Confidence vs Arrogance

[His clay]

Am I Confident or Arrogant?

In a society steeped in self-worth and self-esteem, how can Christians aim for significance in a way that glorifies Christ?

www.desiringgod.org

I found this little article to be good. I think that the key difference is between confidence in self-sufficiency or confidence in God's grace, power, and providence.

The article blasts the secular idea of "self-esteem" and "self-worth". This is obviously due to the fact that it is simply antithetical to the faith-in-God way that Christians ought to live. With God absent in the secular mind, then "self" becomes the new deity to trust in, and naturally the better this "self" is, the more confident and productive one will be. I can definitely sympathize with the need for confidence, rather than being crippled with fear. But the main issue is where one's object of faith resides. Is the confidence built upon a narcissistic focus, or is the confidence built upon the One who is gracious to sinners like me, built upon the One who is ultimately sovereign whose way is perfect, built upon the One who knows best and has promised for His elect to be more-than-conquerors even during the most difficult persecution? Confidence in God or confidence in self.

What does this have to do with this forum? It connects to this forum because some are so obsessed with their own wills that "self-trust" is all but inevitable. This is deeply tragic. I only hope that God shows such a person that they are really truly a sinner that that your view of self is destroyed. It is only then that you can be rebuilt upon the Rock.

The story of David and Goliath stands as a case in point. A lot of people trusted in themselves, and thusly they were greatly dismayed by the arrogant Goliath. But David had confidence in his God, and by looking to God's strength and provision David had the confidence needed to defeat the arrogant foe.

 

[makesends]

Not to knock desiringgod.org nor John Piper, but it seems to me that his thinking still has it that we are something through and in and because of Christ (i.e. God), which is still a matter of how we esteem ourselves. Thus, the measure of "christian success" (obedience, faithfulness, spirituality etc) could be understood to apply. And so, thus, the worth of the person is a matter of the person's measure of what that person judges to be the case in his walk.

The truth is that we are no more and no less than God's purpose for each individual, which means that "I don't know" more than a few things, which leaves my worth entirely up to God, and not a matter of my own judgement. This leaves me 'unbelievably' happy, because of the delight that God is doing whatever he set out to do from the beginning, about which GOD is VERY happy and satisfied. THERE is where our minds should be —not in some struggle to assess worth.

 

[His clay]

Not to knock desiringgod.org nor John Piper, but it seems to me that his thinking still has it that we are something through and in and because of Christ (i.e. God), which is still a matter of how we esteem ourselves. Thus, the measure of "christian success" (obedience, faithfulness, spirituality etc) could be understood to apply. And so, thus, the worth of the person is a matter of the person's measure of what that person judges to be the case in his walk.

The truth is that we are no more and no less than God's purpose for each individual, which means that "I don't know" more than a few things, which leaves my worth entirely up to God, and not a matter of my own judgement. This leaves me 'unbelievably' happy, because of the delight that God is doing whatever he set out to do from the beginning, about which GOD is VERY happy and satisfied. THERE is where our minds should be —not in some struggle to assess worth.

Personally, I struggle with seeing your critique as accurately representing the article's position. Could you re-explain what it is you find problematic?

How exactly is seeing God's work of redemption upon His elect impacting who we are. . . how is seeing self in light of God's self-sufficient, gracious working a problem? For example, I'm adopted as Eph 1:4-5 states. This impacts how I see myself. How is this adoptedness wrong? How is God's gracious choice to make me holy and without blame (Eph 1:4) wrong? I just don't see how "we are something through and in and because of Christ," as wrong. It seems like the biblical criteria of human identity. Isn't that exactly what you say in the opening line of paragraph 2? I grant that I may not being understanding your critique, so that is my reason for the request. Could you please re-explain what you see as problematic?

"The truth is that we are no more and no less than God's purpose for each individual, which means that "I don't know" more than a few things, which leaves my worth entirely up to God, and not a matter of my own judgement." Isn't this exactly what the article is advocating as the proper way of viewing things? My own judgment, as submitted to God's word and what He has revealed to be my identity.

 

[makesends]

Just last week in an informal pastor-training class on Biblical Anthropology, it came up about how we can't seem to stop assessing ourselves (which is a biblical exercise) but that we do so from OUR point-of-view. Instead, I said, we first need to see ourselves as only what God's use for us is, and his reason for making each of us individuals.

Piper seems, to me, that is, to be saying that we need to see ourselves as what we are IN CHRIST, which is true, but to me still puts the judgement into our camp, and to be drawing from the position that we are what we are, and not what God made us for. It is to some degree, still self-deterministic instead of God-deterministic. His thinking supports the notion that we are what we do, instead of, we are what God alone has in mind.

I wish we could get away from the notion that our structures are of themselves valid, instead of being, as CS Lewis said, the babel we think we mean. But if indeed we can not see God as the default fact, and that all else deviates to some degree from him, then what Piper said is VERY good. I just get a taste of gall in my throat when I hear that what is true and right is what WE judge it to be.

 

[His clay]

@makesends
Thanks for responding. I agree that God is the ultimate standard of meaning and that we often need to be more God-centered rather than man-centered. But granting that God is the ultimate standard, we can then seen secondary standards, not as omitted, but seen in their proper light. We certainly have a point of view, but as you have communicated, God needs to be the ultimate standard of meaning rather than our point of view. I totally agree with the idea that we are often sinful, self-centered creatures; we often need the corrective of God-orientation to reorient our thinking.