John 3:30 – "He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Yet
today, the church takes this as their authority to psychoanalyze. The other day while listening to a Christian
radio station, I heard an announcement made inviting believers to a seminar for
improving their self-esteem. During the announcement, such
other terms as self-worth and self-image were
also used. Within the same hour, I heard
a radio preacher make the following statement:
“The prodigal son came to a real
understanding of his self-hood saying,
‘I deserve better than this’.”
What
has happened to the modern day church, that it espouses self-hood and self-esteem and self-worth and self-image in believers? What ever happened to the attitude of John
the Baptist when he said, “He must
increase, and I must decrease.”? What ever happened
to the teaching that the only way up in God’s eyes is always down? What ever happened to the teaching that in
order to be filled with the Spirit we must empty ourselves of self?
This
is not what I’m hearing today. I’m
hearing that the believer must build up his self-esteem, improve his
self-image, assert his self-worth. I’m
hearing that the Christian must find himself in self. But what do the Scriptures say on the matter?
With
regards to self-esteem,
in Philippians 2:3, Paul admonishes that believers “in lowliness of mind . . . esteem others better
than themselves.” Hebrews 11:26 reports that Moses forsook
himself “esteeming the reproach of
Christ greater riches” than
the pleasures of the flesh (Egypt ). As to self-worth, the great apostle Paul, who had
much in which to glory in the flesh, chose in Philippians 3 to count those
things loss and dung for Christ. But his
true desire was to be “made conformable
unto his death (v. 10).” Such was the self-worth that Paul
felt. As for self-image, Christ himself chose to set
aside the glory that was rightfully His “and
was made in the likeness of men . . . (and) humbled
himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross (Phil.
2:7-8),” “who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising
the shame . . . (Heb. 12:2),” “For it is written, cursed is every one that
hangeth on a tree (Gal. 3:13).” Christ set aside self for the
greater good he could accomplish by dying to self. And Paul in Philippians 2:5 commands us to “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus,” one of humility and self-denial, not greater self-esteem or
self-worth.
