God's NIL: His Name. His Image. His Likeness. Your Identity. Series (Part 1)

The Original NIL ​

On July 1, 2021, college sports changed forever. Three simple words—Name. Image. Likeness. Athletes suddenly had the opportunity to profit from the value of their name, image, and likeness. But thousands of years before anyone coined the acronym NIL, God had already established the original Name, Image, and Likeness.

The world's NIL is about building a personal brand. God's NIL is about revealing His character and shaping our identity.

Before the first endorsement deal, before the first logo, and before the first personal brand, Scripture introduced us to the God whose Name is above every name, who created humanity in His image, and who calls us to become more like Him. Genesis 1:26 gives us our first glimpse of God's NIL: 

“Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’”

In one verse, God introduces truths that will unfold throughout the rest of Scripture. Here we begin to see God's Name, His Image, and His Likeness woven into the story of redemption. We learn that God reveals Himself, creates humanity in His image, and invites us into a relationship that transforms us into His likeness.
Knowing and understanding who God is, what He is like, and who He created us to be will transform every area of our lives.

How does knowing God change us?

When we believe God is who He says He is, that truth shapes everything: our faith, choices, words, relationships, and work. That is why studying God's character from Genesis to Revelation is so important. We need to know the One in whom we have placed our trust. The more we know Him, the more we will love Him, obey Him, and rest in His promises.

At the same time, understanding God's character helps us understand our own identity. We live in a world that constantly tries to define who we are based on our achievements, appearance, feelings, failures, or the opinions of others. But God tells a different story. Because we are created in His image and are being transformed into His likeness, our identity is found in Him alone.

This is only the beginning. In the weeks ahead, we'll discover why God's Name matters, why He reveals Himself through so many names, what it truly means to be created in His image, and how the Holy Spirit transforms us into His likeness. As we know Him better, we'll understand ourselves better and learn to live confidently in the identity He has given us.

Questions:
1. What voices or influences most often shape your identity? Family? Career? Success? Social media? Past failures? Something else?
2. Why do you think understanding who God is is essential before we can truly understand who we are?
3. In what area of your life do you most need to replace the world's definition of your identity with God's truth?

Challenge:
This week, ask yourself one simple question each day:
"Am I allowing the world to define my identity, or am I allowing God to define it?"