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The Biblical View of Self-Image and Psychology

Two articles on the modern philosophies of “self-image” and “psychology.”

 

“The Biblical View of Self-Image”

by Pastor Gary E. Gilley

Ÿ

“Biblical Authority Verses Psychology and Self-Image”

by Dr. J. D. Watson

 

From the back cover of the booklet: Christianity today is totally enamored with psychology and counseling. To many it is the “cure-all,” the answer to every problem. But what exactly is at the heart of modern psychology and counseling technique? Is psychology taught, or even allowed for, in the Word of God?

            As Pastor Gary Gilley points out, “The fact is that the self-image movement is neither Biblical nor scientific. It is a fad that will eventually pass away after doing incredible damage in our society and unfortunately in all too many churches.”

            Pastor J. D. Watson adds to Pastor Gilley’s observations, “One of the key terms in the modern attitude on psychology, counseling, and success motivation is ‘self-esteem’ (or ‘self-image’). This philosophy has even imbedded itself into Christianity. It has spawned the misnomers ‘Christian Psychology’ and ‘Christian Psychologist.’ It is rampant in the teachings and writings of men such as Robert Schuller, James Dobson, Gary Collins, Larry Crab, Paul Meier, Frank Minirth, and others. But all this is diametrically opposed to the Word of God, and it is vitally important that we expose it from the Word of God.”

 

 

The Biblical View of Self-Image

 

By Gary E. Gilley

Pastor-Teacher at Southern View Chapel

 

A reprint of the September 1996 issue of Think On These Things

Published by Southern View Chapel

3253 S. Fourth Street – Springfield, IL – 62703

www.svchapel.org

 

The fact is that the self-image movement is neither Biblical nor scientific. It is a fad that will eventually pass away after doing incredible damage in our society and unfortunately in all too many churches. By God’s grace and the truth of His Word, believers need not be taken in by Satan’s lies. We can choose to live by the infallible, never changing Word of God!

            Few would disagree with the following statement: How people think of themselves will to a large degree determine how they will think of others, how they will think of God, how they will obtain and maintain all their relationships, and how they will make decisions. There is no area of life that will not be directly or indirectly affected by the way we view ourselves. However, there are two vastly different views on the subject of self-image.

 

The Unbiblical View of Self-Image, Self-Worth, Self-Esteem and Self-Love

            The basic teaching in pop-psychology today is that people in general have a low self-image, self-esteem, self-worth, self-love, etc. They do not think that they are very good, they do not love themselves, they do not accept themselves the way they are, they lack self-confidence, etc. People behave poorly because they view themselves in this manner. If people could improve their self-image, then they would feel better about themselves and perform better in life. Everyone, of course, has a bad self-image, there are however, varying degrees. Also, since people do not want others to know how badly they perceive themselves, they tend to cover up their poor self-image with different methods: some with shyness — so that people will not catch on to how bad they really are. Others may show-off trying to prove that they are really okay.

            In order to get a feel for what is actually being taught, let’s look at what some of today’s self-image proponents, both in secular and Christian circles, are saying:

 

                    If I could write a prescription for the women of the world, I would provide each of them with a healthy dose of self-esteem and personal worth. ...I have no doubt that this is their greatest need (James Dobson, What Wives Wish Their Husbands Knew About Women, p35).

               Feeling good about ourselves may in fact, be the cornerstone of our total well being (Barnett, Baruch and Rivers, “The Secret of Self Esteem,” The Ladies Home Journal, Feb. 1984, p54).

               Mothers who choose to obtain abortions do so because of too little self-esteem, not too much (Philip A. Captain, Eight Stages of Christian Growth).

“Lack of self-esteem can actually extinguish the desire to go on living” (James Dobson, High or Seek, p80).

               Once a person believes he is an ‘unworthy sinner’ it is doubtful if he can honestly accept the saving grace God offers in Christ (Robert Schuller, Self Esteem, p98).

               Depression always has a loss of self-esteem in the foreground. ...Be slow to direct a depressed person to the Scriptures. . . no preaching. I would recommend a recess from church if there is preaching done in the church (Jeff Boer, “Is Self-Esteem Proper for a Christian?” The Journal of Pastoral Practice, Vol 5, #4, p78).

               Under the influence of humanistic psychologists like Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, many of us Christians have begun to see our need for self-love and self-esteem (Bruce Narramore, You’re Someone Special, p22).

               Self-love is the prerequisite and the criterion for our conduct towards our neighbor. ...Without self-love there can be no love for others. ...You cannot love your neighbor, you cannot love God unless you first love yourself (Walter Trobishch, Love Yourself, p11).

               Actually,our ability to love God and to love our neighbor is limited by our ability to love ourselves. We cannot love God more than we love our neighbor and we cannot love our neighbor more than we love ourselves (Captain, Eight Stages of Christian Growth, p157).

               Low self-esteem can lead to depression and other emotional and physical illness, substance abuse, sexual promiscuity, and even suicide (Shirley Sherrif, Contact, Vol. II #1; Jan. 1991).

               You have to think that you are somebody if you want to maintain good mental health (Arthur Rounder, You Can Learn To Like Yourself, p3).

               “Self-esteem or pride in being a human being is the single greatest need facing the human race today (Robert Schuller, Self-Esteem, p19).

