Biblical Self-Esteem Bible Study

Before doing this Bible study, please read the 1-minute introduction Why Secular Businesses are Hiring Praise Teams.

It explains that we live in the age of self-esteem, not God-esteem. Sadly, this worldly emphasis has spawned false teachings in the church. Instead of seeking to please God, many Christians are seeking to please themselves.

What do the passages below tell us about our purpose and priorities as Christians?

Luke 9:23-25: Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 

This passage sums up discipleship in a nutshell. It is what our Savior did and what we are called to do as well. I encourage you to take time to read some or all of the devotions in the Biblical Self-Esteem collection, especially Research Shows the Harm of Self-esteem.

Galatians 5:16, 24: So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh....Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Some people might read this passage and think it is only talking about immoral sexual desires. Not so. Wanting to esteem ourselves is also a desire of the flesh. 

1 John 2:15-17: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

The pride of life certainly includes pride in ourselves a thing promoted by self-esteem teachings. See The Glory is God's, Not Ours.

Matthew 6:31-33: So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

While this passage doesn't directly address self-esteem, it tells us that first and foremost we should be seeking to do those things which please God, making God's desires and God's glory our first priority. We shouldn't be seeking "our kingdom." 

And a promise follows this command, the promise that God will care for us when we seek Him first. We may not have everything we want. In fact, God doesn't promise we will always be well fed and warm (see Paul's words in Philippians 4:12). But we will always have Him (see Hebrews 13:5) and that is our greatest need.

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I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. 

It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word. 

copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, updated 2023

Don't Give Me What I Deserve!

Before doing this Bible study, please read the 1-minute devotion Don't Give Me What I Deserve.

It encourages us to realize that knowing Christ should help us view life with gratitude. Forgiveness and salvation are the greatest gifts we can receive, and they are gifts we don't deserve. 

These passages can help us gain perspective:

Luke 12:15: Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”

In the verses following this passage (Luke 12:16-31), Christ shares a parable found only in Luke. It talks about a man who stores up all his riches only to die before he can enjoy them. The parable ends with this important warning: “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” 

How can we be "rich toward God"?

Philippians 2:3-8: Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! 

When we focus on ourselves, it's natural to struggle with self-pity, pride, or entitlement. Thinking of others helps us overcome these sinful attitudes. And Jesus is the most wonderful example of humility and sacrifice.

Philippians 4:12-13: I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

True contentment comes through Christ.

copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, updated in 2023

Truth and Consequences: A Bible Study about David

Before doing this Bible study, please read the 1-minute devotion 3 Consequences and Attitudes Toward Sin.

It explains that God disciplines us and uses consequences to convict and correct us (Hebrews 12: 5-11; Galatians 6:7-8). But believers don't suffer eternal consequences because we are in Christ (Romans 6:23). 

The life of King David is an excellent study in forgiveness.

David committed serious sins even as a believer. 

The Prophet Nathan brought God's rebuke to David:

2 Samuel 12:7-14: Nathan said to David...9 Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites. 10 Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ 11 “This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 12 You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.’” 13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the LORD, the son born to you will die.” 

Sometimes Christians falsely assume that God does not punish our sins because we are redeemed, but that's not true. We don't suffer eternal punishment, but we still suffering earthly consequences. In rare cases, God removes earthly consequences, but that is not typical.  

verse 9: When we violate God's commands, we are "despising God's Word" and "doing evil in God's eyes." 

In Romans 6:1-2, Paul is shocked that some Christians have a casual attitude toward sin: "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?"  

Verses 10-12: Read the story of David's life and you will see these consequences played out. This part of God's will can be difficult to understand, so let me explain some important truths:

God does not cause anyone to sin in order to bring about this punishment (James 1:13). He knew beforehand who would sin against David and He used these situations for His purposes. Those who committed sins were fully responsible for what they did. 

The death of the innocent child is perhaps the hardest punishment to understand, but that child never suffered the many difficulties he would have suffered had he lived. See Why Babies Go to Heaven. 

Verses 13-14: This is what sets David apart--his immediate admission of guilt without excuse or justification. This restored his relationship with God, but it didn't remove his earthly consequences. And David continued to express that humble, repentant attitude in Psalm 51.

Psalm 51: 3-4, 10-12, 17: I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge ... 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me ... 17My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. 

David makes no excuses for his sins. He admits he has offended God first and foremost. But this might be the most significant thing about David's repentance: He was not resentful about his punishment. He said God was right to punish him. He accepted his consequences. He makes it clear that his most important desire was restoring his relationship with the Lord.

When God forgives us, He removes our eternal consequences, but He rarely removes our earthly consequences.

David Restored His Relationship With God:

The passage below was written after David's death. Note how he is compared to other kings:

1 King 15:1-5: In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah became king of Judah ... 3 He committed all the sins his father had done before him; his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his forefather had been. 4Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong. 5 For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.

Because of David's sincere repentance, the Lord continued to honor him as a standard of godliness. When we acknowledge our sins, we can restore our relationship with God....and nothing else is more important.

copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, updated 2023
All Scripture NIV unless otherwise noted