• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Lifeway Voices

Lifeway Voices

Trustworthy, Christian perspectives on life

  • Sections
    • Bible & Theology
    • Discipleship & Evangelism
    • Church Ministry & Leadership
    • Marriage & Family
    • Culture & Current Events
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • About
  • Shop
Bible & Theology | Videos

Who God Is Determines Who We Are

by Jen Wilkin | March 3, 2020

In this video from Gospel Above All with Pastor J.D. Greear, author and Bible teacher, Jen Wilkin, talks about how we often focus on defining our own identity before focusing on what God’s identity is.

 

Learn more about Gospel Above All here.

 

The entire video is above, and the complete transcript is below.


J.D. GREEAR:

I’ve heard you talk a lot about how our view of the gospel of God shapes our own self-image and that’s a huge thing that people talk about. So, unpack that a little bit.

JEN WILKIN:

It’s fascinating to me how much time we spend trying to identify “I am” statements that are of secondary importance, right? I mean I think you can even see it in our current worship music and you can hear it in a lot of things. Specifically I see it in things that are written for women. But I know that it can’t possibly be limited just to the women’s section of the Christian bookstore. Where we’re so consumed with reminding ourselves of who we are in Christ or who are in God. But we sometimes are forgetful to start with, “But who is God?” 

Because the only way I can truly understand the beauty of who I am in Christ is to behold Christ. And so, it’s really important for us to answer those identity questions. We need to be able to answer the questions of who we are properly. But it’s starts by focusing on who Christ is.

J.D. GREEAR:

So if we’re gonna be in His image we’ve got to know His image.

JEN WILKIN: 

Right. I think the statement is: We become what we behold. But we can’t conform to an image that we haven’t seen. We cannot begin to look like a face that we have never seen before. 

And so we understand who Christ is through the Scriptures and that’s how we can say, “Now that’s a better thing. That’s what I would want to look like.”

Find more from Jen Wilkin at Lifeway.com
God of Deliverance

God of Deliverance

In this 10-session verse-by-verse study of Exodus 1–18, Jen Wilkin shows us that Israel’s story is our story: the same God who delivered Israel also delivers all those He loves from slavery to sin and from service to the pharaohs of this world.

FIND OUT MORE

Related Reads

About Jen Wilkin

Jen Wilkin is a wife, mom to four, and an advocate for women to love God with their minds through the faithful study of His Word. She is a speaker, writer, and Bible teacher. Jen lives in Flower Mound, Texas, and her family calls The Village Church home. Jen’s newest study is God of Creation. She is also the author of Women of the Word, None Like Him, In His Image, Sermon on the Mount Bible study, and 1 Peter: A Living Hope in Christ Bible study.

Contact

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2025 Lifeway Christian Resources | FAQ