               People have one basic personal need which requires two kinds of impute for its satisfaction. The most basic need is a sense of personal worth, and acceptance of oneself as a whole, real person (Lawrence Crabb, Effective Biblical Counseling, p80).

 

According to the self-image proponents: sexual promiscuity, suicide, crime, abortion, depression, poor mental health, stress, unhappiness, lack of success in life, the inability to love God and to accept His free gift of salvation, the inability to love others, and the inability to love self, are all the results of a poor self-image or low self-esteem.

            What is the cure then for all of these problems? According to the self-image advocates, it is to build a good self-image (and a strong sense of self-worth) into the lives of all people. If what they are saying is true, then we as Christians had better jump on the self-image bandwagon. As a matter of fact, if people are unable to love God and others because of a poor self-image, then building self-esteem in our children, our spouses, our unsaved friends, ourselves and the entire world should become a primary goal of the church.

 

The Biblical View of Self-Image, Self-Worth, Self-Esteem and Self-Love

            The power of the human mind to deceive itself seems infinite. We need to pray Psalms 139:23,24: “Search me, O God, and know my heart: Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way” often! One study of two-hundred criminals revealed that not one of those criminals believed he was evil. Each criminal thought of himself as basically a good person even when planning a crime (The Washington Star, Aug. 15, 1976).

            One of the Bible’s major aims is to correct man’s high view of himself; yet, it is now interpreted by Christian leaders to intend just the opposite. How can creatures who are constantly told (in the Word of God) that they think too highly of themselves, be convinced that their problem is in fact low self-esteem? Left to our own observations and imaginations such a thing is possible (Jer. 17:9,10: “The heart is more deceitful than all else. . .”), but the Bible does not cater to our self-deception, it seeks to correct it.

            C.S. Lewis, writing before the self-esteem fad took off, made this interesting observation, “The child who is patted on the back for doing a lesson well, the woman whose beauty is praised by her lover, the saved soul to whom Christ says, ‘well done,’ is pleased and ought to be. For here the pleasure lies not in what you are but in the fact that you have pleased someone you wanted (and rightly wanted) to please. The trouble begins when you pass from thinking, ‘I have pleased him; all is well,’ to thinking, ‘what a fine person I must be to have done it.’” If Lewis were to write such words today, would they be well received? I doubt it!

 

What do the Scriptures have to say about how we view ourselves?

            Jesus taught the virtue of humility (Luke 18:14), and the importance of self-denial, rather than self-love (Matt. 16:24).

            The Epistles are in hardy agreement with the words of Jesus (cp. I Tim. 1:15; Rom. 7:24; 12:3; and Phip. 2:3-8). As a matter of fact, nowhere in the Bible are we warned not to think more lowly of ourselves than we ought. Yet, there should be many such Scriptures if our problem is lack of self-esteem. There are, however, five and a half pages in the Nave’s Topical Bible on the subject of pride, including Prov. 16:5,18 and 19. In addition, there are three pages on self-denial. There are no references to self-image or any word meaning the same. Only in II Tim. 3:2 does the concept of self-love appear, and then it is a vice (see below). Clearly, the Bible does not present self-esteem as man’s problem. In fact, the opposite of self-esteem, pride, is certainly stated to be a problem.

In the New Testament, neither John the Baptist (Lk. 3:16) nor the prodigal son (Lk. 15:21) were corrected when they declared themselves unworthy. Yet Norman Wright says, “Worthiness is a feeling of ‘I am good.’” If this is true, then what do we do with Jesus’ statement, ‘there is none good but one, that is God.’

            Note the Old Testament examples of Gideon (Jud. 6:15); Isaiah (Isa. 6:5); Amos (Amos 7:14); Job (Job 42:6); and Moses (Exod. 3:11; 4:10-13). Each of these men were used of God when they recognized the Lord’s greatness and their own smallness. II Cor. 12:9,10 also teaches us that we find God’s strength only when we recognize our own weakness.

II Tim. 3:16,17 and II Pet. 1:3 explains that God’s Word is sufficient to equip us to be godly people, and that everything concerning life and godliness is found in His Word. This being the case, we must ask the question: “Why is there no mention of self-esteem in all of the Scriptures?”

            The answer to that question surely lies in the fact that our relationship with God is not based on our righteousness or our worth to Him, but upon His grace (Titus 3:4-7). Rather, we are sinners who can do nothing to impress or please God (Rom. 3:23; 5:6-8). (This chart is undoubtedly borrowed from a source, which I cannot locate. My apologies to the author.)

 

Key Differences Between Self-Image And Biblical Image

God In His Word:

Self-Image Advocates Say:

1) Love God & others (Mt. 22:37)

1) Love yourself

2) Build up others (Heb. 10:24,25)

2) Build your self-esteem

3) None righteous (Rom. 3:23)

3) You are good

4) Heart is deceitful (Jer. 17:9)

4) Believe in yourself

5) Put others first (Phil. 2:1-4)

5) Put yourself first

6) Be humble (Rom. 12:3)

6) Think highly of yourself

7) We are sinners (Rom. 3:10,11)

7) You are of great value

8) Walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16)

8) Do what you want to do

9) Deny yourself (Mt. 16:24-26)

9) Find yourself

10) Put confidence in God (Phil. 4:13)

10) Have self-confidence

 

 

SOME FALSEHOODS ANSWERED

 

“We must love ourselves”

            Self-image advocates claim that Scripture commands us to love ourselves. The main verse they use to support this claim is Matthew 22:39b which says, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Based on a faulty interpretation of this passage many teachers - of the self-image theory - see this as a clear Biblical command for us to love ourselves. However, nowhere in this passage (Mtt. 22:36-40) is there a command from the Lord for us to love ourselves.

