What’s the starting point for our identity? Is it our abilities? Our flaws? Our sin? A big part of the problem is that we start conversations about human identity, particularly in the church, in the wrong place. We either start from our sinful state… which makes it seem like we were meant to be broken from the start, or we start from the place of our character and virtues, without actually ever addressing our brokenness. But the vision of humanity that we see in the Scriptures is different: Humans were created in the image and likeness of God, out of love and for love. Before anything else, this is the starting point of human identity. We are who God meant us to be. Understanding this distinction helps us frame our brokenness and sin properly, but it also illuminates the potential of humanity and God’s vision for what He desires us to become.