Identity Triangle
How God Sees Us.
One of the largest problems in the church is that God's people really don't know who they are and even when you tell them, they still don't believe it.
So who are we? Are we what we do? A pharmacist, a teacher, a preacher, a mother or a father? Are we what people have said we are? Fat, thin, pretty, ugly, lazy or a go-getter? What happens when you are no longer what you believe yourself to be? Who are you then?
What happens when you base your entire life and your worth around something that can change overnight?
A quick response - we find ourselves lost, confused and unhealthy.
Use this video to teach your group about the Identity Triangle or refresh yourself as a leader.
Purpose: The Identity Triangle is designed to teach others to understand where their identity truly rests. As followers of Jesus, our identity should rest fully in Him. However, this is often not the case as we deeply examine our hearts and lives. This tool gives clarity to how Jesus sees us and how we can rest in His authority and power.
Scriptures:
Ephesians 2:4-10 - Who we are in Christ
Matthew 3:16-17 - My Son whom I am well pleased
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 - Alive Ambassadors for Christ
Ephesians 2:19 - Citizens of Heaven
Ephesians 5:1 - Children of God
Teach:
Who we believe ourselves to be makes all the difference.
Ask: “How do you introduce yourself? Who are you and what defines you? What is your identity?”
That’s a question many people struggle to answer.
Too often, people base their identities on what they do (from their jobs to their roles in relationships), defining themselves by those pursuits. But by doing so, they significantly limit their lives. The truth is that God intends for all people to find their identity in Christ.
If you’re a Christian, your identity encompasses all the abundance of being a beloved child of God. Here’s how you can start living your life fully in Christ, keeping in mind that your identity is found in Christ. Use this list of things God calls you and how He identifies you to remind yourself who you are in Christ.
Read: Ephesians 2:4-10 & Matthew 3:16-17
These scriptures give us many truths about where our identity is found as a follower and believer of Jesus. As sons & daughters of God we are seen as Christ is seen by the Father. These covenant promises can greatly encourage us when all else is stripped away.
The Identity triangle gives us a visual example of how God sees us as His sons and daughters.
Group Action Steps:
After reading Ephesians 2:4-10 and Matthew 3:16-17 ask your group what our identity in Christ looks like. What are some of the characteristics that we see?
Walk them through the tool to show the value and sealed identity they have in Christ. Identity and favor are not earned but are gifts that are given to us as followers and believers of Jesus.
Questions to ask:
What are you currently putting your identity in?
Why do our efforts to gain identity on our own never return fruit or growth?
The Truth Lie Comparison Sheet can help us to find Scriptural Truths that go against the lies we might be believing about our Identity.
Walking through this tool:
As followers of Jesus the promise that we see in Scripture is that our identity is now sealed in Christ. As a Child of God you are called a saint, blessed, appreciated, saved, forgiven, adopted, rewarded, victorious, an ambassador, and more. These truths can never be taken from you. This is a Covenant - or promise - that God has given us through His scriptures, and this covenant can not be broken.
Definition of Covenant: an agreement or contract between two people
When God the Father looks down upon you and your life (the right side of the triangle), he first sees Jesus and you as a coheir with Him. Thus, creating your spiritual identity. Your identity as a child of God now encourages you to be obedient to Him and what He asks of you (The bottom of the triangle). Through our obedience we then make connection and relationship with the Father and His will for our lives (the left side of the triangle).
Going backwards on the triangle (starting down the left side first) shows an illustration of how we attempt to be obedient to “earn” our identity in Christ. This is a common mistake among believers of Jesus to gain favor through our own efforts. This can lead to legalism and “works” based faith & identity. In addition, as we see in the illustration the need for Jesus becomes irrelevant to how God the Father see us. However, as brothers and sisters of Christ, God the Father is well pleased with us and will be no matter our best efforts to earn it.