            As a matter of fact, there is no place in Scripture where we are told to love ourselves. Instead, it is always assumed that we already love ourselves (Note “as yourself” in the passage under study). Nevertheless, we are told that what Jesus meant to say is that we have to learn to love ourselves first, before we can love others. In other words, there are really three commandments given here (even though Jesus said that there are “two”). We are commanded to love God and our neighbor; then, Jesus concludes by saying, “On these two commandments depend the whole Law. . .” If Jesus says that there are two commandments here how dare we claim that there are three!

            Ephesians 5:28,29 is another passage used by the teachers of the self-image philosophy to promote self-love. We are told that we must first learn to love ourselves before we can love our spouse, but the passage clearly states that there has never been a person who did not love himself. Our problem has never been lack of self-love, but too much concern for self. There is however one time in Scripture where self-love is mentioned: II Tim. 3:2. There we find the love of self at the top of a list of sins that will characterize the last days. It is interesting to note, as well, that the Greek word used for love in this verse (phileo) speaks of emotional love as opposed to self-sacrificing love (agapao) in the other passages. In other words, the only verse in the New Testament that speaks of us loving ourselves emotionally (feeling good about ourselves, etc.) is a warning that this is a sin to avoid.

 

“We are Worthy of God’s Love”

            William Kirwin in Biblical Concepts for Christian Counseling (p107) says, “It is as if Christ has said, you are of such worth to me that I am going to die; even experience Hell so that you might be adopted as My brothers and sisters.” Donna Faster wrote, “Of course the greatest demonstration of a person’s worth to God was shown in giving us His Son (Building a Child’s Self-Esteem, p6). Wrong, the sending of God’s Son is not a demonstration of our worth, but the greatest demonstration of the love, grace, mercy and kindness of our God. The truth is that God saves us not because He sees anything of value in us, but despite the fact that there is nothing in us worthy of saving (Rom. 5:6-10; Tit. 3:4-7; Eph. 2:4-9). Such a statement wounds our pride, but it is true nevertheless.

The self-worth advocates destroy the concept of grace. The very definition of grace is God giving us what we do not deserve. If we are worthy of His salvation then eternal life is not a gift of grace but a reward based on our value, or good works. This is a concept totally refuted in Scripture (Eph. 2:8,9). For a person to come to Christ, they must first recognize their need for salvation. Teaching them that they are worthy in the eyes of God is to do them a terribly cruel and unbiblical injustice. The more we view ourselves Biblically the more precious the love, grace and mercy of our God becomes. If we consider ourselves worthy of any of God’s blessings we have grossly cheapened His free gift of love and grace.

 

“Satan Loves It When We Think Badly of Ourselves”

            Self-image teachers would like us to believe that we must have a good self-image or else the devil has a strong foothold in our life. They believe that a poor self-image will keep us from recognizing our worth to God and therefore we won’t accept His gift of salvation. In truth Satan doesn’t care what we think about ourselves as long as we are preoccupied with SELF. If he can keep us wrapped up with self he can keep us from being occupied with God and others as we are instructed in Scripture (Phip. 2:3-8).

 

Man’s problem has always been pride.

            From the beginning man wanted to be like God (Gen. 3:5). The devil, himself, is the author of sinful pride (Isa. 14:13,14). This kind of attitude and high opinion of himself not only got Satan kicked out of heaven and damned to eternal punishment, but it also became his favorite tool to keep from trusting in God.

 

THE BIBLICAL VIEW OF SELF

            Jay Adams in The Biblical View of Self-Esteem, Self-Love, Self-Image says, “While there is no concern evidenced in the Bible about having too little self-esteem, and therefore no directions for enhancing self-esteem, God does indicate that He wants us to evaluate ourselves - so far as it is possible to do so - accurately” (p113). In Romans 12:3 Paul is instructing his readers how to evaluate themselves concerning the different gifts that God has given to them. In doing so, he provides the principle that we should use to evaluate ourselves concerning every area of our lives. In that passage, “sound judgment” means (and demands) that a reasoned judgment, based on evidence, be made. Note that Paul’s warning is against thinking too highly of ourselves. He says nothing about being careful not to think to lowly of ourselves, since this is never a problem discussed in Scripture.

            When we evaluate ourselves according to sound judgment what do we find? As believers we will find that God has reached down to us totally by grace to save unworthy sinners, making us a very child of God! We have been made worthy by God (cp Rev. 3:4), not because we deserved it but because of God’s love. We also now know, by the Scriptures, that God has uniquely equipped us to serve and minister for Him in this world and in His church. Our value is not based upon a comparison of ourselves with others (as a matter of fact that is forbidden, II Cor. 10:12), but upon the position that we have in Christ and the gifts with which He has equipped us to live for Him.

