A Healthy Christian Self-Image (Pt. 2)
This is the second posting in a series on having a healthy, Christian self-image.
The text, 1 Corinthians 4:1-4, states our identity in Christ by showing us Paul’s identify in Christ. But it does more. It explains how to maintain and guard a healthy self-image. That’s valuable too. This instruction comes after Paul has already written in chapters 1-2 that human wisdom is not enlightening at all. Obviously, then, human wisdom should not control our thinking about ourselves or others. Instead, Paul instructs the Corinthians by bringing the light beam of biblical truth down upon himself. These verses express this grand apostle’s self-image and what ours should be also!
By studying it, we gain three insights from Paul’s self-image as a minister. For that is the intent of the text -- to provide his thoughts as a guide for our thoughts.
The First Insight: I Need to Have a Christ-Centered View of Myself (vs. 1)
Notice how Paul starts, “Let a man regard us in this manner …” That word “regard” in the common Greek language, “logizōmai means, ”to reckon, consider or reason.” It has to do with how we think. It is as if Paul is asking and answering the question: “Do you want to know how to think about us -- preachers of God’s Word?”
If you are curious, and want to know, “What is your healthy self-image, Paul? What makes you get up each morning and do what you do? What fuels your motor?” Here it is: “I’m a servant of Christ and a steward of the mysteries of God! That’s all I am,” Paul writes! “That’s my self-image!”
Now, you might be wondering, “How’s that supposed to boost my self-image? That’s not impressive! That sounds rather common. In fact, below common -- a servant? Why didn’t Paul write something more descriptive about himself like, “I am the one preeminent apostle to the Gentiles, witness of grand heavenly visions, performer of unspeakable miracles, missionary par excellence, canonical Saint!” That self-image would have carried him further in life, but “Servant?” Woe! Some might conclude that this man suffered with a low self-image! I can just hear the psychologists shaking their heads! “My oh, my! Some serious self-deprecation going on here! This man’s self-worth is shot to pieces! He’s going to be a hard case, likely marred for life!”
How hard it is to hear the value of God’s truth for our own souls, when we are immersed in a psychologized “me first culture.” We live in a society flooded with the importance of self! -- The Cult of Self, expressing the infinite value of “Moi!” In our culture we actualize self, fulfill self, express self, accept self, and most of all, love self. We are infatuated with self. We have made a virtue out of being SELFish!
Abraham Maslow supposedly freed us to be selfish. He claimed he proved our need to be selfish scientifically. Our need to be selfish comes right after our need for love and belonging. Christians have picked this worldly doctrine up and started teaching the church: “You’re no good for God or neighbor until you learn to love yourself first.” Some get that idea from a misinterpretation of the command, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That command doesn’t tell us to love ourselves, as they claim. It tells us to love our neighbor. It assumes as sinners that we are already doing a pretty good job of loving self.
Philippians 2:3 clears up any confusion about the matter, “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves!” Do you know what “humility of mind” literally means? It means “Lowliness of mind!” In some churches it is as if Maslow has become the new authoritative revelation about self, eclipsing even Scripture’s clear teaching that our need is not to love self but to love others.
Unfortunately, the church teaches self-esteem quite broadly and boldly now. As we look back over several decades we may wonder, “How did this happen? When did it start?” Robert Schuler gets much of the credit for this kind of man-centered theology in America. In his 1982 book, Self-Esteem: the New Reformation, he wrote, “Self-esteem is the single, greatest need facing the human race today,” (p. 15). He also wrote, “Sin is any act or thought that robs myself or another human being of his or her self-esteem."
Schuler was wrong. Scripture does not teach this. However, using his vast resources, he sent that book, free of charge, to 100,000 pastors. He urged the church to have a new reformation, not centered on God (as the last reformation was in the 16th century) but on man. In essence he attacked the heart of The Protestant Reformation. Salvation is now, according to him, not being rescued from human depravity, wickedness, and sin, but from a low self-esteem. The Hour of Power which boasted some 30 million TV viewers worldwide at one point. advanced the power of possibility thinking disguised as the power of Christ.
It is a lesser known fact that Schuler himself gives credit to his mentor, an earlier proponent of the esteem of self, Norman Vincent Peale. Peale was a preacher in New York from my father’s generation. Peale wrote the very influential book The Power of Positive Thinking. He taught his generation of disciples in the first chapter of his book to believe in themselves. He taught self-belief was what it really means to believe in Christ. So, this man-centered thinking has been around for a while!
Self-esteem advocates in the church have taught two generations of church-going people to have a higher view of themselves than even God does!
Beloved in Christ, you can’t truly know who you are or gain self-fulfillment until you know who you are in relation to God. That involves accepting the hard truth that you are sinful, unholy, and disobedient to the law of God. Against the commands of God, You and I have loved money, sex, power, slothful east, and popularity in place of loving the glorious God who made us. Romans 3:10-12 is so clear, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE."
As we read Scripture honestly, the description of the human self gets worse. Since sin is unacceptable to Him; we attached to our sin and wallowing in our sin, are unacceptable to Him. God has rejected us in our sin. The Bible is clear that apart from Jesus humanity has only eternal condemnation to look forward to. That’s God’s view of us! In the face of this reality, none of that self-esteem teaching is going to help us one bit. Self-esteem teaching is a feel-good doctrine that is based on deception.
I write all of this knowing that some people have intensely negative thoughts of self for wrong reasons. The truth is that all of us suffer with shame, regret, guilt, and depression at times. I’m not insensitive to that! I too, as a stage 4 cancer patient, struggle with great discouragements and sometimes deep negative emotions. I sometimes sense, quite acutely, the devil’s attacks on my thinking. Some of you might be suffering inwardly because you sense that you are no good. You may even feel worthless and had thoughts of ending your life. You despair that you will ever amount to anything. You don’t see things getting better. You don’t even like yourself.
May I kindly say to you, that there is great news for you, and a wonderful escape from shame, negativity, and despair. It is NOT by inflating your view of yourself beyond what it true, but by finding NEW life in Jesus Christ.
I am not speaking about religion. Religion can be cold and boring and unfulfilling.
Jesus is not a religion but a very lovable and dynamic person. Because He is God’s Son He has all power. He uses that power freely to grant vibrant and satisfying life. He already gave up His own life to rescue you from destruction and bring you to Paradise.
Craving for people to stroke your feelings and build your esteem is not the way forward. There is no oasis there! It’s a mirage! The fruit of a whole generation of kids were told over and over again how special they were. That misguided message led to an increasingly selfish, narcissistic, and unhealthy population. The world got trapped in its own net of self-esteem teaching.
The solution for man – for us -- is not self-esteem, but Christ-Esteem. It is not trust in self but trust in Christ It is not confidence in self but confidence in Jesus. It is not getting people to think well of me, but getting me to think well of Jesus. Self-esteem, though sounding good, robs you of the greatest joy God wants you to have through knowing and esteeming His worthy Son.
Fantastic and fulfilling life comes from the One who is Eternal Life. Don’t let self-esteem eclipse the beauty of Jesus Christ. God gave us Jesus so we would be accepted and esteemed before Him forever! You are loved and adored as a child of God because Christ and His magnificent righteous life covers you completely!
Paul knew that! And Paul was secure, happy, and fulfilled in Christ. So please --- I urge you – turn your attention back to what Paul wrote about his self-image in Christ.