Self-Esteem (AKA Over-inflated Egos)

We all know about self-esteem. It is one of the leading problems in our society today. Some have estimated that upwards of 90% of Americans suffer from self-esteem problems. Such maladies as intolerance, disrespect, lack of motivation, contempt, blame-shifting, and many, many others are the result of low self-esteem. Poor self-esteem is to blame for “violence, alcoholism, drug abuse, eating disorders, school dropouts, teenage pregnancy, suicide, and low academic achievement” (NASE). There are books written about it, studies made about it, and even a National Association of Self-Esteem to counteract the situation. Low self-esteem is a real problem.

What is self-esteem? Self-esteem is part of how you value yourself, how you think about yourself, and how you act in response to these. The basic concept is that of worth. A healthy self-esteem, they say, is one that views oneself as worthwhile and competent. A person who thinks of himself as not worth much or not very competent would be said to have low self-esteem, and this breeds problems.

Funny thing … although it is a major problem in today’s world, there isn’t a single mention of it in Scripture. Oh, there is a mention of the opposite problem, but not a whisper regarding low self-esteem. That seems odd.

Paul warns, “I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment” (Rom. 12:3). One doesn’t have to search far in Scripture to find out that pride is a problem, that arrogance is a sin, and that thinking more highly of ourselves than we ought is not a good thing. Why is it that we don’t find anything about thinking too lowly of ourselves?

This morning I read this: “For if anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself” (Gal. 6:3). Now, Paul, that's not kind. How are we going to build up self-esteem if you suggest that people really are nothing? That won't work.

I think we have bought a lie. I think that we've bought a nice-sounding perspective that encourages everyone to think of themselves as good, worthy people. I think that the biblical perspective is more along the lines of David's words in Psa. 22:6 -- “I am a worm and not a man.” And Bildad rightly says “If even the moon has no brightness and the stars are not pure in His sight, how much less man, that maggot, and the son of man, that worm!” (Job 25:5-6). Instead of having intrinsic value, the Bible portrays us as “vessels of wrath prepared for destruction” (Rom. 9:22). Paul quotes the Scriptures as saying:

As it is written, “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” (Rom. 3:10-12).

That's quite an indictment. Try to place "you are a good and worthwhile person" over against that, and you'll have a collision of thought. I think the “self-esteem movement” has its origins in someplace other than God's perspective.

Now, this subject is larger than this simple post, so I'll address more of it tomorrow. I simply ask that we consider the possibility that the Bible disagrees with our modern drive for “better self-esteem”. I simply ask that we consider that we generally suffer from the opposite syndrome -- arrogance.