            As Christians, are we supposed to think badly about ourselves? Not at all! The Scriptural position is that we are to focus on God and others, not ourselves (Matt. 22:36-40; Phip. 2:3-8). Any preoccupation with self (either in thinking too highly or too lowly), is an unbiblical response to God’s Word. Scripture starts from the position that we already love ourselves and commands us to love others equally. As a matter of fact, we are to put the interest of others before our own (Phip. 2:3,4).

 

RESEARCH

Most would assume that since both the secular and Christian segments of our society have jumped on the self-image train, apparently the scientific research has revealed that low self-esteem is rampant and the need to build a good self-image is paramount. Such is not the case. As a matter of fact, most research has shown that both children and adults in our society actually esteem themselves too highly. In addition, there appears to be no correlation between self-image and behavior. The following are some such examples:

 

¨ The findings of the College Board (through surveys taken from millions of high school seniors who take its tests) found that seventy percent rated themselves above average; two percent as below average. Sixty percent viewed themselves as above average in “athletic ability;” only six percent said they were below average. In “ability to get along with others,” zero percent rated themselves below average; sixty percent rated themselves in the top ten percent and twenty-five percent saw themselves in the top one percent (The Inflated Self, p23,24).

 

¨ In one study, ninety-four percent of college faculty members think themselves better than their average colleague (“A New Look at Pride,” in Your Better Self, p90).

 

¨ In a recent issue of Psychological Review, a journal published by the American Psychological Association, an article was written with the subtitle: “The Dark Side of High Self-Esteem.” The authors stated, after studying numerous serious empirical studies, “In our view, the benefits of favorable self-opinions accrue primarily to the self, and they are if anything a burden and potential problem to everyone else.” (Reported in Fortune, April 29, 1996, pp211-212). Newsweek claimed that although more than ten thousand scientific studies of self-esteem have been conducted, the experts cannot even agree on what it is (Newsweek, Feb. 17, 1992, “Hey, I’m Terrific,” pp48-51).

 

¨ Perhaps the most comprehensive study of its kind was that which was done by the California State Task Force on Self-Esteem. U.S. News and World Report (April 2, 1990), says concerning this study, “The Bush era turns out to be a perfect time for self-esteem programs. They cost almost nothing. They offer the light of sunny California optimism at a time of great pessimism. They are simple — easily grasped, easily spread. And in public-school systems torn by competing pressure groups, they have no natural enemies. They have only one flaw: They are a terrible idea. First of all, despite the firsthand reports of many teachers, there is almost no research evidence that these programs work. The book Social Importance of Self-Esteem, which is basically all the research turned up by the California task force, says frankly, ‘One of the disappointing aspects of every chapter in this volume. . . is how low the associations between self-esteem and its and potential problem to everyone else” (Reported in Fortune, April 29, 1996, pp211-212). Newsweek claimed that although more than ten thousand scientific studies of self-esteem have been conducted, the experts cannot even agree on what it is (Newsweek, Feb. 17, 1992, “Hey, I’m Terrific,” pp48-51).

 

¨ Perhaps the most comprehensive study of its kind was that which was done by the California State Task Force on Self-Esteem. U.S. News and World Report (April 2, 1990), says concerning this study, “The Bush era turns out to be a perfect time for self-esteem programs. They cost almost nothing. They offer the light of sunny California optimism at a time of great pessimism. They are simple — easily grasped, easily spread. And in public-school systems torn by competing pressure groups, they have no natural enemies. They have only one flaw: They are a terrible idea. First of all, despite the firsthand reports of many teachers, there is almost no research evidence that these programs work. The book Social Importance of Self-Esteem, which is basically all the research turned up by the California task force, says frankly, ‘One of the disappointing aspects of every chapter in this volume. . . is how low the associations between self-esteem and its consequences are in research to date.’ In fact those correlation’s are as close to zero as you can get in the social sciences.”

 

 

Biblical Authority Verses Psychology and Self-Image

 

By Dr. J. D. Watson

Pastor-Teacher at Grace Bible Church – Meeker, CO

 

 

Biblical Authority Verses Psychology and Self-Image

 

An excerpt from the author’s book

Sola Scriptura: A New Call To Biblical Authority

 

            Christianity today is totally enamored with psychology and counseling. To many it is the “cure-all,” the answer to every problem. But what exactly is at the heart of modern psychology and counseling technique? Is psychology taught, or even allowed for, in the Word of God?

            One of the key terms in the modern attitude on psychology, counseling, and success motivation is “self-esteem” (or “self-image”). This philosophy has even imbedded itself into Christianity. It has spawned the misnomers “Christian Psychology” and “Christian Psychologist.” It is rampant in the teachings and writings of men such as Robert Schuller, James Dobson, Gary Collins, Larry Crab, Paul Meier, Frank Minirth, and others. But all this is diametrically opposed to the Word of God, and it is vitally important that we expose it from the Word of God.

            Since others have done this better than I, we will defer to their work on specifics,1 but may I at least say that there is not one place in the Scriptures that speak of such things. Nowhere does the Word of God speak of self-image, rather It speaks of Christ-image (Rom 8:29). Nowhere does the Word of God speak of self-worth, rather It speaks of Christ-worth (Gal. 2:20). When the Word of God does mention “self,” It makes it clear that it is something to be denied, not reaffirmed (Mk. 8:34). Our desire must be humility (Prov. 11:2; 15:33; Mk. 8:34; Eph. 3:8; 4:2; Phil 2:5-8; Jas. 4:6; etc.), and the philosophy of self that is rampant today is the very opposite of humility. It is pride and is no less than the glorification, even deification, of man (Rom. 1:25).

