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Exploring Christianity
Total Depravity and Self-Esteem
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<blockquote data-quote="ViaCrucis" data-source="post: 76773938" data-attributes="member: 293637"><p>The thing that is frequently missed when it comes to Total Depravity is that Total Depravity does not deny that human beings are made in the image and likeness of God, and are the good creation of God. That is, <em>the innate goodness of creation</em>.</p><p></p><p>Being human is innately good. Total Depravity speaks to the way that our good humanity has become twisted because the passions or desires are disordered on account of sin, what western theologians call concupiscence. Lutherans speak of this concupiscence with the Latin phrase <em>homo incurvatus in se</em>, man curved or bent inward toward oneself. That is desires turned and oriented inward to satisfy ourselves, the exaltation of the self over and against others. To be curved inward means we care more about our own creature comforts than those of our neighbor and fellow creatures; it is this curved-inward-ness that leads us to exploit creation, including the exploitation of our fellow human beings.</p><p></p><p>The matter of self esteem is not a matter of sin, but a matter of the intrinsic and innate dignity of being human. This can be seen even in the chief commandment of the Christian religion as given by Christ, "Love your neighbor as yourself." The commandment has "as yourself", the commandment assumes that a person will consider their own needs and extend the innate love of the self to one's neighbors. This is also true in Christ's commandment "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"; it assumes that the person wants and deserves to be treated well and therefore we should extend the same to others.</p><p></p><p>It is not caring about one's own bodily needs, or desiring love, respect, kindness from ourselves and others that is a problem--i.e. self esteem--but when desire rises up to sow injury against others. That is the problem. When I cause injury against my fellow human beings because of my own desires I deny my neighbor's good humanity and also deny my own good humanity (the same humanity that God the Word Himself took upon Himself in the Incarnation to heal and save and restore and make righteous and holy). </p><p></p><p>Total Depravity is not the doctrine that human beings are utterly despicable and deserve nothing; it's the doctrine that even in my will, emotions, etc I am sinful. It's not that I am a pure soul with a good will that is inhabiting a sinful body; even at the core of my own human personhood is something that drives me away from God and away from loving my neighbor as myself. That something is sin. Or Original Sin or concupiscence. And therefore I need my "insides" cleaned up, what Scripture often speaks of the change or renewal of the heart and mind, poetically speaking of a heart of stone being turned to a heart of flesh, to change my "spirit", etc. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in me." (Psalms 51:10), or "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2).</p><p></p><p>To acknowledge one's sinfulness is not a denial of the innate good humanity made by God and the human dignity that all persons are worthy of (including that of oneself, self-esteem); but rather it is a matter of recognizing that in spite of our best efforts we still fail, because we sow injury rather than healing with the ways we think, speak, and act. And thus I need mercy, mercy to rescue me from myself and my own self-destruction; and the mercy that invites me to change how I think about myself and the world so that I can learn what it means to truly carry my cross, follow Jesus, and love the world even as He does. That I might learn to share my humanity with others, not hide it away; to share our humanity with one another through love, acts of service, kindness, compassion, by being patient, gentle, respectful, etc. Cultivating, by God's grace, the fruits of the Spirit and to tame the wild passions. </p><p></p><p>To forgive instead of holding a grudge.</p><p>To bless instead of cursing.</p><p>To pray for those who oppress us.</p><p>To turn the other cheek and love one's enemy.</p><p>To be generous and compassionate and selfless in our works toward our neighbor.</p><p>Etc.</p><p></p><p>-CryptoLutheran</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ViaCrucis, post: 76773938, member: 293637"] The thing that is frequently missed when it comes to Total Depravity is that Total Depravity does not deny that human beings are made in the image and likeness of God, and are the good creation of God. That is, [I]the innate goodness of creation[/I]. Being human is innately good. Total Depravity speaks to the way that our good humanity has become twisted because the passions or desires are disordered on account of sin, what western theologians call concupiscence. Lutherans speak of this concupiscence with the Latin phrase [I]homo incurvatus in se[/I], man curved or bent inward toward oneself. That is desires turned and oriented inward to satisfy ourselves, the exaltation of the self over and against others. To be curved inward means we care more about our own creature comforts than those of our neighbor and fellow creatures; it is this curved-inward-ness that leads us to exploit creation, including the exploitation of our fellow human beings. The matter of self esteem is not a matter of sin, but a matter of the intrinsic and innate dignity of being human. This can be seen even in the chief commandment of the Christian religion as given by Christ, "Love your neighbor as yourself." The commandment has "as yourself", the commandment assumes that a person will consider their own needs and extend the innate love of the self to one's neighbors. This is also true in Christ's commandment "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"; it assumes that the person wants and deserves to be treated well and therefore we should extend the same to others. It is not caring about one's own bodily needs, or desiring love, respect, kindness from ourselves and others that is a problem--i.e. self esteem--but when desire rises up to sow injury against others. That is the problem. When I cause injury against my fellow human beings because of my own desires I deny my neighbor's good humanity and also deny my own good humanity (the same humanity that God the Word Himself took upon Himself in the Incarnation to heal and save and restore and make righteous and holy). Total Depravity is not the doctrine that human beings are utterly despicable and deserve nothing; it's the doctrine that even in my will, emotions, etc I am sinful. It's not that I am a pure soul with a good will that is inhabiting a sinful body; even at the core of my own human personhood is something that drives me away from God and away from loving my neighbor as myself. That something is sin. Or Original Sin or concupiscence. And therefore I need my "insides" cleaned up, what Scripture often speaks of the change or renewal of the heart and mind, poetically speaking of a heart of stone being turned to a heart of flesh, to change my "spirit", etc. "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit in me." (Psalms 51:10), or "Do not be conformed to the pattern of this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:2). To acknowledge one's sinfulness is not a denial of the innate good humanity made by God and the human dignity that all persons are worthy of (including that of oneself, self-esteem); but rather it is a matter of recognizing that in spite of our best efforts we still fail, because we sow injury rather than healing with the ways we think, speak, and act. And thus I need mercy, mercy to rescue me from myself and my own self-destruction; and the mercy that invites me to change how I think about myself and the world so that I can learn what it means to truly carry my cross, follow Jesus, and love the world even as He does. That I might learn to share my humanity with others, not hide it away; to share our humanity with one another through love, acts of service, kindness, compassion, by being patient, gentle, respectful, etc. Cultivating, by God's grace, the fruits of the Spirit and to tame the wild passions. To forgive instead of holding a grudge. To bless instead of cursing. To pray for those who oppress us. To turn the other cheek and love one's enemy. To be generous and compassionate and selfless in our works toward our neighbor. Etc. -CryptoLutheran [/QUOTE]
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