The Identity of a Child of God
We live in a world where the concept of human identity seems increasingly unstable and subject to change according to an individual's feelings or life circumstances. The world is, in fact, experiencing an identity crisis, and identity is often defined through the past, success, or failure. Various emotional wounds can also shape a person's self-image, creating an identity that the person gradually begins to believe.
As believers in the Bible, however, our understanding of identity should be like bedrock that neither shifts nor is shaken. For we were created in the image of God.
Then God said, "Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." (Gen. 1:26).
You Are Not Trying to Become a Child of God—you Have Already Been Given That Right
At the new birth, your identity and standing in relation to God change in an instant. God calls you His own. You are not trying to become a child of God; you have already been given that right. You begin a process of growth and gradually come to understand what this new identity means.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (John 1:12).
Believers, too, may continue to live from an identity defined by wounds from the past. God does not define us this way; He sees us through atonement and renewal. We are not merely "repaired" people, but born again and completely new. The past is not your identity; in God, in Christ, you are new.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Cor. 5:17).
It is important to understand our identity as the image of God, as spiritual beings created according to God's plan. God has placed within us everything we need. The likeness of God refers to character that, through sanctification, grows ever closer to God. Likeness to God's image may be expressed, for example, through moral choices, speech, and conduct that accord with the Word of the Bible. God begins to work through us, for example by healing the sick. There is power in the Word of God to heal. (Ps. 107:20).
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that you visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen,- Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea, That pass the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth! (Ps. 8:3–9).
The Authority of a Child of God in Christ
In Christ, we have also been given authority. We were created to carry God's glory and His authority and to express His character. God first created the human being and established his identity, and only then gave him the task of ruling. The ability to exercise dominion is possible only when identity is sound.
Satan's war against identity is built on lies that attack who you are in Christ. Satan is a liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44). How easily, in certain situations, we fear people, compare ourselves with others, and feel ashamed of who we are. Satan attacks our identity so that he can steal the authority given to us and distort the image of God in us. If the enemy can distort our identity, he can control our calling and our entire future.
The Restoration of Identity
In salvation, the believer becomes a child of God and receives authority and power. The healing of identity and its maturation into fullness begin when a person receives a deep inner revelation of being made in God's image. Growing into the likeness of God is a process of transformation. Through sanctification, spiritual maturity increases, and God's glory and authority become visible.
For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Rom. 8:29–30).
Christ is the perfect image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Col. 1:15). Jesus is the manifestation of Christ. Paul urged his listeners to follow him because he followed Christ's example. The English Bible uses the expression "Paul imitates Christ." (Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. 1 Cor. 11:1 / NKJV) The Finnish translation says, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ." (1 Cor. 11:1 / FinRK).
God's Plan for His Children
Jesus wants to entrust us with His glory so that our lives may bear witness to God. To carry His glory, our character must grow and be transformed into God's likeness through sanctification. If we do not receive a revelation of our true identity, there is a danger that our prayers will lack authority. We serve and act, but we are unable to exercise dominion in the way God intends. We will not fulfill our calling if we lack faith and confidence in it. We may live as redeemed people, yet fail to attain the very best plan God has for us.
God's plan for us is always good and best. (Jer. 29:11). Joseph is one of the people in the Bible whose life story was filled with challenges and suffering. His true identity emerged only when his character changed and began to reflect God's likeness. He stepped into his calling and began to act with the authority God had given him.
Paul writes to the church in Ephesus: "and that you put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness." (Eph. 4:24).
The Bible even speaks of all creation, which "eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God". (Rom. 8:19).
Can You Believe and Declare That
I am the image of God, and I reflect His character. I resist every lie that rises against my identity. I am not inferior, broken, or forgotten. I reign with Jesus Christ because dominion has been restored to me and because God has restored me to a position of authority. I live in God's plan, in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.
This blog post is based on Apostle Sam Darla's teaching, Created in the Image of God.
(100 Days of Prayer and Fasting 2026 Day 11 – Sermon – Image & Likeness of God)
Paula Vilkama,
Chairperson of the Stepping into Freedom Network