From the Desk of the Pastor... The Dilemma of This Generation: Identity “God created manin His own image, in the image of God He created him;male and female He created them... God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good.” ~ Genesis 1:27, 31 ~ When we consider the multitude of problems that young people face today, what usually comes to mind are issues such as substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, gender confusion, depression, obesity, violence, and a general lack of moral values. However, these things are not really the central problem – they are merely the symptoms of an even larger issue. The real obstacle facing young people today is that of an existential identity crisis. Most do not know who they are or “why” they are. They lack both identity and purpose. Unlike preceding generations, today’s young people have an exceedingly broad cultural berth to choose from when it comes to determining who they are, and who they want to be, so that they often find themselves utterly disoriented and confused. They are told that they must decide upon their preferred racial marker, sexual identity, preferred pronouns, philosophical leaning, political alignment, religious orientation, personal worldview, and even what they believe to be their own “truth.” Of course, the world’s idea of fixing an identity crisis is vastly different from what the Scriptures teach. As one author observes: “Do a quick web search on ‘identity crisis’ and it’s not hard to figure out the general consensus on how to fix one. We’re encouraged to ‘look inward and explore,’ ‘go on a journey of self-discovery,’ ‘do things that make you happy,’ ‘ignore judgment’ and, in short, turn our focus entirely toward ourselves. According to this thinking, our identity is something only we can define, and our emotions get the ruling vote on who we are. Any objective standard of identity has been torn away.”[1] This type of relativistic doctrine advises young people rely on themselves. As the Lord told the Prophet Jeremiah, “For My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, to hew for themselves cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:13). Rather than finding their identity in the Creator, they look toward the creation for purpose and identity. There is only one hope for this generation. That hope is found in Christ alone. Only when this generation finds their identity and purpose in the reveal word of God will they truly discover their identity and purpose. In Christ Alone, Pastor D. A. Jones |
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