Our tradition is all about self-love, however what does Scripture say about it? Is it prideful? Sinful? Try these Bible verses on self-love.
Self-love is such a stylish subject lately in each space of life.
You’ll discover every kind of messages on the market like:
- “Love your physique at any measurement!”
- “Be your personal greatest good friend!”
- “When life is difficult, simply smile at your self and know you’re ok.”
The Mind & Conduct Basis defines self-love as, “a state of appreciation for oneself that grows from actions that help our bodily, psychological and non secular development.
Self-love means having a excessive regard on your personal well-being and happiness. Self-love means caring for your personal wants and never sacrificing your well-being to please others. Self-love means not settling for lower than you deserve.”
I’ve to confess, a few of these issues sound correct (or no less than near proper) however many of those messages nonetheless ship up warning flags to me.
This definition says our appreciation for ourselves ought to depend upon our actions (“that grows from actions…”) and, if my love for myself depends solely on the love I can earn or deserve…properly, I’m sunk!
I mess up and fall brief each single day, so that will create a really unsteady, unreliable self-love to take me by way of life.
As Christians, individuals who imagine God created us, I simply don’t suppose we will outline self-love with out together with Christ in our definition.
That’s what spurred me to put in writing this publish. Listening to the self-love messages being passionately shared on the earth and realizing they sort of apply to me, however desperately desirous to be rooted in what God says about self-love within the Bible.
So, as a substitute of following my intestine or taking my phrase for it, let’s dive in and see what Scripture says on the subject.
Scriptures On Self-Love
Matthew 22:37-39
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all of your coronary heart and with all of your soul and with all of your thoughts.’38 That is the primary and biggest commandment. 39 And the second is prefer it: ‘Love your neighbor as your self.’
Matthew 22:37-39
That is all the time the primary verse that involves my thoughts that mentions loving your self (properly, loving your neighbor as your self). Really, the thought of loving your neighbor as your self is introduced up eight occasions within the Bible!
Listed below are the opposite 7 Bible verses that point out loving your neighbor as your self.
Leviticus 19:18
“‘Don’t search revenge or bear a grudge towards one in every of your folks, however love your neighbor as your self. I’m the LORD.
Leviticus 19:18
Mark 12:31
The second is that this: ‘Love your neighbor as your self.’ There isn’t any commandment higher than these.”
Mark 12:31
Romans 13:9
The commandments, “Don’t commit adultery, Don’t homicide, Don’t steal, Don’t covet,” and no matter different commandment there could also be, are summed up on this one rule: “Love your neighbor as your self.”
Romans 13:9
Matthew 19:19
Jesus replied, “‘Don’t homicide, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t give false testimony, honor your father and mom,’ and ‘love your neighbor as your self.’”
Matthew 19:19
James 2:8
In case you actually hold the royal regulation present in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as your self,” you’re doing proper.
James 2:8
Luke 10:27
He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God with all of your coronary heart and with all of your soul and with all of your energy and with all of your thoughts’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as your self.’”
Luke 10:27
Galatians 5:14
The whole regulation is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as your self.”
Galatians 5:14
Clearly, this idea is essential since it’s repeated a lot, so let’s dive in a bit deeper into what loving your neighbor as your self really means.
There are two essential issues to notice right here:
1 – First, earlier than loving your neighbor as your self, it’s important to love God along with your entire self.
You’ll be able to’t transfer on to the subsequent step with out this basis (which might be the most important lacking piece within the messages from our tradition). Experiencing God’s love comes first.
When you’ve got absolutely skilled God’s love first, which means you’ve skilled God’s grace. You might be allowed to be imperfectly human and nonetheless dearly beloved, not doing a single factor to deserve it. However, whenever you expertise God’s grace, it ought to set your coronary heart on fireplace, feeling so undeserving and overwhelmingly blessed, that you just so badly need others to expertise that reckless love, as properly.
That’s the place loving your neighbor as your self is available in. You’ll be able to’t assist however cross it on!
2 – Loving your neighbor as your self is a difficult message to know as a result of the Bible can also be stuffed with encouragement to “die to self” and reside selflessly.
So, how are we purported to steadiness these two issues that appear to be acknowledged as reverse extremes? How can we love selflessly but additionally love as we love ourselves?
I believe an essential half to recollect right here is that God created you to have worth (take a look at these reminders of your id in Christ). Simply since you worth your neighbor doesn’t imply that you lose any worth (on that word, take a look at these reminders on the misunderstood idea of humility).
So, the query then turns into, are you permitting your self to expertise the identical grace, compassion, kindness, and gentleness that you’re extending to others?
In my dive into these Bible verses on loving your self, the above verses are actually the one ones particularly mentioning loving your self.
There may be yet another that I’ve included beneath that touches on the subject of caring for your self.
Ephesians 5:29-30
In spite of everything, nobody ever hated their very own physique, however they feed and care for his or her physique, simply as Christ does the church—for we’re members of his physique.
Ephesians 5:29-30
The conclusion I’ve come to is that our quest ought to not be to like ourselves extra.
Typically the messages we hear about the right way to love ourselves extra result in a sort of self-obsession, desirous about ourselves and solely ourselves on a regular basis in a quest for happiness.
As a substitute, we ought to be aiming to permit ourselves to totally expertise God’s love for us.
And, actually, may there be something higher than that?
How may we, in our imperfect damaged humanity, presumably love ourselves greater than God in His flawless, unconditional love for us? How can we develop our confidence in Christ alone?
So, the subsequent part contains some Bible verses on God’s love for you (simply some of them – there are a LOT!), which can hopefully enable you to repair your eyes on Him, the Creator and Perfector of essentially the most excellent love you would ever expertise.
Bible Verses on God’s Love For You
Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He’ll take nice enjoyment of you; in his love he’ll not rebuke you, however will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17
Isaiah 54:10
Although the mountains be shaken and the hills be eliminated, but my unfailing love for you’ll not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be eliminated,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:10
John 3:16
For God so beloved the world that he gave his one and solely Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish however have everlasting life.
John 3:16
Romans 5:8
However God demonstrates his personal love for us on this: Whereas we had been nonetheless sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8
Romans 8:37-39
No, in all these items we’re greater than conquerors by way of him who beloved us. For I’m satisfied that neither demise nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the current nor the longer term, nor any powers, neither peak nor depth, nor the rest in all creation, will have the ability to separate us from the love of God that’s in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:37-39
1 John 3:1
See what nice love the Father has lavished on us, that we ought to be known as kids of God! And that’s what we’re! The rationale the world doesn’t know us is that it didn’t know him.
1 John 3:1
1 John 4:7-8
Expensive associates, allow us to love each other, for love comes from God. Everybody who loves has been born of God and is aware of God. 8 Whoever doesn’t love doesn’t know God, as a result of God is love.
1 John 4:7-8
1 John 4:Sept. 11
That is how God confirmed his love amongst us: He despatched his one and solely Son into the world that we would reside by way of him. That is love: not that we beloved God, however that he beloved us and despatched his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Expensive associates, since God so beloved us, we additionally ought to like each other.
1 John 4:Sept. 11
1 John 4:16
And so we all know and depend on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.
1 John 4:16
1 John 4:19
We love as a result of he first beloved us.
1 John 4:19
