"Self-Esteem"
“The victorious Christian neither exalts nor downgrades himself. His interests have shifted from self to Christ. What he is or is not no longer concerns him. He believes that he has been crucified with Christ and he is not willing either to praise or depreciate such a man.”
- A.W. TozerThe Bible NEVER urges self-acceptance, self-love, self-confidence, self-esteem, self-forgiveness, nor any other ‘selfisms’.
Our goal to self-worth is not to accept self,
but to turn from self to Christ-
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
Matt.16:24
Then you will remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not good; and you will loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities and your abominations.
Ezek.36:31
He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
Matt.10:39
see also Jm.4:6-10
To view yourself as God views you-
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things -- and the things that are not -- to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord."
1 Cor.1:26-31
sinful -
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom.3:23
The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
Jer.17:9
We are not anything of our own doing-
But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.
Isa.64:6
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Jm.1:17
John answered and said, "A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.
Jn.3:27
All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?" At the same time my reason returned to me, and for the glory of my kingdom, my honor and splendor returned to me. My counselors and nobles resorted to me, I was restored to my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added to me. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.
Dan.4:35-37
see also Deut.8:17,18
It’s who we are IN HIM that gives us worth-
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Cor.5:21
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Rom.5:1,2
... If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith
Phil.3:4-9
For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
1 Cor.15:9,10
Our examples-
Num.12:3 Job 42:5,6,12 Isa.6:1-5 Rom.7:18,24 1Tim.1:12-16 Lk.18:13,14 /5:8 Phil.2We are to esteem others higher than ourselves-
Phil,2:3 Rom.12:3"Self-esteem" is a characteristic of apostasy-
2 Tim.3:1,2 Rom.12:3God loves us NOT because of who we are,
But because of who HE is.