Do you believe that God loves you unconditionally? Take a moment and be honest with yourself.
Do you feel as if you must perform to get God’s blessings?
Do you feel guilty and condemned for each and every sin you commit?
Do you feel as if you must try your absolute best to keep every precept of God… “or else”?
Do you feel that entering heaven is a conditional promise based on how you live your life?
Do you judge others based on their sins and short comings?
Do you segregate yourself from those considered “unholy”?
Do you believe your holiness is based on what you do or don’t do?
If you have answered yes to any of these questions, it’s almost certain that you have been conditioned with a wrong understanding of scripture, and more importantly, yourself.
Wonderfully Made
Self-righteousness is defined by the belief that somehow you can earn your way into heaven, earn yourself a few wonderful blessings, and earn your way into being the apple of Gods eyes. Don’t fall for it, by having this belief you are short circuiting your faith and your ability to manifest Gods promises. The truth is, you are loved by God not because of what you do or don’t do but because He made you! Yes, that right, just the fact that you exist makes you the most prized possession in Gods eyes. The bible says you are fearfully and wonderfully made. It also says that you are the apple of His eyes and the jewels in His crown.
So, what about those who don’t measure up to the churches and society’s standards? Those who are considered drug dealers, prostitutes, gays (yes gays), murderers, liars, thieves, beggars, those who don’t earn enough to be classified rich or in the middle class, those who may be mentally ill, or otherwise invalid all are loved unconditionally by God.
In fact, it does matter where one falls on the spectrum of sin, once there is a personal belief and relationship with God, they will be in Heaven. “Wow, you have it wrong Liz!.” Really? Well, if we genuinely believe that being pure and holy is the ticket to heaven, instead of faith in Christ, why then did Jesus come to earth? If we could keep all the laws and commandments, there wouldn’t be a need for a Saviour to rid of us of our sins with His blood. To say that we can earn our way to heaven by “being good” is to say unequivocally that we don’t need Jesus.
Not Our Self-Performance
Belief in Jesus was only thing meant to be our ticket to heaven, not our self-performance.
Those who believe in their good works don’t have an authentic sense of God’s love and acceptance for them. If you don’t believe you are loved unconditionally by God, psychology has posited that your relationships and life will at one moment or the other crumble. Why? because we will never be assured of our significance and self-worth. It will only take one mistake or failure to shatter the worth and value we attribute to ourselves. Moreover, we will also have unreasonable expectations of others.
The traditions of man and society have done enough damage to our souls. We get the message all the time that there are conditions to being loved, accepted and worthy. Sadly, the church has been the best proponent of this toxic message! It’s a pity.
We need to start challenging the messages we sent to ourselves and others about our worth and value if we are going to be a healed and flourishing society. Of course, I am not advocating for a life of sin or disregard for God’s precepts. Nor am I agreeing that keeping the wrong company won’t corrupt godly morals. However, I am disagreeing with the self-righteous bigotry that is rampant in ministries and churches who believe “holiness” is their responsibility and not that of the saving power of Christ’s blood. If you honestly believe and think this way, the bible says your offering of “holiness” is nothing but filthy rags.
The way forward
Going forward, I pray that we all ask God for an unforgettable experience of His love. Knowing with your head that God loves you or quoting theological perspectives on God’s love is not enough. There is nothing that can satisfy your heart’s desire to be loved and accepted like opening and experiencing God’s affection as a free gift, no strings attached. It will take time to renew our minds from our previous way of thinking. Don’t get too hard on yourself.
I also advise you to seek out sound teaching or books on the love of God if you particularly struggle with low self-esteem or a performance mentality.
I pray you prosper and flourish in your love-life with God!
Blessings!
Elizabeth is a student of Applied Behaviour Analysis and Special Education, a proud public speaker at Toastmasters International and budding entrepreneur. In my free time, she loves reading, cycling, crocheting and most recently, mastering cuisine in the kitchen. Her life’s ambition is to own an international non-profit ministry focusing on eliminating poverty in Africa and Asia as well as ministering mental and emotional healing.