Why is *self* a dirty word?

[Nicodema]

It was Jesus who said we are to love others as we love ourselves. If we do not love ourselves (healthy love, not vanity or selfishness but the same healthy, compassionate, impartial regard for a person's well being that we ought to have toward all people) then we have no basis for comprehending that statement. Jesus pointed to our "natural" regard for self as a basis for understanding what sort of regard we should have toward others. It is natural to take care of self -- so take care of others the same way. It is natural to nurture and protect oneself -- so nurture and protect others the same way. It is natural to be concerned with the survival and comfort of ourselves, so we should be concerned with the survival and comfort of others likewise. We naturally tend to cut ourselves "slack" (give ourselves benefit of the doubt) when we mess up, and so we should extend that same courtesy to others. And so forth & so on. It's as simple as that.

If we fall prey to believing that "love" means ignoring, dismissing, and disregarding ourselves, then when Jesus says to love others AS we love ourselves, we would think Him to mean we ought to ignore, dismiss and disregard others too. And obviously that isn't what He intends, so why do we think He intends we do so to ourselves in order to be "loving" people to others?

[Guest]

Myself I don't see a problem with the word self. It's just a question of where/how you direct it.

[Robert]

This command, "Love your neighbor as you love yourself" and what it means is easily answered with one statement:

Christ's life answered the law. Now look at His life -- did He love self or did He love others as we naturally love ourselves?

“The Prince of heaven [Jesus] came to this world to live in human nature a perfect life, a life that would be an example for all human beings. He lived a life free from self-seeking, [how?] wholly given to the service of others.”

My two cents

Rob

[Nicodema]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />

Robert said:

“The Prince of heaven [Jesus] came to this world to live in human nature a perfect life, a life that would be an example for all human beings. He lived a life free from self-seeking, [how?] wholly given to the service of others.”

<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

And he did this because He hated Himself, had no self-respect, and thought He was worthless garbage, right?

Wrong. I rest my case. <img src="/adventist/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

[Robert]

Christ's selfless love means that besides food and clothing His ambition was to live for others.... Heaven’s means of gaining wealth is to have everyone living for the other guy. Of course in this world that’s impossible, although the early Christian church did it for a time.

Anyway, you've heard my angle on this so I won't repeat it again.

Rob

[D. Allan]

Rudywoofs,

Perhaps “dying to self” could be more accurately called

“total surrender to God.” Jesus, spent hours in prayer

doing this. It takes practice. When we do this we find

that our old idea of “self” was an illusion. We find our

TRUE self in experiencing the life-changing LOVE of God.

Jesus was so surrendered He said that His works were

not his own but His Father’s. He was so surrendered

that He said my Father and I are one.

I find it amazing that Jesus prayed that we might be one

with Him. Lately it has occurred to me that it is astound-

ing that He prayed that we might be one with each other

just as he is one with His Father!! What does that mean???

D. Allan

[D. Allan]

It's a paradox. Jesus tells us we must die, yet he says he came the we might have life. Its just that we think we have so much to lose, yet Jesus says that if we try to save our life we will lose it. Is He talking in circles?

He's saying that He has something better for us. If you just look at the "self" of most people you will find that is a self full of dissatisfactions, strivings, self-condemnation, etc. etc. Jesus far from wanting to condem us, wants to validate us, to strip all those burden off our selves, the result is a new self. A self without condemnation, as long as we remember to "abide" in Christ. It is a self with a spiritual life, not just a physical one.

Christ is in your self. Regard your self with joy and confidence in God's approval of that new self.