God’s Esteem

Today, even in Christian circles, people talk about a concept that has been written about extensively, especially in secular psychology: self-esteem. In this age of relativism par excellence, when everyone tries to fit in with humanistic sociocultural philosophies and trends (humanism deifies man and rejects the word of God), we Christians must stand firm in our convictions based on the Bible, our rule of faith and practice.

Everyone forms an image of themselves; it may be a good image or a bad one. People often act and value life according to the image they have formed of themselves. If that self-image is good, they will most likely harbor feelings of pride, self-satisfaction, and contentment. Then they go through life confident in who they are, without feeling ashamed of their own image, without apparent fear. When their self-image is negative, the opposite happens. People hide from the world instead of facing it; they feel frustrated and dissatisfied. It is as though they were incompatible with the world, and so they do not express what is truly at work in their souls (thoughts, feelings, and desires). Being made in the image and likeness of God has nothing to do with appearances, but with the soul. Your soul resembles God’s.

The Lord of hosts has a different view of our worth. If He made us in His image and likeness, then I am no small thing. I could not be better. The key is to know my true identity in Christ. As Christians, we have only one identity: children of God. And the children of the King of the Universe are not second-class citizens, either here or in heaven. Christians must learn to value themselves according to the word of God. What God says about me is more important than what the world says about me. The world will always judge me and pigeonhole me according to a humanistic pattern (I am good for nothing, nobody loves me as I am, I am a failure, my life is worth nothing, I am not loved enough), but when I think that Jesus died for me, my thinking must change. I must be worth a great deal to my God for Him to have sent His only Son to die on a cross for me. According to God, I am His beloved child: accepted, redeemed, blessed, chosen, adopted, and forgiven (Ephesians 1:3–8).

Humanistic self-esteem focuses on what I think of myself; Christian identity, on what God thinks of me. Self-esteem advocates the value I give myself; identity, the value God gives me. Self-esteem affirms the “ego”—pride and self-sufficiency—while Christian identity leads me to put my “self” to death so that Christ may live in me. The world shouts at you, “Raise your self-esteem!” God says to you, “Put your own worth below that of others! Regard others as greater than yourself.” Self-esteem allows you to be tolerant, indulgent, and complacent, and puts makeup on sin; identity in Christ leads you to take a radical stand against sin. Self-esteem does everything possible to keep you from feeling guilty about sin; Christian identity acknowledges guilt and gives us the opportunity to confess sin and repent. Self-esteem does not humble itself, whereas identity in Christ moves us toward humility. Self-esteem leads you into recurring cycles of depression and anxiety; identity in Christ inspires an attitude of gratitude. Finally, humanistic self-esteem seeks to be like God because it tries to deify man, promoting the idea that you do not need God in your life. Identity, by contrast, reaffirms that we are children of God.

We cannot walk with Christ if we do not know who we are. We cannot take part in the identity crisis experienced by most churches. Teaching biblical doctrines is of very little use if we have not first been taught who we are in Christ and how God sees us because of the identity He granted us through Christ’s death. That would resolve many problems for Christians who are depressed, anxious, indulgent, wavering, passive, proud, lukewarm, self-sufficient, and self-deifying—the last of these are those who judge others and quarrel when they themselves are judged, who impose rules and demand obedience to them, who selfishly try to control and manipulate others, and who seek praise and acceptance from others.

You have the greatest esteem (appreciation, acceptance, worth) one can have, bestowed from heaven and supplied through the blood of your Redeemer. So be strong and courageous! (Deut. 31:23).

God bless you!