The Law of Identity

The law of identity is the simplest of the three. A thing is what it is. A tree is a tree. A promise is a promise.

It sounds too plain to need saying. But every sentence depends on it. If words could mean anything at all at once, nothing could be said, and nothing could be promised.

God Names Himself

When Moses asked God for His name, God answered:

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" Exodus 3:14

God does not explain Himself by pointing to something bigger. There is nothing bigger. He is who He is.

He Does Not Change

That thought runs all through the Bible. "Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed." Malachi 3:6 James calls the Father the One "with whom there is no change or shifting shadow." James 1:17 And of the Son, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

Notice why Malachi says it matters. Israel was not destroyed because God did not change. His promise to Abraham held when Israel did not hold to Him. Our safety rests on the same thing. He stays who He is.

In Reading the Bible

Identity is why a word has to be read in its own sentence. When Jesus said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again," the crowd heard the building. "But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body." John 2:19-21 One word was pointing at two different things. When we lose track of what a word points at, two true sentences can look like a fight. A Different Sense works through many of these.

Identity also sits under the biggest question in the Gospels. Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do you say I am?" Matthew 16:15 He is who He is, whatever anyone calls Him. Every one of us still has to answer.