Years ago, a rock group had a hit song with these lyrics:
There are times when all the world’s asleep,
The questions run too deep
For such a simple man.
Won’t you please, please tell me what we’ve learned
I know it sounds absurd
But please tell me who I am.
But please tell me who I am?
In some ways that question--like What is time?—is so basic, so foundational, that it’s hard to answer. And yet, really, what could be a more important question to have answered than that?
But how? And from where can we get the answer? After all, we don’t come out of the womb with instructions, explanations, or justifications written within the folds of our baby fat, or that can be decoded from our most primeval cries, do we?
What does it all mean, then? Or, to paraphrase the rock group: Can someone please tell me who I am.
Well, someone has told us. Our Creator, the God who made us. He had told us that we are beings made in His image: “in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:27). That is, in contrast to ancient myths about humans created as slaves to the gods, or modern myths about humans as the evolved ancestors of apes—Scripture teaches us about, not only our origins, but about our duty and, yes, our destiny. And it’s all wrapped up in the person of Jesus Christ, who created us and then, in order to redeem us, became one of us and died for us. In Christ, we can find our identity and our destiny.
But please tell me who I am? You are a being made in the image of God, who in the person of Jesus offers you redemption and eternal life in a whole new existence.
Any questions?
