#18 Your Identity, Hidden in Christ
Time Stamps
00:00 - Welcome from Anna and Sharon
04:05 - Talk: Your Identity, Hidden in Christ with Pete Farrington
07:32 - The Paradox of Modern Identity Struggles
13:50 - What It Means to Be Hidden in Christ
19:13 - The Dignity and Glory of Your True Identity
31:33 - Conversation Street: Finding Stable Ground in a Shifting World
38:12 - Liberating Truth: When Identity Panic Quietens
When Looking Inward Fails
Ever noticed how much of our culture is obsessed with "finding yourself"? Social media feeds overflow with prompts to discover your "authentic self," and influencers promise that happiness comes from expressing your unique identity. But what if all this introspection is leading us deeper into insecurity rather than solving it?
This Sunday, Pete Farrington continued our exploration of identity in our "Becoming Whole" series with a counter-cultural proposition: your true identity isn't found by looking deeper within yourself – it's found by losing yourself in Christ.
Pete shared candidly about his own journey with identity anxiety: "For many years I was consumed with this anxiety around self-worth or self-esteem, and my hyper-focus and preoccupation with self-esteem was only leading me further and further into despair."
The endless self-reflection and introspection that our culture encourages wasn't helping – it was making him "hopelessly depressed." Despite peeling back layer after layer of his experiences, he couldn't find that elusive "treasure inside myself upon which I could assert my own identity."
The Identity Crisis of Our Age
Pete highlighted how radically our understanding of identity has shifted in recent years. In previous generations, identity was primarily understood through relationships and responsibilities – I am a son, a husband, a father – roles that connected people to others and their community.
But as traditional structures like the nuclear family and cultural identities have weakened, we've turned inward for answers. This shift has created what Pete called "expressive individualism" – the idea that our identity must be self-defined, self-expressed, and validated by others to be real.
The result? Constant anxiety about who we really are.
"The modern self is in constant flux," Pete explained, "constantly reinventing itself in pursuit of self-actualisation." Like actors who peak early and spend decades trying to remain relevant, we're left scrambling to piece together an identity, continually asking, "Who am I now?"
The Secure Alternative
The Christian understanding of identity offers something radically different. Pete turned to Colossians 3:1-4:
"If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory."
This passage presents a profound truth: for Christians, our identity is "hidden with Christ in God." It's not visible to the world, and it's not based on our achievements, relationships, appearance, or any other external marker.
During Conversation Street, Sharon shared how this truth transformed her own life during a season of uncertainty: "God was whipping away all the things that I'd put my security in, and I'm left there going, 'Ah, but what is left?' and you feel like you're just floating in midair with no security."
It was in that vulnerable space that she began to discover her identity in Christ – not in how she dressed, what she achieved, or who approved of her.
Losing Yourself to Find You
One of the most powerful insights from Pete's talk was about the paradox at the heart of Christian identity: "It was when I took my eyes off myself that I found myself."
Jesus captured this paradox in John 12:25: "Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life."
Pete explained: "Jesus is saying deny yourself of things today so that you can maximise your joy in me forever... Once I took my eyes off myself, I found myself. Once I lost myself, I found myself in Christ."
During Conversation Street, Anna reflected on how this paradox plays out in our mental health crisis: "When we look deeper and deeper inside of ourselves for all the answers and try to make ourselves our own God... that doesn't lead us into life." Working in healthcare, she sees firsthand how this self-focus often leads to depression and anxiety rather than fulfillment.
The Safety of Being Hidden
If your identity is built on your career, what happens if you lose your job? If it's built on your appearance, what happens when you age? If it's built on your relationship, what happens if that person leaves?
Pete put it bluntly: If your essential self is based on "personal experience or group identity or your career or sexuality or your appearance, your identity is only ever one mistake or one disaster away from completely crumbling and falling apart."
But an identity hidden in Christ is different – it's secure. "No fire can burn it up, no disaster can rob you of it, no mistake can make you lose it," Pete explained.
During Conversation Street, Sharon noted how freeing this truth can be: "It actually brings freedom... if you're not having to get those likes, you're not having to get the approval, it just leaves you free to be who God has created you to be."
Anna agreed, pointing out that young people today face enormous pressure to self-define everything: "That's a really big pressure at 16, 17, 18... If I was growing up now and becoming an adult, that is a huge pressure on kids to find everything about yourself and only you can do that."
Dust and Diamond
Christians live with a beautiful tension in their identity – what Pete called being "simultaneously dust and diamond."
On one hand, we acknowledge the truth of Romans 7:18: "I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh." On our own, we are dust.
But Scripture also reveals the incredible dignity and glory of those who are in Christ. CS Lewis captured this in his famous quote that Pete shared:
"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest, most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship..."
As 1 John 3:1-3 puts it:
"See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are... Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is."
This is the stunning truth that quiets the identity panic in our hearts as we are deeply loved children of God, being transformed into the likeness of Christ, with a future glory that would overwhelm us if we could see it now.
Where Do You Hide Yourself?
Pete's message challenges us to consider where we're really finding our identity. As he put it, "We all hide ourselves somewhere."
Is your sense of self rooted in:
Your career or achievements?
Your relationships or family role?
Your appearance, abilities, or personality?
The approval of others?
Cultural or political identities?
While none of these things are inherently wrong, they make shaky foundations for your core identity. Only Christ offers the security of being loved and valued regardless of your performance, appearance, or circumstances.
Join us next Sunday as Matt Edmundson continues our series, exploring another dimension of our identity in Christ. Whether you're joining us in person at the Frontline Centre or online, we'd love to keep walking this journey of wholeness with you.
"For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory." (Colossians 3:3-4)
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