to allow the individual moment to dictate truth to you as opposed to having a foundation upon which to draw truth. The problem with this seems obvious, but I will state it: If we allow our fickle passions and fleshly desires to dictate truth, we will never know truth. The Bible tells us that “the heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable-who can understand it?” (Jer. 17:9). If we allow our heart and our momentary desires to tell us who we are we will never discover the truth of who we are or who we are supposed to be. 

Instead of allowing the world or our flesh to tell us who we are supposed to be, we can go back to God’s word to help us not only fight our flesh but instruct us with wonderful words of life. For the same sex attracted as well as those struggling with gender dysphoria, God’s word tells us he created each person as either a male or a female. If we know the truth to the question of “Who am I?” then we can answer the question of “Who am I supposed to be” much easier. If God has created you a man, you are to be a man. If God has created you to be a woman, be a woman. The danger lies in giving into the desires of the flesh. If a person, any person, not only those struggling with LGBTQ+ issues, gives into the flesh, they are giving into sin and allowing pride to rule their lives instead of God’s word. Each one of us are supposed to be who God created us to be and live in such a way that corresponds with that. 

What is my purpose? 

This question has many nuanced answers, but I would like to approach it in two ways. Everyone single person that has ever been created by God and whoever will be created by God is created for his glory. Our lives are meant to bring glory to God. Many struggle to discover their purpose in life because they seek to find fulfillment, or rather contentment in a singular purpose. The problem is that many are substituting jobs, relationships, sexuality, money, and other desires for our one true purpose-glorifying God. And in order for our lives to glorify God, our lives must line up with the word of God. 

The second way I want to approach this question is specifically from an LGBTQ+ angle. Genesis 1:26-27 tells us: 1). We have been intentionally created in the image of God, 2). We have been created for responsible dominion over the earth, 3). We have been created either male or female, and finally, 4). We have been created to multiply. We have already looked at the first three, so I want to take just a moment to focus on the fourth. Each person has been created male or female, and this intentionality is directly linked to the command to be fruitful and multiply. God’s natural order is for male and female, through the institution of marriage, to procreate. There can be no procreation from a male/male or female/female relationship. There can be no reproduction from those who identify and go through the transition process of transgenderism. Going down the LGBTQ+ road forfeits one’s obedience to the Bible. Yes, there are ways we have created to get around our sin and have children in these relationships, but those means are opposite of God’s ways. 

Our purpose is to live in the fullness of the identity God has given us. God has created us for the expressed purpose of his glory and when we live in accordance with God-given identity and purpose we can experience true joy and contentment. Every one of us are uniquely created by God. Your uniqueness is found in his image within you. You do not have to chase an identity or image created by the world to find value, worth, or purpose. God has already given you your uniqueness through your very creation. 

You are unique because God has made you unique, not because the culture tells you so.

Let us find our value, purpose, and worth in Christ. 

Blessings,

BD