In Jesus’ parable of the sower (Mark 4:1–20, Matthew 13:1–23), he describes different types of soil that represent how the human heart receives the word of God. Among these, the rocky soil stands out—not because the seed fails to germinate, but because it germinates then immediately dies, “having no root in itself.” This cryptic phrase suggests more than a lack of emotional depth or doctrinal understanding. It points to a profound failure of identity formation.
What does it mean to have no root in themselves? It means that the person possesses no solid sense of self—no inner foundation from which convictions can take hold. Their faith is borrowed, not owned—grafted onto a hollow self rather than springing from within.
1. The Root of Identity
At the heart of this warning is the question of selfhood. Without a well-developed self, any belief system remains external—something imposed rather than chosen. True faith requires not only receiving the word but internalizing it into the very core of one’s identity.
The biblical concept of heart (Hebrew leb, Greek kardia) consistently represents the inner self—the seat of will, desire, and decision-making. To have root in oneself means to possess an inner life capable of holding onto truth through suffering and doubt.
2. Borrowed Faith vs. Owned Faith
Many religious communities unintentionally cultivate borrowed faith—a faith adopted through fearful conformity rather than personal conviction. This happens especially in environments where:
- Obedience is prized over honesty
- Doubt is treated as rebellion
- Leaders demand submission rather than foster questioning
Borrowed faith looks strong in times of peace, but it collapses under pressure because it was never truly chosen—it was merely inherited.
3. Identity Foreclosure and Religious Conformity
Psychologists describe identity foreclosure as a condition where individuals adopt the beliefs of their environment without ever wrestling with them. This happens when societies and churches, often unintentionally, prioritize compliance over formation. Instead of guiding people through the difficult process of questioning and choosing, they demand blind acceptance.
Such communities produce outwardly obedient followers but leave them vulnerable to crisis—because they have no root in themselves. So we must all ask ourselves, especially when we become young adults
Am I freely choosing what I believe and who I am? Am I willing to endure the disapproval of others as I ask questions and come to my own conclusions?
If we have not individually done this, we may be in danger of having “no root in ourselves” – that is, not even having a self that we have established.
4. The Danger of Demanding Faith Commitment in Children
One of the greatest risks to spiritual identity formation is pressuring children into early faith commitments. While introducing children to the faith is essential, demanding full-hearted belief or public professions of faith before they have developed the cognitive and emotional capacity to wrestle with it sets them on the path of identity foreclosure. Children may comply out of fear, desire for approval, or simple imitation, mistaking external conformity for true belief.
When these same children reach adolescence and encounter doubt or alternative worldviews, they often lack the inner resources to process those challenges—because they never had the freedom to question or own their faith. The result is either passive, shallow belief or total abandonment of their inherited convictions. Healthy spiritual formation encourages exploration and questions at every stage, allowing faith to grow alongside the self rather than suppressing the self.
5. The Paradox of Surrendered Selfhood
The Gospel does not call us to annihilate the self—it calls us to redeem the self. Jesus’ words, “Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 16:25), do not mean becoming a hollow shell, but discovering one’s truest self in union with God. The reality is that we have many selves – not only the redeemed self, but the false and created selves. And that created self must be embraced.
A rooted self is one that has wrestled with doubt, faced hard questions, and chosen to believe—not out of pressure, but out of conviction. In order to pursue a healthy, biblical self love, though, we must develop a more thorough Biblical theology of self love.
6. How Abusive Systems Hijack Identity
Many high-control religious groups thrive on short-circuiting the natural struggle for selfhood. They replace the difficult journey of identity formation with premature surrender:
| Stage | Psychological Tactic | Spiritual Language | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruitment | Love-bombing | “You’re chosen” | Emotional High |
| Indoctrination | Identity Foreclosure | “Trust your leaders” | Loss of Independent Will |
| Control | Gaslighting | “Dying to self” | Dependency |
| Burnout | Guilt and Fear | “You must surrender more” | Shallow Root |
These systems confuse self-denial with self-destruction, producing followers who obey but never become truly rooted.
7. The Call to Rooted Faith
To have root in oneself is to stand before God not as a clone of the group, but as a whole, independent self—fully surrendered yet fully alive. This kind of faith is marked by:
- Wrestling with doubt rather than suppressing it
- Making hard choices rather than defaulting to conformity
- Holding convictions that come from within, not just from without
A rooted self can surrender to God precisely because it belongs to itself first.
8. Cultivating Rooted Faith in the Church
If the Church wants to produce disciples who can endure suffering and persecution, it must become a place where selfhood is formed, not erased. Healthy discipleship:
- Invites honest questioning
- Encourages independent thought
- Balances authority with freedom
- Guides believers through struggle, not around it
The goal is not to produce compliant followers, but whole selves in Christ—capable of standing before God alone, choosing Him not because they were told to, but because they have come to know Him for themselves.
Conclusion: The Struggle for Selfhood
In a world increasingly hostile to personal autonomy—both through secular collectivism and religious authoritarianism—Jesus’ call to have root in themselves is more urgent than ever. The Church must resist the temptation to engineer shallow compliance and instead foster a culture where believers are free to struggle, question, and discover their own rooted identity in Christ.
Only those who fight to make their faith their own will endure the heat of persecution. The self that has wrestled and chosen is the self that will stand firm to the end.