            But what about the so-called “science” of psychology? Since we Christians work with people, is there not great value in studying psychology, which observes people’s behavior? To put the matter frankly and to the point, there is no Biblical justification whatsoever for the use of psychology. Granted, this is a strong statement, but I challenge anyone to prove it wrong solely from the Word of God. If psychology is so important, why didn’t the Lord Jesus or Paul use it and outline how we can use it? If it is so important, why is it such a recent development? Pastors today are going back to school to get certification or even advanced degrees in psychology. Those who don’t are being bullied into believing that they are not qualified to counsel people and should send a “troubled person” to a “professional counselor.” I’d like to submit two basic problems with psychology.

            First, psychology claims to be a “science” when, in fact, it is no such thing. Three cardinal principles of science are that for something to be a science, it must be observable, provable, and demonstratable. While psychology is observable, it is not provable or demonstratable. In other words, the tenets of psychology cannot be consistently demonstrated and objectively proven. In contrast, sciences such as chemistry and physics deal with objective truth that is provable and demonstratable. If you drop an object, for example, it will always fall, thereby demonstrating and proving gravity. But in psychology, you can get several results from the same experiment. This is not science, rather pseudo-science that is riddled with contradiction. In an article titled “Psychology Goes Insane, Botches Role as Science,” Psychologist Roger Mills admitted in 1980:

 

   The field of psychology today is literally in a mess. There are as many techniques, methods, and theories around as there are researchers and therapists. I have personally seen therapists convince their clients that all of the their problems come from their mothers, the stars, their bio-chemical make-up, their diet, their life-style and even the “kharma” from their past lives.2

 

Christian psychologist Kirk Kilpatrick realized how far away from Biblical Christianity psychology was leading him and wrote in 1983:

 

               Despite the creation of a virtual army of psychiatrists, psychologists, psychometrists, counselors, and social workers, there has been no letup in the rate of mental illness, suicide, alcoholism, drug addiction, child abuse, divorce, murder, and general mayhem. Contrary to what one might expect in a society so carefully analyzed and attended to by mental health experts, there has been an increase in all of these categories.3

 

            So, if psychology is not science, what is it? Frankly, it is merely a philosophical viewpoint. Why do I say this? Because of one of the foundational tenets of psychology that says a person is not responsible for the way he is or what he does. The underlying philosophy of Freudian and Rogerian psychology is blame-shifting, that someone else, or society in general, is to blame for a person’s actions. We could give many technical quotations to prove this, but the following song sung by folk singer Anna Russell in the 1960’s summarizes it quite well:

 

   I went to my psychiatrist to be psychoanalyzed

   To find out why I killed the cat and blacked my husband’s eyes.

   He laid me on a downy couch to see what he could find,

   And here is what he dredged up from my unconscious mind.

   When I was one, my mommie hid my dolly in a trunk,

   And so it follows naturally that I am always drunk.

   When I was two, I saw my father kiss the maid one day,

   And that is why I suffer now from kleptomania.

   At three, I had the feeling of ambivalence toward my brothers,

   And so it follows naturally I poisoned all my lovers.

   But I am happy; now I’ve learned the lesson this has taught;

   That everything I do that’s wrong is someone else’s fault. 4

 

The Word of God, however, is clear when It declares that “everyone of us shall give account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:12). We should also add that Freud called himself “a completely godless Jew” and a “hopeless pagan.”5 He viewed religion, especially Christianity, as an illusion and a neurosis, something which man needs to grow out of.6 Why would any Christian want to have anything to do with the philosophy or such a man?

            I should also mention that because of the abject failure of Freudian psychology, many therapists have abandoned Freud’s non-responsibility ethic and replaced it with a “Moral Model” of personal responsibility. The pioneer in this revolution in psychology was O. Hobart Mowrer. Other members include: Steve Pratt, G. L. Harrington, William Mainord, Perry Longon, and William Glaser. The results of this approach have been astounding, but they still fall short of the Biblical model. They are totally of man, they disregard God and man’s fundamental responsibility to Him, and they reject God’s law. This leads to the second problem with psychology.

            Second, psychology claims to have answers that the Word of God says It alone provides. If a so-called “Twelve Step Program” or other such technique offers the answers to problems, then the Word of God simply is not sufficient. Again, psychology offers conflicting answers to the same question, answers that are based on each therapist’s ideas. But the Word of God contains the objective, authoritative answers of God.

            This, of course, leads to an objection often raised against what I’ve said here, namely, “But who, then, deals with people’s problems and how do they deal with them?” The answer is simple: pastors deal with problems and they do it with the Scripture alone. As mentioned in the last chapter, a strong pulpit ministry confronts and deals with problems. There will also be times when the pastor must engage in personal counsel, but this too is to be done using Scripture alone. We should not tell the person that they are suffering from some “complex” or “anxiety,” or that they are using such and such “defense mechanism.” Neither should we give them our opinion, personal experience, or sage advice. Rather, we should define the problem and then outline from the Word of God how to solve the problem. To put the matter frankly, the Lord Jesus and Paul did not need modern psychology, and neither do we. What we need is Scripture alone.

