So I can have a positive opinion of my ability to play tennis, my acting talent, my gifted voice, or my accomplishments in my career?
But if I have a positive opinion of my ability to love others, my talent for reconciling people, my gift of generosity, or my spiritual accomplishments, then that is wrong? For in areas or morality I am totally depraved?
If I can acknowledge my non-moral accomplishments, I do not understand why I could not acknowledge my moral accomplishments also.
In the Bible there is mention of those who "give large gifts to charity" to "religious institutions" to be "seen by others". Good deeds can be tainted by motive and only God and that individual are in a position to know about it.
So then "all my righteousness is as filthy rags" apart from Christ - is the teaching of the Bible -
Is 64:
6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And
all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
And all of us wither like a leaf,
And our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is no one who calls on Your name,
Who stirs himself to take hold of You;
For You have hidden Your face from us
And have surrendered us to the power of our
In the Bible there are only two groups on Earth - born again saved saints and there are lost sinners. This is called "the wide road" and the "narrow road" in Matt 7
13 “
Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the
gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn
bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 So then, you will know them by their fruits.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven
will enter.
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The bible says the lost who reject the Gospel will end in the lake of fire of Rev 20 - but someone may ask "what if one of the lost donated money to charity?". Well we could say that certainly that may have helped someone at some point.
So, should all have low self-esteem?
Jer 9 -
23 Thus says the Lord:
“Let not the wise
man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty
man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich
man glory in his riches;
24 But
let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I
am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
Some find fulfillment in "self" , the more they uplift self - the more confident they feel about the future. But the other option is to uplift infinite all wise, all powerful, God who "is Love" according to 1 John 4. Having confidence that one is in His care, guided by the almighty who never sleeps and misses no detail at all - is even more confidence building when you think about it.
"Well done thou good and faithful servant" is the praise that the saved are seeking - for their praise is from God not merely from sinful fallen man.