Who do you think you are?

WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

A message for Christians with a negative self-image

1. HOW DO YOU SEE YOURSELF?

We use various adjectives to describe ourselves.

By some of these adjectives (the positive ones) we affirm ourselves:

Good, intelligent, successful, strong, out-going, fit and healthy, law-abiding, good husbane/wife, good parent, and so on.

We look at all the positive things about ourselves, and seek to justify, defend, preserve and promote ourselves by these descriptions.

Worse, we sometimes fool ourselves that thinking that these things can add up merit points with both our fellow humans and with God.

But by others(the negative ones) we put ourselves down:

Too bad, stupid, useless, weak, divorced, abused, poor, nobody, overweight, unfit and unhealthy, bad parent, bad husband/wife, and so on.

We look at all the negative things about ourselves, and because of them think that we will never amount to anything, that nobody could love us.

Worse, we think that God could not love us. We might even think that all of these negatives things about us are evidence that God indeed does not love us.

And if we think like this long enough and often enough we will end up in either pride or despair.

2. WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT EVERY HUMAN BEING

According to the Bible the default position of every human being, left to themselves without God's gracious interventions, is negative:

Romans 3:10 - 18:

There is no one righteous - verse10.

There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God - verse 11.

All have turned away and become worthless - verse 12.

No one does what is good - verse 12.

What they say is deceitful, destructive and bitter - verse 13, 14.

What they do is destructive - verse 15, 16.

They do not know the way of peace - verse 17.

They have no fear of God - verse 18.

Romans 5:6 - 10:

We are powerless.

We are ungodly.

We are sinners.

We are God's enemies.

3. HOW GOD SEES THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST

When a person acknowledges Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by that faith/belief that person is united to Jesus Christ in such a way that not only is his death credited to us as the full and complete payment/punishment for our sins, but also his righteousness (his perfect human life) is also credited to us, so that in Christ God deems us to be as Christ is:

Accepted instead of rejected: we now have access to God instead of being rejected by God - Ephesians 2:18.

Acquitted - declared 'not guilty', that is 'justified', that is, we have received the gift of a 'righteousness', a 'not-guilty declaration' that is 'apart from law' - Romans 3:21 - 26.

Adopted by God - children of God, regenerated (born again) by the Spirit of God - Ephesians 1:5; John 1:12.

Blameless in God's sight - Colossians 1:22.

Complete in Christ - Colossians 2:10.

Forgiven - all of our sins, past, present, and future - Ephesians 1:7.

Holy - Colossians 1:22; Hebrews 10:10.

Reconciled to God, no longer his enemies, at peace in God's presence - Romans 5:1,10; 2Corinthians 5:18 - 21; Colossians 1:19 - 22.

Redeemed, set from sin's curse and condemnation - Galatians 3:10, 13; Romans 8:1.

Saints - that is 'set apart' as God's special possession, no longer ordinary - 1Peter 2:9, 10.

CONCLUSION: THE CHALLENGE

Who are we listening to?

Our own pride?

Our own despair?

Or the good news, the gospel, which tells us - 'Regardless of who you think you are, this is how God sees you! This is how God sees all those who are united to Christ by faith!'

Let us live each moment with this glorious reality that our lives - with all our wretchedness, all our sin, all our inability - our lives are 'hidden with Christ in God' - Colossians 3:3.

Let us live each moment with the joy, the peace, the freedom from guilt, of this grand gospel truth.