            Today’s emphasis on psychology demonstrates a trend that has been steadily progressing for centuries, namely, a departure from Biblical authority. While Biblical theologians and expositors used to be the leaders, it is now Christian psychologists who are the new leaders. As one writer accurately sums it up:

 

               Christian psychologists are the new authoritarian clergy in the church. Like the Catholic clergy, they cannot be questioned because they have a source of “truth” that supplements the Bible, and possess an expertise lacking to the layman. The most popular authors and speakers at conferences, they glibly present a new interpretation of the Bible unimagined by those “holy men of God. . .moved by the Holy Spirit” whom God inspired to write His Word. How it must break God’s heart to see His children seeking counsel outside of His Word! 7

 

One of the greatest needs of our day is to reject all of today’s psycho-babble and lean solely upon “every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4).

 

 

The Biblical Principle of Humility

 

An excerpt from the author’s book

Salvation Is of The Lord

 

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Eph. 4:1-3).

 

            Mark this down: Humility is the most foundational attitude for the Christian walk and Christian growth. There is no way we can please God without humility. The Greek here (tapeinophrosune) literally means “lowliness of mind,” i.e. to think lowly of one’s self.

            It’s extremely significant that neither the Romans nor the Greeks had a word for humility. They abhorred any thought of self-belittling. To them such a thing was synonymous with weakness and cowardice. Well, as we’ve seen, this abhorrence of self-belittling lives today. While we will continue to deal with this issue, we will mainly concern ourselves here with what the Word of God specifically says about humility.

 

“Pride” and “Proud”

            The first term we should examine is “pride.” Many today speak of “positive pride” (or “healthy pride”) and contrast it with “negative pride.” Where are men getting this? They borrow it from psychology, stamp the name “Christian” on it, and say it’s true. But what saith the Scriptures?

 

            The word “pride” appears forty-nine times in the King James Version, and not one time is it used in a positive way. God’s judgment is always connected to pride. For example:

 

                    Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom. (Prov. 13:10)

                    Pride goeth before destruction . . . (16:18)

                    A man’s pride shall bring him low . . .  (29:23)

                    The pride of thine heart has deceived you . . .  (Obad. 1:3)

                    For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the world (I John 2:16).

 

            Likewise, the word “proud” appears forty-eight times in the King James Version, and it too is never used in a positive way. Consider these few examples:

 

                    Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low. (Job 40:12)

                    Blessed is that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and respecteth not the proud. (Ps. 40:4)

                    These six things doth the LORD hate, Ye, seven are an abomination to Him:

                    A proud look . . . (Prov. 6:16-17a).

                    Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD. (16:5)

                    The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.  For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low. (Is. 2:11-12).

                    [Fallen man is] proud. (Rom. 1:30)

                    [In the last days] men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, and proud. (II Tim. 3:2)

                    But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. (Jas. 4:6; see also I Pet. 5:5)

 

            Why do I make such an issue of this? Why is pride so terrible? Because pride is at the root of all sin. The first sin, that of Lucifer (Is. 14:12-23), was the sin of pride, and it has motivated all sin ever since.

            Pride comes in many forms. We may be tempted to be proud of our success, our accomplishments, our knowledge (even Biblical knowledge), our talents and abilities, our appearance, or even our children. But again, pride is never good. Why? Because it always reflects the idea that we have done something. Even the dictionary definition bears this out: “Feeling pleasurable satisfaction over an act, a possession, a quality, or a relationship by which one measures one’s stature or self-worth: [e.g.] proud of one’s child; proud to serve one’s country.” 8

            Some argue, however, “We must have some pride and dignity, such as cleanliness and good appearance.” Yes, we should be clean and have a good appearance, but why? What is our motive? Should our motive be that we just don’t want people to think badly of us? Or rather should our motive be that we do not dishonor the Lord because of our appearance?

 

                    Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. (I Cor. 10:31)

 

            Consider also that there was no pride or dignity at the cross. On the contrary, the cross was the ugliest and the most undignified of deaths. But Jesus still humbled Himself to it. So let us not think of pride and dignity when called upon to suffer.

            Ponder a moment something else that few preachers emphasize today. How often are we tempted to be proud of our children when they do right? But again, we feel this way because we think we have done a good job of raising them. Yes, we will feel pleased and thankful, but only God is to receive the glory. And God forbid that we ever tell our children, “I am so proud of you,” because this will give them the wrong message. Yes, perhaps they obeyed a principle you laid down in the home, but where did the principle originate? With you? No, with God. We can take no credit, rather we must give all credit and praise to God. So, may we say to our children instead, “Oh, how happy and thankful I am that you did right, but think how pleased God is!” Let us teach our children the right motivation for obedience, that first and foremost they do everything to glorify the Lord. May we teach our children to do or not do something not because we say so, but because God says so.

 

“Self” and “Self-Image”

            Now let us consider what the Word of God says about that ever so popular term “self.” Those who speak of “self-image” either forget (or simply deny) that man’s image is one of a dirty, filthy, wretched sinner, as we’ve seen in Romans 1 and Ephesians 2. Yes, we were created in God’s image, but that image was tainted by sin, and it is Christ alone Who restores the image of God. Therefore, a self-image should not be our concern, rather a Christ-image should be our concern. Likewise, psychologists and educators are obsessed with children being “raised in an environment that will build a positive self-esteem.” But God says we should be building a “Christ-esteem” in them, teaching them to do everything to please the Lord.

