“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Maybe you heard this question as a child or a teenager. Our responses usually focus on some kind of career path or occupation. And as we grow older, we realize that we need some kind of work or career to help us with the costs of living.

Yet consider the nuance of the question. It doesn’t ask, “What do you want to do?” It asks, “What do you want to be?” Being has to do with our essence, our character, our identity. And in God’s economy, being goes ahead of doing. We are so that we can do.

The apostle Paul opens his letter to the Romans with a defining statement: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God. . . .” On the face of it, this statement addresses the question “Who am I?” Yet, looking deeper, we can see that it’s more about “Whose am I?” Paul’s identity is inseparable from his relationship with Jesus.

Paul identifies himself as a servant—or, more precisely, a bondservant—of Christ Jesus. In essence, Paul belongs to Jesus, his Redeemer, who called and commissioned him. He no longer lives to please and serve himself but to please and serve the One who has rescued him. This radical Christ-centeredness is the character that every believer takes on. Like Paul’s, our identity becomes inseparable from our transformative relationship with Jesus Christ.