Tom Stoppard wrote, "Words are sacred. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little."

Words are powerful. God created the universe by speaking, and Satan tried to tempt Jesus by twisting God's word. Our culture is filled with words that blind us to God's purpose for work and business.

Even phrases common in the faith-work movement are disordered, embodying the world's priorities rather than Biblical ones. These disordered words shape our identity and behavior. You can become who you say you are.

Striving to be a "Christian businessperson" is actually an obstacle to working in alignment with Biblical principles and priorities.

The Importance of Primary Identity

Matthew 6:24 tells us a person can have only one primary identity: "No one can serve two masters."

We can have many identities—Christian, businessperson, spouse, parent—but when push comes to shove, one identity is primary. Our self-worth and value are wrapped up in it. We'll protect it even if it means sacrificing success in our secondary ones.

How Disordered Words Shape Identity

Consider Mary, who identifies as both a Christian and a businesswoman. American culture glorifies work as her primary identity. "What do you DO?" we ask at parties. We reflexively say "I am a businessperson.” The secular world pushes Mary's primary identity toward "businesswoman" while discouraging her faith identity from showing up at work.

If Mary adopts the "Christian businesswoman" identity often urged by faith-work advocates, let's parse what that means: The NOUN—the primary focus—is "businesswoman" (WHAT she does). The ADJECTIVE—the secondary attribute—is "Christian" (WHO she is).

As a "Christian businesswoman," Mary has a primary WHAT identity—a businesswoman carrying out her identity in a Christian way. When push comes to shove, she'll likely not let her faith get in the way of succeeding at work. A person will compromise their secondary identity to succeed in their primary identity.

Grounding Our Noun and Adjective Where They Belong

Oswald Chambers wrote, "The greatest concern of life is to place our relationship with God first, and everything else second."

Mary will work more faithfully if she makes Jesus her NOUN rather than her ADJECTIVE—thinking of herself with a WHO identity as "a Christian engaged in business."

With a WHO identity, she may sacrifice worldly business success to follow God's principles. What she does is determined by God's leading. She wears her WHAT lightly and can change at a moment's notice.

Followers of Jesus are meant to be dressed like Superman—our primary identity being the Superman faith-suit representing WHO we are, with the business outfit serving as an easily-shed disguise.

Your Next Step

This week, pay attention to how you introduce yourself. Practice reordering your identity words. Put a note on your bathroom mirror: "I'm a Christian engaged in business.” You can become who you say you are.

Paul Michalski is the founde r of Integrous (https://integriosity.com), a legal practice providing integrity counsel to help faithful leaders lead with faithful integrity toward Biblical flourishing. He writes a weekly blog on the pursuit of faithful integrity in organizations.