            As we’ve seen in Romans 8:29, we are being conformed to the image of Christ. The “image” of something means “reflec­tion,” like the reflection in a mirror. Wouldn’t it be ridiculous for a mirror to try to develop a “good self-image?” Likewise, our purpose is merely to reflect Christ.

            Paul uses another picture in Ephesians 5:1, where he writes that we are to be “imitators of God as dear children.” The Greek here is mimetes, from which we get our English word “mimic.” And indeed, children mimic their parents (good or bad). If I may illustrate, the last thing in the world I want my son to do is to imitate me, that is, imitate my shortcomings and weaknesses. What, then, does Paul mean when he says elsewhere, “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ” (I Cor. 11:1)? This means that when my son “imitates me” at such times, he is not really imitating me at all, rather he is imitating Christ.

            Consider also Philippians 2:5-8:

 

                    Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus . . . [Who] humbled Himself. . . 

 

Above all else, the mind of Christ is humility. If we may put it this way, in His humanity Jesus had a low opinion of Himself. Before going on, I would like to note what Robert Schuller writes concerning this verse:

 

                    Jesus knew his worth, his success fed his self-esteem . . . He suffered the cross to sanctify his self-esteem. And he bore the cross to sanctify your self-esteem. And the cross will sanctify the ego trip! 9

 

Such blasphemy is hard to believe. But we can’t expect anything better from one who says that, “A person is in hell when he has lost his self-esteem,” 10 and who also writes:

 

                    I don’t think anything has been done in the name of Christ and under the banner of Christianity more destructive to human personality and, hence, counterproductive to the evangelism enterprise than the often crude, uncouth, and unchristian strategy of attempting to make people aware of their lost and sinful condition.” 11

 

And what is sin in Schuller’s gospel? In his book Self-Esteem, The New Reformation, he writes, “Reformation Theology failed to make clear that the core of sin is a lack of self-esteem.” 12 In fact, the whole book is an attack on the Theology of Calvin and others who were “rampantly reckless in assaulting the dignity of the person.” 13 He goes on to say that the same is true of most evangelical Theology. In other words, saying man is depraved is an attack on his dignity. He continues by saying, “What we need is a theology of salvation that begins and ends with a recognition of every person’s hunger for glory.” 14

            Such apostasy is almost unbelievable. Is there any possibility that such a man is truly a born-again child of God? May we submit, this is what lies at the root of today’s self-image craze. I quote all this just to show the extreme that has been created by this philosophy. There is nothing good in it!

            Many disagree here. They argue, “Oh, we must teach children to have a positive self-esteem.” Why? Where is the Scripture for this? By teaching our children such a thing, we are teaching them to glorify themselves, for Schuller is right about one thing, that man does have a “hunger for glory” (Rom. 1:25). While we certainly want to give our children a “positive environment,” we must not teach them to lift up themselves. Again, what we need to teach them is to glorify God and reflect the image of Jesus Christ.

            Now consider II Timothy 3:2 again, that in the last days “men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, and proud.” This is what we see today, “self-love.” Man is the focus of love instead of God. What we need to be emphasizing in our churches today is to love the Lord not ourselves.

            Another term we hear often is “self-worth.” But may we stop and think a moment that those who speak of this ignore the fact that we are worthless. Not one verse in God’s Word says such a thing. On the contrary, It says that we were dead in trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1-3). May we ask ourselves, “What good is a corpse?” Any so-called “worth” we have belongs to Christ, not us. Christ never told his disciples they were worth anything. When He called them, did He say, “Gentlemen, when I created you, I gave you some talents and abilities and I sure do need you now.” On the contrary, he told them to “deny self, take up your cross, and follow me.” (Mk. 8:34). And as Paul wrote:

 

                    I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. (Gal. 2:20)

 

There is no self-worth here, only Christ-worth.

            The only men God ever used were humble servants. He didn’t use a self-assertive Moses, rather a humble Moses. He called a self-assertive Peter, but He used a humble Peter after Christ dealt with him in John 21.

            But the most dramatic illustration was Paul. There are several places in Scripture where Paul views himself. In I Corinthians 15:9, for example, Paul writes:

 

                    For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. (I Cor. 15:9)

 

And in I Timothy 1:15, he calls himself the “chief” of sinners.

            But Ephesians 3:8 is certainly the most vivid, where he speaks of himself as “less than the least of all the saints.” Grammatically, Paul uses an unusual word here; he forms a comparative from a superlative. In English we form the comparative using “er” (e.g.  “smaller”) and form the superlative using “est” (“smallest”). So, for the sake of good English grammar, two words are used here: “less” (comparative) and “least” (superlative). In the Greek, however, there is only one word (elachistoteros), which we could render “leaster,” i.e. “far less than the least.” Paul felt he was far less worthy than anyone to have God’s grace bestowed upon him. This wasn’t false modesty, rather a true assessment of himself.

            Likewise, this must be true of every believer. Each of us must never forget what we were outside of Christ. As Isaiah told the nation of Israel:

 

                    . . . look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged. (Is. 51:1)

 

No, we should not dwell on the past, for this will defeat us. As someone has said, “When we live in the past, we mar the present and neglect the future.” Rather we should remember what we were to remind us that we are continuing to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29).

