Why Do We Do What We Do?

A Biblical Perspective on Worth, Identity, and Life in Christ

Written By Dr. Chad Wiles

Synopsis

Every action we take flows from a deeper pursuit of worth. Scripture reveals that this pursuit is ultimately a matter of worship—either rooted in the flesh or in the Spirit. True identity and lasting worth are not something we create, but something we receive from God and is redeemed in Christ.

Main Ideas

• We were created with God-given worth, but sin led us to seek identity apart from Him.

• All behavior flows from worship, revealing where we seek value and security.

• True worth is restored in Christ, resulting in a new identity. 

Questions to get you started:
– Where are you most tempted to seek your worth?
– What does your life reveal about what you believe?

Why do you do what you do?

Mark Twain once said, “the two most important days in life are the day you were born and the day you discover the reason why.” Every human is seeking to figure out why they exist and what purpose they have in this life. Unfortunately, many search for meaning within themselves or validation from others, their career or accomplishments. All such pursuits fall short because they do not include the one who created us. 

God is the Creator, He defines value. When we separate our identity from Him, instability follows. Anxiety, comparison, and striving are all symptoms of seeking worth apart from God. Humans are created in the image of God whether we acknowledge that or not (Gen 1:26-28). Our worth is not something to earn—it was given. We are designed to live in dependence on God, reflecting His glory.

The Danger of Self-Defined Identity

When we reject God’s definition of worth, we attempt to create our own. This produces a cycle of insecurity, constantly seeking validation, fearing failure, and never feeling like we are enough.

Genesis 3:4 reveals the root of our struggle. The serpent tempted Eve with independence: “You will be like God.” This is the essence of sin—the desire to define life and worth on our own terms. When sin entered the world, humanity lost more than innocence. Fellowship with God was broken. Shame replaced confidence. Fear replaced intimacy.

Our Modern Fig Leaves

In one sense, Satan was honest when he said they would be like God knowing good and evil (Gen 3:5). However, Satan left out the cost of that knowledge. Their new found knowledge produced fear and shame that caused them to hide and to provide coverings for themselves to cover their nakedness. I find there to be a great parallel between the coverings that Adam and Eve used and the ones that we choose today. The coverings Adam and Eve chose mirror the choices we make today, creating a compelling parallel. Their choice was the fig leaf. Although large and adequate to cover their nakedness, they would be temporary (Gen 3:7). Any leaf detached from the branch or vine that it was grown from dies. A leaf will die if it is separated from the branch or vine that produced it.

I find this symbolic of the coverings that we choose today because they are temporary and detached from the creator. We turn to things like success,money, approval, status, control, performance, etc. But these “fig leaves” never truly satisfy. They cannot restore what was lost because they are detached from the source of our salvation. 

Idolatry: The Misplaced Search for Worth

The Bible calls this pursuit of coverings idolatry. It is not merely about physical idols, but about misplaced worship. Anything we look to for identity, meaning, security, or satisfaction becomes an idol.

These modern “fig leaves” reveal what our hearts truly trust. Whether it is approval, comfort, achievement, control, or success, each represents an attempt to secure worth apart from God. Though they differ on the surface, they all share the same root: a desire to define ourselves independently from our Creator (Rom 1:21-23).

This is why behavior alone cannot fix the problem. True change must  address the heart and who or what we truly worship. What you believe is what you do and what you do reveals the worship of your heart. Every action, reaction, and decision flows from this deeper pursuit. We are always worshiping. One easy way to discover what your idols may be is to review your calendar and your bank account. What you spend your time and money on is a good indicator of what or who you worship. 

The tragedy of idolatry is that it always overpromises and underdelivers. These substitutes for God may offer temporary relief, but they cannot provide lasting identity or peace. Like the fig leaves in Genesis, they are fragile, temporary, and ultimately insufficient.

Reflection Questions:

• • What do you feel you cannot live without?

• • What do you fear losing the most?

• • What does that reveal about where you are seeking your worth?

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New Identity in Christ: Redeemed, Transformed, and Secure

The gospel presents a radically different answer to the question of worth. Where sin led us to seek identity apart from God, Christ restores what was lost. In Genesis 3:15 we see what is known as the protevangelium, “the first Gospel,” where we find the first announcement of the coming Redeemer in the Bible.(1)  God then gives Adam and Eve new clothes through the first animal sacrifice which is a picture of what Christ did for sinners on the cross (Gen 3:20-24, 2 Cor 5:21). 

Jesus lived the life we could not live, died in our place, and rose again so that we might be reconciled to God (1 Pet 3:18). But this new life is not simply added onto our old one, it requires surrender. We must die to self-rule, self-reliance, and self-defined identity.

“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” (Galatians 2:20)

This is not loss—it is the pathway to true life.

In Christ, we are not only forgiven; we are made new. God gives His Spirit as both the evidence of salvation and the power for transformation. Where the Spirit is at work, there is real change, not perfection, but a new direction marked by a growing hatred for sin and a desire for righteousness (John 14:21).

The gospel is more than forgiveness, it provides a new inheritance. Through Christ, we are brought into the family of God as sons and daughters (Romans 8:15). This changes everything. We are no longer striving to earn worth, we are living from the secure identity we receive through Christ.

Yet many still live like orphans, trying to prove themselves, striving for what has already been given. But the gospel calls us to rest.

Gollum, from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, is a picture of what it looks like to be enslaved to idolatry. He is so consumed by the Ring that it drives him into madness and deeper into darkness. Gollum reflects what our hearts are like apart from the redeeming work of Christ.

But imagine if a creature like Gollum were adopted by King Aragorn. Given a new identity as the king’s son, clothed with a robe, crowned as a prince, and welcomed to sit at the king’s table. What a picture of grace.

This is what has happened for those who are made new in Christ. If you are in Christ, take up your robe and sit at the table in honor of the King.

Reflection Questions:

• • Have you truly surrendered your life to Christ?

• • Where are you still striving or trying to maintain control?

• • Do you see evidence of the Spirit’s work in your life?

• • How would your life change if you truly believed your worth is secure in Christ?

• • What is God calling you to do in response this week?