Do you think there are very many people in the world that have a healthy, stable view of themselves? From what I see in the world around me, there appear to be a lot of people who are either disproportionately proud and arrogant or people who have an unhealthy, unbiblical self-esteem that often manifests itself with thoughts like “I just mess everything up,” or “I don’t know why God put me here,” or “The world would be better off without me.” Ironically enough, these two extremes can oftentimes be related, and they both seem to go back to lies the devil has been telling since the beginning of time.
When we look at what happened in the garden of Eden, it can be shocking to read how blatant the lie that the devil told Eve was. God had told Adam and Eve, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17). With this in mind, look at the exchange Satan has with Eve in chapter 3: “…He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” And after Eve explains that they are allowed to eat of all but one tree, and that if they eat of the forbidden tree, as God said, “you shall surely die,” Satan responds with “You will not surely die.” It does not get any more contrary to God’s command than that! Satan blatantly says the opposite of what God has said and in doing so, calls God a liar. He does what he has always done, and, as I heard one preacher put it, “paints something that will kill you as something you can’t live without.”
Now how does this apply to our view of ourselves? Well, it seems as if, in many ways, Satan has sold our society two opposing lies that contradict each other and that work together to send us into a downward spiral of pride and self-loathing, where many rarely encounter the happy, healthy middle ground God has given us. Those lies are as follows: first, that my life is all about my happiness and pleasure and if something does not serve me personally or make me happy then it is not worthwhile. Second, that if we are not doing everything perfectly then we are worthless, and our life is futile. If we are not happy, healthy, and rich, then we are insignificant. Do you see these two ideas in the world around you? Do you see how they diametrically oppose each other? One leads to boasting and pride; the other, to sorrow and despair. However, the good news is that neither of these views are Biblical, and God’s will for how we view ourselves is higher and better than either one!
Consider these passages:
Galatians 6:14 – “But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”
If we are boasting, we should boast in the cross! Anything we have that is truly worth boasting about comes from God. Let us always be sure that we remember what Christ accomplished on the cross, and that any intrinsic value comes solely from bearing His name.
James 4:6, 10 – “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble…Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”
God demands that His people view themselves with appropriate humility next to Him. He is an Awesome God, the Creator, and King of the Universe. He is Lord of all! That not only puts into perspective how small and limited we are but is a profound reminder that He wants to exalt us to be fellow heirs, sons, and daughters along His Firstborn Son. Wow!
2 Corinthians 12:10 – “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Paul here is talking about his thorn in the flesh that God refused to remove, stating that His grace is sufficient for Paul. If God’s grace is sufficient for Paul, it is sufficient for us too! We definitely have weaknesses and limitations, and that is okay. Those things should appropriately ground us and keep us humble, as they did Paul. However, God in His infinite power and immense grace can make us strong despite our weaknesses. If we just view ourselves as vessels and tools for His use, He can do incredible things with us, despite whatever we feel holds us back. God has been using imperfect people to accomplish remarkable things since the beginning of time!
Genesis 1:27 - “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them”.
We are made in the image of God! That means we are incredibly powerful, but that also means we must act like it!
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