            So, throughout the Word of God we are told that humility is a key ingredient to spiritual blessing. Just as pride is at the root of all sin, humility is at the root of all righteousness and blessing.

            In contrast to “pride” and “proud,” the word “humility” appears seven times in the King James Version (twelve in the NKJV), and “humble” appears twenty-five times in the King James Version (forty-three in the NKJV).

            May I point out here that we should notice that the Word of God speaks more about “pride” than it does about “humility.” So much for the criticism that goes, “There’s just too much negative preaching.” As is often the case, the Word of God speaks more about the negative than It does about the positive. The most vivid example is that the Scripture says much more about Hell than It does about Heaven. Why? To warn us! Likewise, God warns us that pride leads only to destruction.

            Oh, but what marvelous verses there are about humility:

 

                    The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. (Prov. 15:33)

                     . . . God resisteth the proud, But giveth grace to the humble (I Pet. 5:5 and Jas. 4:6).

                    If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. (II Chron. 7:14)

                    When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. (Prov. 11:2)

                    Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up. (Jas. 4:10)

                    . . . Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matt. 18:3-4).

 

That last verse reminds us that we must humble ourselves to even become a Christian. How much clearer it should be then to the Christian that he is to be humble. The Gospel is being reversed today. In essence, the teaching is that we have to humble ourselves a little bit to get saved, afterwards we get this great self-image. But humility keeps us in our place. What is our place? We are servants and tools.

            To illustrate, does the carpenter’s hammer have a good self-esteem and self-worth? Does a hammer ever say, “Pardon me, but I don’t want my head banged against a nail all day today. I feel I have a better worth than that and would prefer to be used in a more positive way.” Obviously this is ridiculous. The hammer has only one worth, being used by the carpenter to pound nails into wood and removing a nail occasionally. Likewise, we are tools, tools that God will use as He sees fit. Thank God our Savior also calls us “friends,” since we have a personal relationship with Him (John 15:15), but the servant relationship is still in force.

            Coming back to our text, notice that it says, “all lowliness,” that is, “all humility.” That little word “all” (pas) is very important. It means “all, the whole, every kind of” (Strong). Paul’s challenge is that we be humble all the time, in every kind of situation.

            Humility is elusive, is it not? Why? Because if we focus on it too much, it will turn into the very opposite, pride. I don’t think I will ever forget what I heard a preacher say from the pulpit one Lord’s Day morning, and he said it with all sincerity: “I have many shortcomings, but the virtue I know I have is humility. You could even say that I’m proud of my humility.” We may think this humorous, but it seems like many think this true of themselves, they think they are humble in their “self-esteem.” May I say, the moment you think you’re humble, you’re actually proud. Humility is something we are always trying to attain but never quite get.

            Before going on, please meditate on these words by Martyn Lloyd-Jones:

 

                    “Lowliness” is humility, and especially humility of mind . . . It means modesty. It is the opposite of self-esteem, self-assertion, and pride. Humility is one of the chief of all the Christian virtues; it is the hallmark of the child of God. Humility means having a poor opinion of yourself and of your powers and faculties . . . It is the opposite of the worldly spirit which urges man to trust in himself, and to believe in himself. It is the opposite of all aggressiveness and self-advertisement and ambition and all the brazenness of life at this present time. There is nothing sadder about this present age than the appalling absence of humility; and when this same lack is found in the Church of God, it is the greatest tragedy of all. 15

 

“The good doctor” (as he was often called) preached those words many years ago, but they have never been truer than they are today.

            One of the greatest results of applying the Doctrines of Grace to our lives is that they humble us more than anything else can. Oh, how can we not be humble when we realize what man is and Who God is? This is, in fact, how to be humble. And again, this attitude forms the very foundation of Christian growth. First and foremost, to live by grace means to walk in humility.

 

 

NOTES

 

1 Dave Hunt and T. A. McMahon in The Seduction of Christianity and Beyond Seduction, Martin and Deidre Bodgan in Prophets of PsychoHeresy, and Jim Owen.

2 The National Educator, July 1980, Roger Mills, “Psychology Goes Insane, Botches Role as Science,” p. 14.

3 Psychological Seduction (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983), p. 31.

4 Cited in Jay Adams, Competent to Counsel (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1970), p. 8.

5 Heinrich Meng and Ernst Freud, editors, Psychoanalysis and Faith (New York: Basic Books, Inc., 1963), pp. 63, 110. Cited in ibid.

6 See Adam’s discussion on pp. 15-17.

7 Dave Hunt, “All the Counsel of God,” an article in The Berean Call newsletter (Bend, OR), February, 1996.

8 American Heritage Dictionary.

9 Living Positively One Day at a Time (Revell, 1982), p. 201 and Self-Esteem, The New Reformation (Word Books, 1982), p. 115 (emphasis in the original).

10 Self-Esteem, p.14-15.

11 Christianity Today, Oct. 5, 1984, p. 12.

12 Self-Esteem, p.98.

13 Ibid, flyleaf.

14 Ibid, p. 26-27.

15 Christian Unity: An Exposition of Ephesians 4:1-16 (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1982), p. 41.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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