What does Scripture tell us about ‘self-esteem’?
Hints:
- A specific word search for ‘self-esteem’ won’t get you much, but try it anyway. The poor results of a word search is still instructive.
- Consider what Scripture has to say about the ‘human condition’ apart from Christ.
- For an example of how someone who is growing in their closeness/relationship with Christ prceives himself, look at Paul and what he said about himself.
- Consider what Christ had to say about ‘self’.
- Compare what modern psychology’s elevation of ‘self-esteem’ to near idol stature to the Biblical perspective
Please discuss.
The Battle Cry 
Self, singular, is the problem, not some great virtue as we’ve made it out to be. We are to be one–not one alone, but one together with Christ and with His body, and by extension, with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
How blessed we are to be invited into that inner circle to trump all inner circles. And we say we’d rather stand “on our own.” Yeah. As if we somehow aren’t dependent on Him for every beat of our hearts, every breath, every drink of water and every ounce of food.
The independent soul searching for the “betterment of society” is Satan’s poor counterfeit of God’s true oneness. God offers “Love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself.” The world offers socialism, communism, or alternatively, the “rugged individual.” We are so mixed up it’s a wonder God can do anything with us at all.
LikeLike
“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Rom 12:3-5
Cindy,
Do Paul’s words in the above passage to believes in Rome capture your thoughts about individual believers in the large context of the universal body of Christ? I think that’s what I heard you emphasizing. If I heard you correctly, we do have scripture teaching us about one of the several aspects aspect of self-esteem.
LikeLike
Ha! You’re right! 😆 Yes, scripture teaches us not to esteem ourselves too highly. Good one! And yet, we, together are the temple of the Holy Spirit, the body of Christ, His chosen bride. If that’s not enough to make you shout, I’m not sure it can be done.
Another thing to guard against, though, which is not the opposite fault, but looks like an opposite, is the tendency to wallow in self-condemnation. God finally got through to me that this is an insult to the blood of Christ. To think that my “repentance” could somehow add to what He did. Nope. Just say thank you and accept that it’s done. Don’t go about reproaching yourself because you failed . . . again. Would you equally congratulate yourself if you succeeded? Mourning our sin is right, but over-doing it is just the other side of the coin of pride.
LikeLike
Cindy,
True, we are not to wallow in self-condemnation. At the same time, we need to have and maintain a proper view of self, in agreement with scripture and in concert with the Holy Spirit’s work in our hearts and lives. Years ago, when I was asking God to properly define ‘humility’ He took me to Abraham bargaining for Sodom, when he declared “I, who am but dust and ashes, have spoken with God!
The clearer we see the greatness and awesomeness of God, the ‘smaller’ in stature we seem in our own eyes.
LikeLike
Hey, B4B!
Sorry–I’ve been really busy the last few days. I think that perhaps being confronted with a physical, visible manifestation of Jesus, it might be difficult to be too arrogant. Oh yes! I think that would bring it home real quick. 😉
Love, Cindy
LikeLike
Hi Cindy,
It seems that in scripture, when someone had a confrontation with God, things did become clear rather quickly. Isaiah comes to mind, for one.
LikeLike