Who Am I? Part 2

The I AM Statements of Jesus

Introduction Part 2- “Who Am I?”

Let’s begin this devotional with a Pop Quiz – sorry I know it is summer and school is supposed to be finished but humor me in this. This pop quiz is not in math, science, or English but in the area of systems of thought (something simple right!?) So, here goes: name for me as many “isms” as you can think of. Go! ‘Socialism’, ‘Capitalism’, ‘Communism’, ‘Conservativism’, and ‘Progressivism’ perhaps come to mind and are but a few in the arenas of political and economic thought. How about in the area of possessions: ‘Materialism’, and ‘Consumerism’ are but two. How about in the realm of religion? ‘Creationism’, ‘Traditionalism’, or ‘Liberalism’. What about in the study of History? Three major and sweeping divisions are often used to mark the passage of history and what philosophical system of thought dominated each. Let’s spend some time unpacking pre-modernism, modernism, and post-modernism, and what they mean, by way of introduction to the I Am Statements of Jesus. I promise, they are related.

The first historical era was called ‘Pre-Modernism’. This was the period from the Ancient Near Eastern time until the beginning of the Enlightenment in the 1500s. It was a time of religious and philosophical thought dominated by ‘paganism’ (godless living) in some areas while in other parts of the world, ‘theism’ (those who believed in a God (monotheism) or a system of gods (polytheism)). The Greek and Roman pantheons of gods dominated this period. There was a belief that many different gods ruled and did so with great power that was mixed with human emotions, personalities, and failings. Sacrifices to a particular deity believed to be connected to agriculture were offered in the hopes of a prosperous and bountiful growing/harvesting season. So as not to offend any, one god, elevating him/her over another, people were drawn into a constant cycle of sacrificing to dozens and even hundreds of different gods. The New Testament tells us of the Apostle Paul, who, while in Athens, saw an idol to ‘the unknown god’. This was an attempt by the Athenians to have a ‘catch-all idol’ so that all their bases would be covered, hoping not to leave any, one god out, thereby incurring his/her wrath. Paul used this as a means of evangelism to share about the One, True God, that he said they were worshipping without even realizing it. The Pre-modern explanation of history and philosophical thought was that it was a time of superstition, religion, and humanity’s dependence on gods for life, meaning, and purpose.

From the 1500s to the late 1900s, a new system arrived. Mankind, believing himself to have matured and grown beyond the need for religion- ‘made-up’ systems of deities or beliefs, created a new way of thinking and living. Science became king. In Modernism, mankind, free from the fetters of ‘superstition’, could simply explore and reason and discover meaning and purpose. Society and life could be made perfect and create a utopia. However, after the horrors of the early 1900s, with two world wars, the exterminating ovens of the holocaust, and the brutality of man against man, Modernism was abandoned and a new worldview was sought and created.

We are now living in what many call the Post-modern era. In Post-modernism, truth is relative (created by each person), meaning and purpose are not discovered but made by individuals to suit their own desires. Having travelled far down the path of self-realization and creating their own realities, people are now open to the idea that, as individuals charged with the pursuit of their own happiness, we can even choose our own gender identity. Popular views include the belief that biology no longer determines our gender (how we were born physically; male or female) but now, our emotions determine who we are. Post-modernism on steroids!

So, when we try to answer the question, ‘Who am I?’, the culture around us is now saying that not only do we each determine our own answer to this question but we can be so specific that we can be any ‘gender’ we want. Even changing it from week to week, month to month, and year to year, depending on our shifting desires, likes, needs, and wants.

A culture so awash in individual self-determination and one that casts aside seemingly set and stable foundations, like gender, biology, truth, and reality, is destined to live frantic, lost, and confused existences. This is the culture in which you have grown up and in which your children will have to navigate.

So, What Now?

Where do you see the thought patterns of Postmodernism in your life? Where are you tempted to set aside objective, God-given truth and substitute your own ‘truth’, based on your wants, desires, and feelings?

What God Says: Find a Bible verse that helps define who you are or who you are becoming and share it with someone close to you. Take a moment and try and explain to them why that verse describes who you are and who you want to be.