Without Jesus, Nothing

I think the self-esteem movement is firmly implanted in the church, disguising itself as our recognition of God's love and view of us without the most important factor... Jesus. I say this as a full indictment of my thoughts, and the very words I've told myself and others as encouragement. While it may be the lesser of two evils (i.e. I am dirt, I am worthless, etc.), it does nothing to bring about true obedience and spiritual vitality.

We often tell people suffering with low self-worth a number of truths:

• God loves you and sees you as special/unique/one out of a million
• God sees you as His son/daughter
• God sees you as perfectly righteous
• God sees you as whole, you no longer need to perform
• You are secure in God

While all of that is true, it is incomplete. And that incompleteness is an obstacle for true spiritual growth and maturity.

For example, if we leave Jesus out of it... God sees me as perfectly righteous. That must mean I am righteous. But I still sin. I must be doing something wrong. I must not be having enough faith that He sees me as righteous. I must not be confessing enough, praying enough, etc. Where is the security?

The truth is, God sees all of our sin. He is not surprised when we swear, allow our anger to consume us or ignore the hurting. In fact, those very sins prove His point - we are in desperate need of a savior. The self-esteem movement of: "I'm unique, special, righteous, etc." is partially true, but misses the point! I am perfectly righteous because I am now hidden in Christ.

God no longer sees me as me, myself and I. If He did, I'd be responsible for proving my righteousness - an impossible task. God sees me as hidden in Christ, the perfect lamb that was slain for my sins. Yes, this takes away our control. It humbles us. It proves that we are unable. It proves we were given something we could never have earned.

But how comforting is that? God now sees me in the light of Christ. And because of that, all of the above is true. I am a co-heir of Christ; I am accepted and loved; I am a son of God. How paradoxical that this security arrives, not so much from repeating the mantra of "I am unique", but from recognizing my utter inability to be righteous, good, etc. and clinging on to the one who is righteous, good, etc. in confession and humility. The more we realize our sins and limitations (through His spirit), the more our hearts should rejoice in the truth of the Gospel. We are no longer our own. We were bought with a price. That, and that alone is what allows us to claim the promises of God.