MAN'S PROBLEM: LOW SELF-ESTEEM OR SIN?
It is popular in many evangelical circles to build churches and draw crowds by convincing folks that their problems are because of low self-esteem. People do not like to be called sinners. They would much rather hear that their problem is that they just don't love themselves enough. They want to hear that their failings are not really their fault, and that God understands and wants them to feel good about themselves because He loves and accepts them just as they are.
While it is true that God does accept us just as we are; He only does so when we come to Him with the desire that He change us from what we are to what He would have us to be. The Bible calls this repentance and tells us that the way to salvation is by "Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ."(Acts 20:21).
Our problem is not low self-esteem, but it is low God esteem! We fail to understand God's holiness and righteousness. We think that He looks at our sin the same way we do, but God says, "For my thoughts are notyour thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8,9)
God hates sin! Sin is the scourge of all creation. Sin changed this world from a paradise in Eden (as described in Genesis one and two) to a place of pain, death and travail described in Romans, "For we know that the wholecreation groaneth and travaileth in pain together. . ." (Rom. 8:22). Sin is the cause of war, disease, and death in the world: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed uponall men, for all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12). It is the cause of the wrath of God to come upon men (please see Romans 1:18-32). Because of its destructive nature, God requires that sin be put away from Him and destroyed in eternal fire (Matthew 25:41, 46; Revelation 21:8). A holy God cannot allow sin in His presence.
However, we know that God is love and that God wants man, whom He created in His own image, to spend eternity with Him. Therefore, He devised a plan whereby the wages of sin, which is death, could be paid and yet the sinner could live; and by doing so God could be both "just" and the " justifier" of the sinner. (Romans 3:26). God accomplished this through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, "Who was made to be sin for us, whoknew no sin; that we might we might be made the righteousness of God in him."(2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus, Himself "bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness . . ." (1 Pet 2 24)
Now here comes the self-esteem part: When we realize that a Holy God sees our hearts as,"deceitful above allthings, and desperately wicked", and yet, "commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8), we should be overwhelmed with gratitude and esteem for Him, "Who loved us, andwashed us from our sins in his own blood".(Rev 1:5). Therefore, you must by, "Repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ", consciously, and willfully acknowledge your sin, and believe (trust) that only Jesus can save you from hell. For Jesus, Himself said, "If ye believe not that I amhe, ye shall die in your sins". (John 8:24). There is no greater self-esteem than being able to sing, "Glory I'm saved, my sins are all pardoned, my guilt is all gone, I'm saved by the blood of the crucified One!"
