Is It Self-Esteem Or Sinful Pride?

In a Fox News report dated September 3, 2004, various schools around the country were putting “self-esteem” above academic standards. As a result, students were failing in their school work, but they all had “self-esteem!” Worse yet – their administrators and teachers were thrilled!

In this writer’s view, the above story equates to sinful “pride” — a characteristic the Bible condemns (cf. Proverbs 16:18; Proverbs 18:12). However, there is nothing wrong with having self-esteem, in the sense of loving ourselves (Matthew 22:39).

Pride is unreasonable self-esteem, generally accompanied by insolence and rude treatment of others. It deceives the heart (Jeremiah 49:16), hardens the mind (Daniel 5:20), and results in destruction (Proverbs 16:18).

With these thoughts in mind, let us carefully examine our own “self-esteem” in light of the life of Jesus:

See here.

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets